20 Best Sights in Wellington and the Wairarapa, New Zealand

This sprawling tipple-town and entertainment center is an embodiment of a sunny summer's afternoon feeling, all conveniently within walking distance of Upper Hutt train station. Four award-winning breweries and a whisky distillery are spread around a large green of picnic tables, the perfect place to sip and enjoy the vast menus of elevated bar food. Guided tours are a great way to get a behind-the-scenes look and taste of the best in town. All five senses, not just taste, are stimulated at Brewtown: it has a go-kart raceway, axe-throwing, knife-making classes, an ice-skating rink, a ten-pin bowling alley, a large trampoline park, an indoor paintball field, and a multiplayer VR gaming station. Essentially a massive playground, Brewtown is incredibly family-friendly, so everyone can join the fun.

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.

Head 30 km (19 miles) north of Masterton to Mount Bruce for a fine introduction to the country's wildlife at this preserve and captive breeding site. An easy trail through the bush (one hour, round-trip) takes you past aviaries containing rare, endangered, or vulnerable birds, including the takahē, a flightless species thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1948. The real highlight, though is the nocturnal habitat containing foraging kiwis, endearing little bundles of energy that are the national symbol. In addition to animal feedings and talks, Pūkaha offers tours and workshops that can be booked online.

Housing the southern hemisphere's largest private car collection, this museum has more than 400 automobiles and 140 motorcycles, plus aircraft, vintage tools, and an old fire engine. Among the most popular are Marlene Dietrich's 1934 Cadillac Town Cabriolet, a 1915 Stutz Indianapolis race car, a gull-winged Mercedes-Benz, a 1950 Cadillac "Gangster Special" that had belonged to gangster Mickey Cohen, and an 1895 Benz Velo.

Staglands offers visitors the opportunity to feed and freely interact with animals in a beautiful natural environment. As you wander around its 25 peaceful acres, you'll follow its weaving trails around rivers, forests, and paddocks. Take a tip-toe through the aviaries, and you'll be rewarded with famously funny encounters with the native kea and kaka parrots. At the stables, you'll meet goats, highland cows, and native kunekune pigs, who are always happy to exchange more petting for feed. If you want the complete cozy homestead experience, you can take a tractor-trailer ride or roast marshmallows on the outdoor fire pit. Be sure to also explore the nooks of the re-created Old Bush Settlement. Here, you may just stumble upon the whimsical wonderland of the secret garden. Take a climb to the Deer Park lookout and finish your visit with stunning views.

The innovative designers and effects wizards at Wētā have brought many high-profile movies to life. At Wētā Cave, you get a fascinating "behind the scenes look" detailing the characters and equipment used in special effects for the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit series, Avatar, King Kong, and many other award-winning films. Memorabilia (think models, limited-edition sculptures, books, posters, and T-shirts) is sold at the on-site shop. The workshop tour showcases original props, costumes, and the artists at work. You can also pre-book special interactive workshops to try your hand at sculpting, leatherworking, special effects make-up, and even making chain mail.

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.

This property produces delicious blueberries and is home to several emus, a large flightless bird. You can enter to visit the emus for free; you pay for the blueberries you pick (at a great rate).

Named by Captain James Cook, Cape Palliser marks the eastern end of Palliser Bay. You cannot miss its classic candy-stripe lighthouse, erected in 1897. Climb the 250 (the sign says 258) wooden steps for terrific views up and down the wild coastline. Below the lighthouse, splashing in the surf are members of the North Island's only fur seal colony. Don't get too close for photos, though; these animals are fiercely protective of their young. Department of Conservation rules require you to keep 20 meters (22 yards) from seals, so don't get between seals and pups, or seals and the ocean. To reach it from Martinborough, start at Memorial Square and turn left into Jellicoe Street, which becomes Lake Ferry Road. After 30 km (18½ miles), turn left at the Cape Palliser road sign; from here it is another 35 km (21½ miles) to the cape itself. You will pass the Putangirua Pinnacles on your left; after this, the road deteriorates and is unpaved in places. This is a stark and dramatic drive, though not particularly hard if you take care. The travel time from Martinborough is approximately 80 minutes one-way.

An hour's drive east of Masterton along Te Ore-ore Road (which turns into the Masterton–Castlepoint Road), Castlepoint is perhaps the most spectacular site on the entire Wairarapa coast. Castle Rock soars 500 feet out of the sea, where below, in Deliverance Cove, you'll sometimes see seals playing in the surf. The path to Castlepoint Lighthouse has excellent views. 

Near Petone, this museum stages a changing array of exhibitions—including ones focused on extraordinary jewelry, fashion, photography, and ceramics—that showcase the creativity of New Zealand's artisans.

From Petone, a winding road leads south about 10 km (6 miles) to the suburb of Eastbourne. Have an alfresco bite in its tiny shopping area before driving on to where the road eventually transforms into a 4-km (2½-mile) walking trail, following the coast to Pencarrow Head and its lighthouse, with views across the strait. There's a kiosk where you can rent a bike; for more adventure, Wildfinder in Days Bay has kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and bikes for rent.

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.

A 15-minute drive north of Wellington on State Highway 2—with magnificent harbor views all the way—leads you to the Hutt Valley and its namesake river. The Petone Esplanade, on the eastern side of the town's harbor, has good fishing from the wharf and is overlooked by houses clinging to steep, bush-clad hills. On the waterfront, visit the small but interesting Petone Settlers Museum. Housed in the historic Wellington Provincial Centennial Memorial building, the free museum stands near the 1840 landing site of New Zealand's first organized European settlement. Nearby, Jackson Street is home to many boutique shops and eateries.

Paekākāriki's draw is the shore, but it's also the main entry point for popular Queen Elizabeth Park, which covers more than 1,600 acres and is edged by sand dunes and swimmable beaches. Walking, horseback riding, and cycling are popular activities here. Of special interest is the World War II U.S. Marines memorial and display.

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.