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Best of Wellington in One Day: Culture & Charm

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Affectionately nicknamed Windy Welly, New Zealand’s capital city Wellington is quirky, cultured, and gorgeous. This harbor-hugging city is a vibrant mix of art, film, and sea air, where creativity swirls.

In one day and two nights, you can see the highlights of this charming city, and very likely experience a few gusts of wind.

In this post, I explore what to see in Wellington, a city where art meets adventure, and where even the blustery weather is part of the charm.

Arriving in Wellington

If you’re coming from the South Island, you’ll arrive by ferry into Wellington’s huge harbour that embraces you with jutting peninsulas to the right and left.

I dropped off my rental car in Picton on the South Island and picked up a second car for touring the North Island moments after docking. The process is a breeze. This time, I get a black Chev Trax that feels a bit big for me, but it handles well and is comfortable to drive.

Julia directs me into the traffic streaming alongside the harbour for the short drive to the Museum Apartment Hotel across the street from the water and New Zealand’s premier Te Papa Museum.

We’re given a two-bedroom suite with balcony on the fifth floor. I loved this place! The Museum Apartment Hotel is awash with interesting artworks in the public areas—sculptures, paintings, and installations.

It’s already 6:30 in the evening by the time we get checked in so we drop off our luggage and walk across the street to a Malaysian restaurant. After two good curries and some garlic naans, we stroll down Wellington’s main drag.

Lots of restaurants and young people make for a lively street, our first big city stroll since coming to New Zealand.

Best Day in Wellington

If you have just one day in Wellington as I did, then I suggest focusing on four sites: the WETA Workshop (where the props for Lord of the Rings, among many other films, were created), Victoria Park, the spectacular Te Papa Museum, and the harbour area.

Visiting the WETA Workshop

For us, first priority is a tour of the WETA workshop. If you have any interest in all in film (and who doesn’t?), then you must take this tour.

Here’s a tour offered through GetYourGuide. Booking well in advance is highly recommended.

The Weta workshop is located in the suburb of Miramar, a regular neighborhood spread across the hilly Miramar peninsular. Light traffic makes driving there from downtown Wellington a breeze.

Our Experience Touring the WETA Workshop

We arrive early and are able to get on the 10 am tour instead of waiting until 11 am. Just before the tour, we snap photos of Gollum and a troll outside the workshop. Photography inside the workshop while on the tour is forbidden.

The cheerful American guide, who is an actress herself, takes us on the tour where we learn how many of the effects and models used in Lord of the Rings and other films are made.

We get the opportunity to hold various props including the two types of chain mail used in the Lord of the Rings movies—the heavy version made of steel and the super-light version made of rubber.

Apparently, studly Viggo Mortensen wore the heavy stuff a lot of the time. He also lugged around one of the real swords for many of his scenes, although apparently not for the scene where he holds the sword aloft for long periods in Return of the King.

We’ve already heard from a few of the guides on other tours in New Zealand about Viggo’s prowess. He’s the actor mentioned most frequently and with the most respect.

Check out the WETA Workshop Gift Shop

The tour ends in the gift workshop (of course), where Julia and I both make purchases.

I buy a very nice black bag with the slogan “Be Creative and Make Cool Stuff” and Julia buys a black t-shirt with the same slogan. I promise not to carry the bag at the same time she wears the t-shirt.

Victoria Park in Wellington: Into the Woods of Middle Earth

Victoria Park spreads like a thick green blanket over a mountaintop close to the WETA Workshop. We wind up the flanks of the mountain and park where Julia’s i-phone tells us is the beginning of a track leading to a key location in the Fellowship of the Ring.

Even I remember the scene where the four hobbits cower under the roots of a huge tree while the scary Ringwraiths snort and stamp just above. Small signs pointing to the location are thoughtfully provided.

We walk back and forth along the track, taking pictures and trying to imagine the scene. Meanwhile, mountain bikers speed pass, one narrowly missing me. I don’t think he noticed. The forest bristles with black, twisting trees. Pictures can’t quite capture the deliciously menacing atmosphere.

Panoramic View of Wellington

We drive up to the top of the hill to enjoy a panoramic view of Wellington. It really is a very good-looking city. It reminds me a little bit of Vancouver, but windier and more Pacific feeling. I can see why lots of young people choose to live there.

