19 Best Sights in Wellington and the Wairarapa, New Zealand

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.

Opposite the Parliament Buildings is the country's national library, including the Alexander Turnbull Library, a "library within a library" that specializes in archival materials about New Zealand and the Pacific. Its books, manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, maps, and oral history tapes are available for research. One special highlight, He Tohu, is an exhibition housing Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Treaty of Waitangi. This controversial 1840 agreement between the British crown and more than 500 Māori chiefs is considered the founding document of modern New Zealand. The oldest document on display is the Declaration of Independence of the Northern Chiefs, signed by more than 30 northern Māori chiefs on October 28, 1835, a confederation agreement that led up to the Waitangi treaty. Also on view is the 1893 Women's Suffrage Petition, which led to New Zealand becoming the world's first nation to grant women the vote.

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.

The tiny settlement of Lake Ferry sits beside Palliser Bay, 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Cape Palliser. The lake in question, called Onoke, is actually a salt lagoon formed by the long sandbank here. Vacation homes, fishing spots, and remarkable sunsets bring in the weekend Wellingtonian crowd. If you’re coming from Martinborough, expect a 25-km (16-mile) drive through rolling sheep country. Stop by The Land Girl Pirinoa Coffee House on Lake Ferry Road for a cozy coffee and cake.

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.

The buildings that make up the Parliament complex include Parliament House with its Debating Chamber, a copy of the one in the British House of Commons right down to the Speakers Mace. Here legislation is presented, debated, and voted on. There is fine Māori artwork in the Māori Affairs Select Committee Room. The adjoining building is the Parliamentary Library. The neighboring Executive Wing is known for architectural reasons as The Beehive; it's where the prime minister and cabinet ministers of the elected government have their offices and hold cabinet meetings. Across the road at the corner of Whitmore Street and Lambton Quay, the Old Government Buildings, the largest wooden structure in New Zealand, is now home to Victoria University’s law faculty. Introductory tours start in The Beehive, and a guide explains the parliamentary process in detail. The website has information about booking a wide variety of tours. 

Consecrated in 1866 and built in a style dubbed Colonial Gothic, the church is a splendid example of the English Gothic Revival style executed entirely in native timbers. Even the trusses supporting the roof transcend their mundane function with splendid craftsmanship. Managed by Heritage New Zealand, Old St. Paul's no longer functions as a parish church, but it is a venue for weddings and other services. 

This 9-km (6-mile) cliffside trail has breathtaking views of the coast, and with its step-climbs and swing bridges, the track is a little different from your typical "long walks on the beach." Most walkers drive to the Pukerua Bay Train station and catch the northbound train to the next stop, Paekākāriki, to walk the trail from north to south.

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.

This appropriately monumental space around the National War Memorial is the base for remembrance of New Zealand's experience in war. At the foot of the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior towers the carillon, whose bells ring across this city and echo in the memorial's Hall of Memories. Beyond the steps of the memorial is a wide plaza with artworks and historical information.

The spectacular rocks at this reserve have been formed over the last 120,000 years as rains have washed away an ancient gravel deposit, and pinnacles and towers now soar hundreds of feet into the air on both sides of a stony riverbank. An hour-long loop walk from the parking area takes you along the riverbank to the base of the pinnacles. If you're feeling adventurous, a three- to four-hour bushwalk involves some steep climbs and magnificent vistas of the coast—as far off as the South Island on a clear day. Sturdy footwear and warm clothing are essential. The Pinnacles are an hour's drive from Martinborough. Just before Lake Ferry, turn left (coming from Martinborough) at the sign for Cape Palliser and drive another 15 km (9 miles) around Palliser Bay to Te Kopi, where the reserve is protected from the hordes by its relative isolation. 

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.

For enjoyable bushwalks in gorgeous forests laced with streams, come to Tararua Forest Park. The Mount Holdsworth area at the east end of the park is popular for tramping. If you're in the mood for an alfresco lunch, the park also has picnic facilities. To get here, turn off State Highway 2 onto Norfolk Road 2 km (1¼ miles) south of Masterton. Follow Norfolk Road for 16 km (10 miles) to the Mount Holdsworth Campsite.

Devoted to gathering and preserving indigenous plants, Ōtari's collection is the largest of its kind. With clearly marked bushwalks and landscape demonstration gardens, the 100-hectare (247-acre) preserve aims to educate the public and ensure the survival of New Zealand's native plant life. While in the garden, you'll learn to identify forest plants, from the various blechnum ferns underfoot to the tallest trees overhead. An aerial walkway crosses high above the bush, giving an unusual vantage point over the gardens. Look and listen for the native birds that flock to this haven: the bellbird (korimako), New Zealand wood pigeon (kereru), and parson bird (tūī), among others. Take the No. 14 Wilton bus from downtown (20 minutes) and ask the driver to let you off at the gardens.

The lack of suitable local stone, combined with the collapse of most of Wellington's brick buildings in the earthquake of 1848, ensured the almost-exclusive use of timber for building here in the second half of the 19th century. Most carpenters of the period had learned their skills as cabinetmakers and shipwrights in Europe, and the sturdy houses on this street are a tribute to their craftsmanship. A few notables are the tall and narrow No. 304, Premier House, and the little doll-like cottages along the adjoining Ascot Street.

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.

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.