Wellington City – Guide for Backpackers

© Phoebe Mackenzie - WellingtonNZ

Art and Culture in Wellington

The more you walk around Wellington city centre, the more you discover. Artworks and sculptures line the waterfront, but some are more prominent than others. Quotes are carved into obscure places like under walkway bridges and in the water as part of the Wellington Writer’s Walk.

Even the seating along the harbour is not just your average park bench. Sit on an odd arrangement of wooden blocks and watch people from all walks of life walk/board/bike/scooter by.

There are a few museums in the city, but one in particular is a must-visit: Te Papa Tongarewa. Countless interactive and visually stimulating displays show everything about New Zealand.

From social history like the Maori culture to the natural world like earthquakes and volcanoes of NZ, you can spend hours in this place.

Te Papa holds the world’s largest colossal squid and temporary exhibits, which have included the World of Wearable Art exhibition (in 2014), the 75 years of Air New Zealand exhibition (in 2015) and the Gallipoli: The Scale of our War (2016). Te Papa also has free WiFi…

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Wellywood

Heaps of great movies have come out of New Zealand (there’s a movie about a ring that you may have heard about), many of which have had some filming done in Wellington or been produced by production workshops in the city.

The city and surrounding areas are inexpensive to film in, making it a great hub for movie-making.

A must for movie buffs is the Weta Cave and Weta Workshop. The three trolls from The Hobbit stand by the entrance, so it’s hard to miss.

The Weta Cave is a shop with movie collectables all made from the team behind the props, costumes and digital animation for movies such as The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Avatar, The Adventures of Tintin, King Kong, The Amazing Spider-Man, District 9, and so much more.

The Weta Cave has a mini-museum and a video explaining what Weta does. For around NZ$99 you can take the Weta Workshop Tour to see how props are made and hold some alien guns.

Weta Cave is based in Miramar, which is a 30-minute bus ride from the city centre. Ask the bus driver, and they will tell you where to jump off. They deal with movie geeks all the time.

You can visit several filming locations from The Lord of the Rings on location tours, a full-day experience provided by Wellington Rings Tours. Check out the filming locations in 20 Lord of the Rings Filming Locations You Can’t Miss in New Zealand.

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Shopping and Nightlife

What we like about Wellington is how compact the city centre is. It only takes about 20 minutes to walk from one side of the centre to the other.

The majority of bars and clubs are on Courtenay Place. There’s The Residence for killer happy-hour deals and retro vibes, Vinyl Bar with its cheap drink nights and throwback tunes, Mishmosh for your classier cocktail night, and more: see the 5 Awesome Bars in Wellington.

Cuba Street has a reputation for being a bit quirky, a bit hipster, a bit bohemian. There are many options for a bite to eat: Fidel’s Cafe for hearty breakfast or brunch, KK Malaysia for cheap and tasty Malaysian curries and mee goreng, Floriditas for classic café fare with local flair, Aunty Mena’s Vegetarian Cafe for vibrant veggie-friendly meals, and Logan Brown for a celebrated fine dining experience.

If you want to experience Wellington’s culinary delights, book a food tour with The Big Foody Food Tours. A local guide will take you on a slow-paced walking adventure through the city centre. You’ll explore the vibrant Cuba Street, glorious waterfront and cosmopolitan Lambton Quay while indulging in coffee, chocolate, craft beer, charcuterie and cheese.

It also holds some decent op shops and vintage stores: Hunters & Collectors, Ziggurat, Paper Bag Princess and Bizarre Bazaar.

Head to Wellington’s CBD on Lambton Quay for a wealth of shops. All the New Zealand retail chains you could think of are here, as well as pop-up liquidation sales.

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Wellington Vantage Points

Surrounded by a hilly green belt, there are some different vantage points you can get of the city without having to go too far. Mt Victoria, on the east side of the city, has 360 views with the centre on one side and the ferry terminal on the other. There are even a couple of sculptures and memorials on the lookout.

Another vantage point is from the Botanic Gardens, which can be accessed by the historic cable car. It is only NZ$12 return on the cable car, which is located on Lambton Quay. Alternatively, you can walk to the gardens.

Seeing Wellington from the water offers another perspective of the city. You can take guided kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding tours both day and night.

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Wellington Region

Wellington has a whole lot more to offer than the city centre. If you have time, why not take some day trips to the surrounding suburbs and districts all with their own charms.

Take a trip down the Kapiti Coast to do some beach-hopping. Make your way to the Wairarapa to see the rugged coastal areas of Cape Palliser and Castlepoint. It’s also home to the Wellington wine-growing region, meaning there are plenty of jobs for backpackers and plenty of excuses to drink some New Zealand wine.

Finally, not too far from Wellington city is the Hutt Valley, especially good for exploring hiking tracks in the forests.