With beautiful coastal views and a friendly, welcoming culture, you probably don’t need more reasons to visit Wellington, New Zealand. The entire city is teaming with culture, adventure and excitement. However, with so much to see and do, you might be wondering just where to begin building your itinerary. Because this city is full of great experiences just waiting to be had, it can be tough narrowing your options down and deciding exactly what you will have time to do while on holiday.
In order to help you build your to-do list for your holiday in Wellington, here are three activities that you should definitely do during your stay in this incredible destination.
1. Visit Middle Earth
Fans of the beloved book and film series The Lord of the Rings will know already that New Zealand was director Peter Jackson’s location of choice when he was charged with bringing the stories of J.R.R. Tolkien to life. Because of this, fans of the film series can go on a tour of some of the places where key scenes of the films were shot.
A Lord of the Rings tour will add adventure and fantasy to your holiday in Wellington. It will also provide you with some behind-the-scenes information about filming that any LOTR fan would love to know.
2. Explore the Wildlife
Like many other locations in New Zealand, Wellington is home to some incredible wildlife. You can easily experience some of the best that nature has to offer while you are in the area by either going on a guided tour or exploring one of the sanctuaries nearby.
Zealandia is known as the world’s first “fully-fenced urban ecosanctuary”. The sanctuary was started as a conservation effort to reintroduce various species of New Zealand wildlife back into nature. See a variety of birds, reptiles, plants and other wildlife that have been successfully integrated back into their natural habitats.
Aside from this incredible sanctuary, you can see other aspects of Wellington wildlife in various other places. Spot some seals along the Red Rocks Walkway or take the ferry to Kapiti Island, where you can see some native kiwi. Pretty much anywhere you go in Wellington and the surrounding area will present you with an opportunity to experience some amazing wildlife.
3. Take in the Views
While it the city of Wellington isn’t short on amazing views to take in, there is one view that you will certainly want to take advantage of. This is the view that overlooks the city of Wellington from Mount Victoria. Plan to spend a day hiking or biking the trails and taking in the picturesque views of the city, the harbour and the ocean.
There is also a cable car in Wellington that can take you to another spot that is perfect for taking in the sites of the city. The Wellington Cable Car takes you from the downtown area up to the beautiful Wellington Botanic Garden. There is also a Cable Car Museum there for you to explore when you can pull yourself away from the stunning views.
