Wellington Attractions

A trip by ferry to the South Island is an unforgettable experience. The crossing takes 3 1/2 hours. From the harbor the ferry cuts across the Cook Strait and then sails for an hour or more through the magnificent scenery of the Marlborough Sounds to the little port of Picton.

The Bolton Street Early Settlers Memorial Park includes the Sexton's Cottage and the graves of noted citizens and politicians, including Edward Gibbon Wakefield and Richard Seddon.

Adjoining the Michael Fowler Centre is the Cuba Street pedestrian precinct, where the pace of life is quieter than in hectic and expensive Willis Street and Lambton Quay. Visitors may feel tempted to relax in one of the many restaurants.

From the north end of Mulgrave Street, Murphy Street continues northwest passing the Katherine Mansfield Memorial Park (presented to the city by her father). It crosses the urban expressway and runs into Tinakori Road, at the far end of which (No. 25) is the plain wooden house, very much in the style of old Thorndon, in which Katherine Mansfield was born in 1888. The house, which was built by her father in the year that she was born, has been restored to its original condition and is now a museum.

The National Archives display important documents bearing on the history of New Zealand. They include letters written by Captain Cook, the petition that led to women getting the vote and the Treaty of Waitangi itself. The National Portrait Gallery is housed in the same building.

North, past other government buildings, is the National Library (opened 1987.) The nucleus of the national collection was formed by the Alexander Turnbull Library, previously kept in Turnbull's old house in Bowen Street, near the Beehive. The library now has over 250,000 volumes, including a very valuable and almost complete collection of accounts of travel and discovery in the south Pacific. In the fine Reading Room is a mural by the Maori artist Cliff Whiting depicting the separation of Mother Earth and Father Sky.

The Thistle Inn is Wellington's oldest hotel. Originally built in the 1840s, it was rebuilt after a fire in 1866.

To the south of the upper station of the cable car in the Bolton Street Memorial Park is the campus of the Victoria University. In the Hunter Building is a geological museum. More interesting perhaps for most visitors is the Roman Catholic cemetery in Mount Street, with the oldest graves in Wellington (1840).

The Wellington Chamber Orchestra is an amateur based group which seeks to offer affordable family concerts. A variety of programs, styles, and musical experiences are offered annually.

Wellington International Airport offers direct international service to Australia and various islands in the South Pacific. It is also a major hub for domestic air travel.