Things to Do in Wellington & Wairarapa

Things to Do in 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 stone’s throw away, with trains, boats and planes easily accessible from the city centre. You won’t go hungry here either, with corner cafés, boutique restaurants and busy city bars everywhere. The waterfront is the pièce de résistance, a fabulous wide walkway along the water’s edge beside the city centre. Beyond the capital, the Wairarapa offers vineyards, charming villages and rural landscapes within easy reach.

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 the St James Theatre
• Walk with virtual moa at ZEALANDIA: The Exhibition
• Walk with real kakariki on Matiu-Somes Island
• 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 Space Place, home of 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 independently with a permit from DOC, or take the Kapiti Island Full Day Tour. To the east you’ll find the wonderful Wairarapa with its local wines, excellent cafés and unspoiled countryside.

Where to Experience It in Wellington & Wairarapa

Wellington is compact and easy to explore on foot, and the Wairarapa is an easy day trip or weekend away. Where we have a matching activity, the name links to it.

• City and waterfront: the waterfront walkway, Mount Victoria lookout, and the Cable Car from Lambton Quay up to the Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā. See Walking & Hiking.
• Museums and art: Te Papa (try the Introducing Te Papa Tour), Wellington Museum and City Gallery Wellington. See Museums and Heritage & Art.
• Harbour and islands: ferries run from Queens Wharf to Days Bay and Mātiu/Somes Island, and the Kapiti Island Full Day Tour visits a protected nature reserve. See Boat Cruises & Water Activities.
• Wild coast: the Seal Coast Safari and the From Cave to Coast Wellington Highlights Tour. See Wildlife & Beaches.
• Coffee, craft beer and food: Wellington is known as the coffee capital, and the Capital Bites Tour is a guided way to taste the city. See Food & Wine.
• Martinborough wine: more than 20 vineyards sit within flat, easy cycling distance of the town square, with e-bike hire available. Try the Martinborough Foodie Half-Day Tour or the Private Food & Wine Tour.
• Film locations: the Lord of the Rings Full-Day Tour and Half-Day Tour, plus Wētā Workshop experiences. See Home of Middle‑earth™.
• Wairarapa towns: Greytown for boutique shopping, Masterton for Queen Elizabeth Park and the Aratoi museum, and the Greytown Woodside Trail for cycling. See Cycling & Mountain Biking.

Events in Wellington & Wairarapa

These dates come from the official Wellington and Wairarapa event calendars (checked 15 October 2026). Please confirm dates with each organiser before you plan around them. For New Zealand-wide dates, see our New Zealand Festivities page.

• Cornelia Parker, 10 October 2026 – 7 March 2027. City Gallery Wellington reopens in its renovated Civic Square building with an exhibition by the contemporary artist Cornelia Parker.
• Martinborough Community Market, 24–25 October 2026. A Labour Weekend market in the wine village.
• Pūkaha Wairarapa Garden Tour, 21–22 November 2026. Twelve gardens across South Wairarapa, including some opening for the first time.
• Te Rā o Waitangi, 6 February. A free, family-friendly Waitangi Day event at Waitangi Park from midday, with live music, performances, kai and a kids’ zone.
• Wairarapa Wines Harvest Festival, 20 February 2027. A celebration of the region’s wine.

The Wairarapa calendar also features the Wairarapa Balloon Festival, the Carterton Daffodil Festival and the Golden Shears world shearing championships in Masterton. See the official calendars under Useful Resources below for dates.

Free Things to Do in Wellington

Plenty of Wellington’s best experiences cost nothing, which makes them good fillers for a free afternoon between tours.

• Mount Victoria lookout: the best way to get your bearings, with views across the city and harbour.
• Be the ‘I’ in Wellington: a giant sculptural sign on the waterfront that lets you become part of the city’s name.
• Wellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā: 25 hectares of plant collections, native forest and city views, in the oldest botanic garden in New Zealand.
• Southern Walkway: a 4 to 6-hour walk along the Town Belt between the city and Island Bay.
• The waterfront walkway: a wide, flat path along the harbour edge past public art and the “text sculptures”.

Wellington & Wairarapa on a Rainy Day

When the weather turns, both areas have plenty of indoor options.

• Te Papa and Wellington Museum: New Zealand’s national museum, and a museum telling Wellington’s own stories.
• Wētā Workshop and Space Place: film special effects and props, and the planetarium and observatory in the hills.
• Theatre and cinema: the St James Theatre, the Opera House, and Wellington’s boutique cinemas.
• Wairarapa museums: Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History and The Wool Shed National Museum of Sheep and Shearing in Masterton, and the Cobblestones Museum in Greytown.
• Circus Cinema (Martinborough): a cinema, restaurant and bar in the wine village.

Good to Know Before You Go

• Getting here: trains, ferries and flights all arrive in the city centre area, and the Cook Strait ferry links Wellington with Picton in the Marlborough Sounds.
• Into the Wairarapa: drive over the Rimutaka Hill, or take the train from Wellington and bring a bike for the Greytown Woodside Trail.
• Kapiti Island: independent visits need a permit from DOC, so book ahead or join a guided tour.

Getting to and from Wellington

• Palmerston North (Whanganui & Manawatu): the Capital Connection train runs from Wellington
• New Plymouth (Taranaki): about a 50-minute flight
• Picton (Marlborough): by Cook Strait ferry
• Rotorua: about 5 hours 30 minutes by road

Combine Wellington & Wairarapa With

Wellington is the gateway between the two islands, so it pairs well with these regions:

• Marlborough: cross Cook Strait by ferry to Picton and the Marlborough Sounds
• Whanganui & Manawatu: the Whanganui River and Feilding, by train or road
• Taranaki: Taranaki Maunga and Surf Highway 45, a short flight away
• Rotorua: geothermal sights and Māori culture, to the north

Tours that include Wellington

Each tour below stops in Wellington, according to the route shown on its tour listing.

• 9 Day North Island Guided Coach Tour: 9 days, escorted coach tour. Auckland to Wellington via Rotorua, Lake Taupō and Ōhakune.
• 10 Day North Island Adventure Tour: 10 days, adventure tour. Auckland to Wellington via Hobbiton, Rotorua and Lake Taupo.
• 11 Day North Island Adventure Tour: Ultimate North: 11 days, adventure tour. Bay of Islands, Coromandel, Rotorua, Waitomo, Tongariro, Taupo and Wellington.
• 12 Day Grand Loop: North Island Small Group Tour: 12 days, small group tour. Coromandel, Tauranga, Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington and Waitomo.
• 19 Day New Zealand Winter Tour: Auckland to Christchurch: 19 days, escorted coach tour. Waitomo, Rotorua and Wellington, then Queenstown, Wanaka and Franz Josef.

Popular themes in Wellington & Wairarapa

Food & Wine · Museums · Wildlife & Beaches · Boat Cruises & Water Activities · Home of Middle‑earth™

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