Wellington
The Capital of New Zealand
It offers an unforgettable city experience in a natural
setting. It is located between a beautiful harbour and
rolling green hills. Wellington has excellent shopping,
professional theatre and cafes and restaurants all close
to untouched nature spots. Wellington is only two kilometres
wide so it can be explored easily on foot. Discover New
Zealand’s heritage in Wellington. The city is home
to Parliament Buildings as well as many historic buildings
and museums which tell the story of New Zealand. Te Papa,
New Zealand’s national museum is on the waterfront.
Walk to Te Papa from a central city restaurant and stop
at a local fashion store or an art gallery on the way.
Wellington is the arts
and culture capital of New Zealand
Festivals and events are held here throughout the year.
A highlight is the biennial New Zealand International
Arts Festival - a month long arts festival.
Wellington is for nature lovers as well as arts and culture
enthusiasts.
The South Coast is one of Wellington’s most beautiful
places. Visit the New
Zealand fur seal colony or just watch the waves. Mountain
bike through
native bush at Makara Peak, or kayak out to Scorching
Bay - the choice is
yours.
The Kapiti Coast, north of Wellington can be reached via
a coast-line-hugging scenic highway. Try walking to the
top of Kapiti Island's world-renowned bird sanctuary,
picnic along the stretched-out beaches or quad bike through
18,000 hectares of native bush.
Interesting Facts
| • |
Wellington
is the world's most southern capital and the only
capital in the "Roaring Forties" latitudes. |
| • |
Wellington
was the first Capital City to see in the new millennium. |
| • |
Nearly
all Wellington residents are within 3 km of the
sea. |
• |
Wellington has the greatest
proportion of open space land per capita at 17.3
ha for every 1000 people. |
• |
More Wellingtonians
feel safe in their homes than in other cities.
(Quality of Life Report commissioned by national
City Councils 2001). |
• |
Wellington gets more
sunshine than Auckland, Melbourne and London and
less rain than Auckland and Sydney. |
• |
There is over 60,000
hours of reading material in Te Papa. |
• |
Thorndon is New Zealand’s
oldest suburb and is best known for being home
of the world renowned author Katherine Mansfield’s
Birthplace. It’s also where you will find
the oldest hotel in New Zealand, now renovated
as The Shepherd’s Arms. |
• |
Smoking in all hospitality
venues, including bars, restaurants, cafes, and
casinos, is prohibited in Wellington and throughout
New Zealand. |
Key Facts
Population
: (Source: New Zealand Census, 2001)
• Wellington City 163,824
• Wellington Region 423,765
The Wellington region (including Kapiti, Porirua, Hutt
Valley and Wairarapa) has the third highest population,
containing 11.3% of New Zealand's population.
Land Area: City 28,990 hectares or 290
sq kms.
Wellington's Climate
(Source: National Institute of Water &
Atmospheric Research)
Sunshine hours:
More than 2035 hours per year.
Sunniest main centre in 1995, 1997, 2000 and 2002
Temperature:
_ Mean daily maximum in summer (January) 20.3 C 69F
_ Mean daily minimum in summer 13.4 C 56F
_ Mean daily maximum in winter (July) 11.3 C 52F
_ Mean daily minimum in winter 6.2C 43F
_ Annual rainfall mean 1249mm
Visit
the Positively Wellington Tourism website
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