Wellington
Wellington is our third largest city and since 1865 has been our capital and home of the New Zealand Government. It is named after the first Duke of Wellington ‘Arthur Wellesley’ who commanded the British army against Napoleon and was also British Prime Minister (which must have seemed like good reasons to name a town in the place on the opposite side of the world after him). The central city is jammed between the hills and the harbour so is relatively small and can be easily walked around. It is known as the windy city (the local rugby team is called ‘The Hurricanes’). Wind is channeled through the Cook Strait, which is the only gap in New Zealand’s 1400km chain of mountains. The city is located on a major fault line and Wellington leads the world (they hope) in the development and application of technology to create earthquake resistant buildings. The harbour is a large volcanic crater. Wellington is home to Te Papa New Zealand’s National Museum; this is free to enter although a donation is much appreciated. Inside its walls you will find many exhibitions detailing New Zealand’s precarious position on the tectonic plates, its birds and marine life, cultural history, a contemporary designed marae, and copies of the Treaty of Waitangi; they also host many temporary exhibitions as well (that sometimes have a small charge). The Wellington area is also home of Peter Jackson and his Weta Studios of Lord of the Rings and now King Kong fame. Forget Hollywood and Bollywood we now have Wellywood.
Bus Tours Departing Wellington
