NZ Tourism.com 2024 New Zealand Tours, New Zealand self drive tours & coach tours
Wellington & Wairarapa Tours
Wellington – the city on a hill where wooden villas gaze down on high rise offices and beautiful Oriental Bay. Everything in downtown Wellington is just a stones throw away – trains, boats and planes are easily accessible from the city centre. You won’t go hungry here either -corner cafés, boutique restaurants and busy city bars are everywhere. The waterfront is the pièce de résistance – a fabulous wide walkway follows the water’s edge alongside the city centre.
Experience Wellington & Wairarapa Region
- Capital City of New Zealand
- Café Capital of New Zealand
- Cook Strait ferries linking South and North
- Wairarapa wines and olive groves
- Wonderful waterfront walks
You´ll ❤️ these great things to see & do…
- Walk & read the “text sculptures’ on the Wellington waterfront
- Visit Te Papa and the Museum of Wellington
- Drop into Cuba Street for a coffee, colour and a chat
- Catch the Cable Car for great views over the City and Harbour
- Go to a kiwi music gig
- See live theatre at Downstage
- Walk with virtual moa at ZEALANDIA: The Exhibition
- Walk with real kakariki on Matiu-Somes lsland
- Head over the Rimutaka Hill to the Wairarapa vineyards
- See twelve great attractions via the hop on/hop off CitySights bus
- Study the southern skies at the Carter Observatory
Head north for a short drive to the Kapiti Coast. Kapiti Island is home to many endangered New Zealand birds – such as the little spotted Kiwi, the Kokako, Takahe and Kakariki.
You can visit the island but you’ll need a permit from DOC (www.doc.govt.nz). To the east you’ll find the wonderful Wairarapa with its local wines, excellent cafés and unspoiled countryside.
Useful Wellington & Wairarapa Resources
Wellington is a unique and vibrant city that represents the pride and prestige of New Zealand. As the capital city, it is home to a significant portion of the country’s population and serves as the center of political activities. It houses various government offices and head offices of different departments.
Apart from politics, Wellington is renowned for its colorful nightlife, café culture, and thriving film and theatre industry. It hosts the country’s international art festival and boasts of a high quality of living compared to many other cities in the world. The city’s architectural beauty, with its historical wooden cottages and iconic structures, is a testament to its rich history.
Wellington’s cultural institutions, museums, and prestigious festivals add color and vibrancy to life. The city is also famous for its small group performers in improvised comedy, and its scenic beauty, with its harbor and forested hills, attracts tourists from all over the world.
Wellington & Wairarapa Day Tours & Activities
Listing view
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Read more about ‘Kapiti Gold Coast’ Half Day Tour
Your essential short city escape! Take a half day to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the city and explore the coast North of Wellington - taste locally produced gourmet delights, go back in time at Southwards Car Museum, check out boutique souvenir stores, and enjoy endless rural and coastal views. Travel through the seaside resort of Plimmerton and up the coastal highway via the popular Chocolate New Zealand Factory to Paraparaumu. Visit Lindale Farm where you can experience free Kapiti Cheese tasting, try their original homemade ice cream (own cost) and see farm animals. Travel onto Southward Vintage Car Museum, which has the largest privately owned collection of vintage and veteran cars in the Southern Hemisphere. The museum features many rare and valuable exhibits, including an 1895 Benz which was imported in 1900, Marlene Dietrich's Rolls Royce, and a Chicago gangster's armour-plated limo. Travel back via the Paekakar....
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Read more about Interislander Ferry from Wellington
Interislander is the New Zealand ferry service which crosses the Cook Strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The 92 km, three hour journey between Wellington and Picton is one of New Zealand's most iconic tourist experiences, and one of the most spectacular cruises in the world. Interislander operates three ships to carry both passengers and their vehicles: Arahura, Aratere and Kaitaki. All our ships offer a safe, comfortable and affordable journey, as well as a complete range of onboard services. Offering up to 11 sailings a day, passengers also have the convenience of a wide choice of travel times. Your trip across the Cook Strait will be both enjoyable and unforgettable. Interislander - Where the journey becomes a destination. Depart Wellington / Arrive Picton 2:25am / 5:35am 8:25am / 11:35am 10:25am* / 1:35pm* 2:05pm / 5:15pm 6:25pm / 9:25pm * Peak season only (approximate dates - from mid-D....
You can visit Kapiti Island for a day tour, or truly experience all the island has to offer with an overnight stay at the lodge. Kapiti Island Nature Tours offer the only chance to spend the night on Kapiti where our family will tell you the stories of the island that is so close to our hearts, and show you the true beauty of New Zealand the way it was.
Kapiti Island stands as ‘one of the jewels in the crown of New Zealand’s conservation estate’ as it provides the necessary ‘pest and predator’ free environment for many of New Zealand’s most endangered bird species.
But Kapiti is more than a ‘conservation island’.
