Taste the culinary capital
Home to some of New Zealand’s top restaurants, coffee and craft beer breweries and award-winning artisan food producers, Wellington has a well-deserved reputation as New Zealand’s culinary capital.
Get the full gastronomical experience with brunch and coffee at a local café; visit a market, try some of Wellington top 10 must-try dishes, sip local wine and craft beer, dine at an award-winning eatery and end your day with a perfectly made cocktail.
Find out more about where to eat and drink on WellingtonNZ.
Explore local shopping precincts
Shopping in Wellington is a delight – not only because of the range of stores, but also because the city’s compact nature means that it’s very walkable.
The city has a range of shopping precincts located within easy walking distance of each other. Start out shopping the high street stores on Lambton Quay and end up browsing vintage stores on Cuba, all in an afternoon.
Discover more about shopping on WellingtonNZ.
Immerse yourself in the arts and culture
Go behind the scenes and learn movie-making secrets on a Weta Workshop Tour and visit Te Papa, plus Wellington’s other world-renowned museums and galleries.
You can learn more about Te Whanganui-a-Tara’s Māori history on a cultural walking tour with Te Wharewaka o Pōneke.
Visit Tākina, Convention and Exhibition Centre
Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre was built to enable Wellington to attract international and domestic conferences for the benefit of the city, region and country and to provide a place from which to share the stories of the nation. Tākina offers conference facilities across two floors and a ground floor public exhibition space totalling 18,000 sqm.
Built on a Council-owned site on Cable Street, opposite Te Papa and near the waterfront, Tākina is quickly becoming a transformative addition to Wellington’s cultural and entertainment precinct. Visitors to Tākina are already having positive flow-on effects on the city’s hospitality, accommodation, and retail businesses.
Learn more about Tākina.
What's on in Wellington
You’ll find plenty to inspire you in Wellington with a year-round calendar of exciting events and festivals.
From theatre shows at BATS and Circa, festivals of food, music, craft beer and film, performances by Royal New Zealand Ballet, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and live gigs at local bars and venues, there’s something for everyone.
Explore events on WellingtonNZ.
Experience incredible nature close to the city
Nestled between hills and harbour, you’re never far from nature in Wellington.
Take a visit to Zealandia ecosanctuary (named by Time magazine as one of the greatest places on earth), visit the resident New Zealand fur seal colony at Red Rocks on the south coast or meet rare wildlife at Wellington Zoo.
Take a walk or bike ride on one of the many trails that surround the city, kayak on the harbour to explore beautiful bays and beaches and, if the weather is warm, go for a swim.