8 Best Sights in Wellington, Wellington and the Wairarapa

Te Papa Tongarewa (the Māori translation is "container of treasures") provides an essential introduction to the country's people, cultures, landforms, flora, and fauna. Bringing together the latest technology, interactive exhibits, and storytelling, it shares New Zealand's past and present. Whether you want to enter a carved marae (Māori meetinghouse), walk through living native bush, be shaken in the Earthquake House, or see a colossal squid, there's inspiration for everyone.  Don't miss the Toi Art gallery; spanning two floors, it features New Zealand, Pacific, and international works.

Just minutes from downtown Wellington, more than 500 acres of forest have been transformed into a safe haven for New Zealand's most endangered native species. A specially designed fence creates a cage-free eco-sanctuary for species that had disappeared from the mainland. Tuatara (a reptile), New Zealand's unique "living fossil," are breeding, as are takahē and saddleback (birds), which have both been brought back from the brink of extinction. Pick up a map and explore at your leisure, or join a two-hour guided tour. The flashlight-led nighttime tour is very popular; departing about 30 minutes before sunset, it provides a glimpse into the nocturnal world—you might even spy a little spotted kiwi or the legendary ruru owl.

Placed atop a historic and trendy suburb is a stunning vantage point to watch the city both day and night. You can take a short, but careful, drive up to the lookouts and enjoy the vistas that sweep across the whole region. Alternatively, take a leisurely uphill stroll through the pine forest of the town belt. These trails are sporadically dotted with outlooks, mountain biking tracks, and creatively crafted playgrounds. Fittingly, its tall twisted trees were the backdrop to a number of scenes from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which are signposted.

Lie back and watch an almost limitless range of virtual space journeys in the planetarium, or, on a clear night, view the heavens through the observatory telescope. Such experiences—plus state-of-the-art displays and a remarkable collection of artifacts that includes the oldest working telescope of its kind in the country—make this a popular stop. The observatory is only a two-minute walk from the top of the Kelburn Cable Car, and you can also wander up from the botanical gardens.

Sitting across the road from Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Tākina is home to the largest exhibition space in New Zealand and hosts a rotation of international exhibits, including family-friendly ones, on widely varying subjects. Locally developed and curated exhibitions are also premiered here before touring offshore. Check the website to see what's on. 

In the hills overlooking downtown is a concentration of splendidly varied terrain and forest. Native woodlands fill the garden's valleys, water-loving plants line its mountain streams, and the lawns brightly flourish with seasonal and annual blooms. At night, the gardens come alive with artistic light installations and glowworm tours. The lovely Lady Norwood Rose Garden, the most popular area, is in the northeast part of the garden. On a fine summer day, you couldn't find a better place to enjoy the fragrance of magnificent flowers. Situated on a plateau, the formal circular layout consists of 110 rose beds, each planted with a single variety of modern and traditional shrubs. Climbing roses cover a brick-and-timber colonnade on the perimeter. Adjacent to the rose beds, the Begonia House conservatory is filled with delicate plants. If you don't want to walk up the hill, the Kelburn Cable Car can take you. Or catch the No. 2 bus (direction: Karori) from Lambton Quay to the main (Glenmore Street) entrance. The parking lot is on Tinakori Road.

The Swiss-built funicular railway makes a short-but-sharp climb from among the shops on Lambton Quay to the highest point in the Wellington Botanic Garden, the Kelburn Terminal. Once up there, you get great views across parks and city buildings to Port Nicholson. Sit on the left side during the six-minute journey for the best scenery. At the top, a small Cable Car Museum in the old winding house has a free display of restored cable cars and a splendid gift shop.

Smell the burlap sacks, hear the gulls, and see the (mechanical) rats scuttling around in this refurbished 1892 bond store, now a museum that portrays the history of the original Māori tribes and the European settlers who arrived around 1840. The displays cover work, leisure, crime, and education in Wellington. A steampunk-theme fourth-floor attic with weird and wonderful exhibits is not to be missed.