Touring Te Papa Museum

Te Papa is billed as New Zealand’s top museum, and for good reason. It’s large, free, and a bit overwhelming, but well worth several hours of your time. I love museums, and this one is a keeper.

New Zealand’s national museum is home to over two million objects representing art, natural history, New Zealand histories, mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), and Pacific cultures. You can spend a lot of time browsing through the exhibits and learning about New Zealand.

A highlight is the earthquake simulator. I am uncomfortably reminded that the same Ring of Fire that runs through New Zealand passes under Vancouver. Earthquakes are pretty much a daily occurrence in New Zealand, although most are too small, thankfully, to be felt.

I could have used another day to tour the permanent collection.

In addition to the permanent exhibits, the museum hosts special exhibitions. Both of the ones I toured were wonderful.

Gallipoli Exhibition

The Gallipoli exhibition was mounted to commemorate New Zealand’s participation in World War I.

The exhibition includes massive models of eight people involved in the conflict—seven men and one woman. The models defy description. They are 14 times larger than humans and created with such incredible skill that every pore and hair and sweat drop is visible. The figures anchor a wrenching exhibit about the disastrous Gallipoli campaign.

At the end of the exhibition is a stack of paper poppies. Visitors are invited to write on one and drop it in a giant vat.

I write “In Memory of my great-grandfather who was killed at the Somme.” It is comforting to realize that 100 years after his death, Corporal Seaton is still remembered and mourned by a great-granddaughter he never knew.

Dreamworks Special Exhibition

On the top floor of the museum is another special exhibition that is the direct opposite of the sobering Gallipoli exhibit. This one costs $15 but is well worth it. The subject is Dreamworks animation, and through a variety of multimedia exhibits explains the animation process and all the work that goes into making animated features such as Shrek, How To Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, and more.

Huge screens loop footage to explain the various processes—from story boarding to drawing to background painting to character development to music scoring (not necessarily in that order).

Wellington Harbour

After visiting the museum, we stroll through the very attractive harbourside park next to the museum before grabbing a takeaway (not take out I’ve discovered) pizza and retiring to our lovely room for a quiet evening.

Eating in Wellington

While I opted for take-away during my visit to Wellington, there are plenty of better options. Here are suggestions for four places to eat in Wellington:

• Logan Brown Restaurant and Bar (Cuba Street): a fine-dining standout in Wellington.
• Ortega Fish Shack: praised for its seafood and warm ambiance.
• Rita: modern, stylish kitchen with local ingredients.
• The Old Quarter: a lively fusion-cuisine escape for an informal evening out.

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Staying in Wellington

I highly recommend Museum Apartment Hotel in downtown Wellington, particularly if you enjoy art, along with a spacious suite to spread out in. Here are some other options:

• InterContinental Wellington: luxury near the waterfront and shopping district.
• Bolton Hotel: well-rated, central, with comfort and convenience.
• James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor: dependable city-centre stay with solid amenities.

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Tours in Wellington

Here are some tours in and around Wellington from GetYourGuide;

Farewell to Wellington

As our whirlwind one-day visit to Wellington draws to a close, here again are the four things I recommend during during your visit:

• Weta Workshop in Miramar — where cinematic magic comes alive, and props, armour, and effects from films like The Lord of the Rings are crafted.
• Victoria Park — a lush green lookout above the city, blended with cinematic forest trails and sweeping views of Wellington’s rooftops and sea.
• Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa Museum) — New Zealand’s national museum, where culture, art, nature and history intersect in awesome gallery spaces.
• The vibrant harbourfront — the youthful, energetic waterfront that frames Wellington’s bay

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Whether you’re here for film magic, museum marvels, sea-spray walks or forested hill climbs, Wellington manages to fold them all into one dynamic city. May your next visit stay windy in the best possible way, with a rental car ready, taste buds primed and your camera set for adventure.

More New Zealand

Here are all the posts I wrote to document my three-week driving trip around New Zealand. Check out my tips and recommendations for exploring this magical country.

• 10 Awesome Things to Do in Queenstown, New Zealand
• Driving the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island
• Abel Tasman National Park: Best Luxury Adventure
• Best of Wellington in One Day: Culture & Charm
• What to See in New Zealand’s Steamy North Island
• Discover New Zealand’s North Island: Hobbiton, the Coromandel, & Auckland

Have you visited New Zealand? Share your suggestions for other Artsy Travelers in the Comments below.