For over eight hundred years people also have lived on this island, and their history survives today through the stories and legends told by their ancestors, and through historical sites and artefacts.
Whether you’re a local or visiting from overseas, seeing Kiwi in their natural habitat ....
Read more about Kapiti Island Nature Tour
Departing from Wellington Railway Station at 8.25am weekdays and 9.55am weekends and public holidays via Tranz Metro’s Wairarapa Service you will be met in Featherston Railway Station by your Gourmet Wine Escape Coach and driver. Visit the award-winning Martinborough wine region on this all inclusive wine tour and treat your taste buds. Visit four boutique vineyards, meet some of the families behind the vineyards and learn how this sleepy, rural town blossomed into an internationally renowned wine region. Just over an hour from the capital, depart Wellington by rail for a scenic journey with stunning views of Wellington harbour and the Wairarapa Valley. Visit 4 boutique Martinborough vineyards, enjoy wine tastings throughout the day, a delightful gourmet lunch at the charming wine village, sweet delights and later, relax with a delicious cheese platter and coffee. Relax and let our local....
Get off the beaten tourist track on this tour of amazing scenic diversity. From world famous Lord of the Rings film locations, to wondrous mountain ranges, elegant villages, boutique wineries, rural farmlands, and rugged and untamed Palliser Bay - this tour has it all! Visiting only the most breathtakingly scenic Lord of the Rings film sites, we venture along: The Great River Anduin that flowed through Middle Earth between the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood, Hobbiton Woods, where the Hobbits hid from the Nazgul while fleeing the Shire. This film site located on Mount Victoria also offers spectacular 360-degree views of Wellington City, harbour, and hills. Helms Deep where the Orcs battled King Theodore of Rohan to overtake his stronghold, Rivendell where the room and the bed for Frodo’s recovery from the Sword attack by the Ring Wraiths was staged. The charming towns of Featherston and Martinbo....
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Read more about Te Papa Museum Guided Tour
Te Papa is New Zealand’s national museum, renowned for being bicultural, scholarly, innovative, and fun. Our success is built on our relationships with and ability to represent our community. Our collections span five areas: Art, History, Pacific, Mâori, and Natural Environment. Our exhibitions are interdisciplinary and interactive, and we have dynamic events and education programmes. We also have thriving commercial enterprises, including a publishing division, conference operations, and retail stores. Open every day of the year, including public holidays. Hours: 10am−6pm, and 10am−9pm on Thursdays.....
Our flagship tour, this mouth-watering culinary experience concludes with a delicious, light, three course tasting lunch with matched New Zealand wines at top Wellington restaurant, Logan Brown* (2009 Cuisine Magazine NZ Restaurant of the Year Winner). Over a relaxed 4 hour walking gourmet tour around Wellington's best food places, your personal guide will introduce you to new and favourite flavours. Tour content can vary seasonally, and you may visit a boutique coffee roaster and stylish cafe, renowned specialist fresh produce and gourmet food stores, and a unique contemporary chocolatier. Walking Time: up to 50-60 minutes, at a casual wandering pace. Additional Notes: * Logan Brown is open for lunch from Tuesdays to Saturdays. If you book your tour on a Monday we will take you to another of our favourite restaurants. * Coffee Roasting is available during weekdays. For our Saturday bookings, we ....
The perfect introduction to Wellington City! Visit all the must-see sights and attractions, as well as venturing out for a leisurely cruise around our rugged Southern coastline. Make the most of your time in Wellington on this popular tour - A short yet thorough overview. Highlights include city, harbour and hill views from some of the city's most spectacular vantage points, as well as visiting many of Wellington's most famous sights, landmarks, and icons. These include: The famous Beehive and Parliament Buildings Old Saint Paul's Cathedral, the finest example of Revival Gothic architecture in the Southern Hemisphere, Exquisite Lady Norwood Rose Gardens, The largest wooden building in the Southern Hemisphere, Various buildings exemplifying classic early Wellington architecture. Enjoy breathtaking 360-degree views of Wellington City, hills and harbour from the summit of Mount Victoria, and driv....
Just minutes from downtown Wellington, nestled among the hilly suburbs, lies a place unlike any other - ZEALANDIA: The Karori Sanctuary Experience. Home to some of the rarest and most extraordinary wildlife on the planet, ZEALANDIA is New Zealand's award-winning eco-attraction. A must-see if you want to get a real taste of New Zealand's amazing natural heritage. Your ZEALANDIA experience includes an exciting new exhibition and walk in our ever-changing sanctuary valley. Or for an even more unique experience check out our ZEALANDIA by Night tour - a special nocturnal experience. Roam the sanctuary valley Step inside the world's first fully-fenced urban wildlife sanctuary - a safe haven for some of New Zealand's rarest native animals like the kaka - our playful forest parrot - and dozens more species found nowhere else in the world. Our popular ranger talks provide fascinating stories about some o....