Wellington, North Island

including Kapiti Coast

HERO Wellington with kids

Wellington family holiday and Wellington tramway

HERO Wellington 2

Wellington family holidays

Welcome to Wellington and Kapiti Coast

Wellington

Walks and Parks

Walks & Parks

Get Outdoors!

Discover the region's walks, parks, beaches, lakes or rivers.

Wellington is New Zealand’s capital. Here you will find New Zealand's parliament buildings, including the 'Executive Wing', more well-known as 'The Beehive' due to its distinctive shape. Another icon to look out for is the Wellington Tram, which was the main means of public transport between 1878 and 1964. A stroll along the waterfront is a must-do, alive with rollerbladers, cafes and bars, and the famous, very child-friendly, Te Papa museum.  In fact Wellington is very easy to get around, with its centre only two kilometres in diameter, making it a great place to explore on foot. The Wellington region includes the cities of Porirua - towards the Kapati Coast, Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt. The Hutt cities are a few kilometres northeast of Wellington and are situated on the Hutt River, which flows into Wellington Harbour.

Wellington is lucky enough to have plenty of promenade, beaches and swimming opportunities right in the city, starting with the popular Oriental Bay, close to the city centre and safe swimming for families.   Meanwhile Shelly Bay is one of the best venues for families, with its famous Chocolate Fish Cafe, while another top picnic spot is the stunning Scorching Bay.

If you want to really get out of the city you don't have to go far to get to the Rimutaka Forest Park with plenty of well-marked hikes on offer.  The most popular is the easy, 4 hours return Orongorongo track.  It makes for a great day out exploring and is very popular with families.

Hutt City - or Lower Hutt, borders onto the capital city, Wellington.

Upper Hutt is located just 25 minutes drive or a 40 minute scenic train ride north of Wellington, by the Hutt River, and sits amongst bushclad hills with easy access to native forest and riverside walks, fishing, tramping and mountainbiking. 

Wellington Walks2

Kapiti Coast

Just 40 minutes drive from the centre of Wellington, the Kapiti Coast and Kapiti Island provide stunning beaches, glorious sunsets, nature reserves, outdoor adventure activities, crafts and laid back shopping. Kapiti Island itself is 10km long and about 2km wide and is NZ’s only bird sanctuary between the Hauraki Gulf in the north, and the most southern islands. You can visit Kapiti Island by launch, but first need to purchase a permit (these are limited daily) from Department of Conservation (DOC). Meanwhile the Kapiti Coast stretches 40km from Otaki in the north, to Paekakariki in the south. Other Kapiti Coast towns include Waikanae and Paraparaumu – the region’s largest town.

 

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North Island

South Island

Map of New Zealand
  • Central Otago
  • Auckland
  • Bay of Plenty
  • Christchurch
  • Dunedin
  • Coromandel
  • Gisborne
  • Fiordland and Milford Sound
  • Hawkes Bay
  • Marlborough Sounds
  • Manawatu
  • Nelson & Golden Bay
  • Northland
  • North Canterbury
  • Queenstown
  • Rotorua
  • South Canterbury
  • Taranaki
  • Southland
  • Taupo
  • Wanaka
  • Waikato
  • Wellington
  • West Coast
  • Whangarei
  • Bay of Islands
  • Tauranga
  • Gisborne
  • Hamilton
  • Napier
  • Kapiti
  • Palmerston North
  • Whanganui
  • New Plymouth
  • Arrowtown
  • Te Anau
  • Akaroa
  • Ashburton
  • Hanmer
  • Kaikoura
  • Methven
  • Mt Cook
  • Oamaru
  • Tekapo
  • Timaru
  • Abel Tasman
  • Motueka
  • Nelson Lakes
  • Blenheim
  • Picton
  • Catlins
  • Gore
  • Stewart Island
  • Central Plateau
  • Invercargill
  • Cromwell
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Westport
  • Glenorchy

Our favourite destinations…

Auckland

New Zealand’s economic heart and biggest city is also an exciting family visitor destination, situated on a sunny harbour with city beaches just minutes away from the CBD. Orientate yourself by heading down to Viaduct Harbour, wandering the waterfront, checking out the super yachts or enjoying the waterfront restaurants. Nearby is the must-visit Sky Tower along with excellent and kid-friendly museums and tons of exciting activities!

Wellington

Wellington is New Zealand’s capital. Here you will find New Zealand's parliament buildings, including the 'Executive Wing', more well-known as 'The Beehive' due to its distinctive shape. Another icon to look out for is the Wellington Tram, which was the main means of public transport between 1878 and 1964.

Christchurch

With a population of around 400,000 Christchurch, in Canterbury, is the South Island ’s largest city, yet much of it has the feel of a small town. Perhaps that’s why it’s known as the Garden City but with the expansive Hagley Park, Botanic Gardens, Port Hills, River Avon and numerous beaches the city certainly has an open, relaxed feel that’s hard to beat.

Queenstown

With its well-deserved reputation as New Zealand’s activity adventure capital you’ll never run out of activities and things to do in Queenstown, but you may run out of time! With breathtaking scenery, activities and festivals, cafes and restaurants, skiing and snowboarding, shopping and wineries, this lakeside alpine resort rates as one of the world’s top vacation destinations for all ages and seasons.

Rotorua

Rotorua sits on the shore of Lake Rotorua, one of sixteen lakes in the area formed by hundreds of thousands of years of eruptions from the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The area is renowned for its geothermal activity and top of any activity list is to see the bubbling mud pools that are around the region for yourself. The Waimangu Volcanic Valley offers a first hand insight into the devastation caused by the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera and is a great place to discover steaming volcanic craters and bubbling, spitting  pools of mud!

Nelson and Golden Bay

The Nelson and Golden Bay regions, at the top of the South Island, boast enviable sunshine hours, glorious sandy beaches, safe swimming spots, lots of wildlife to look out for, and Abel Tasman National Park - an absolute must to explore, on foot, by kayak, your own craft or watertaxi.  Nelson is home to a vibrant arts and crafts community with a fabulous Saturday market, and is close to award-winning wineries and family-friendly bike tracks to take you around the coast.

Hawkes Bay

Napier was rebuilt after the 1931 earthquake and is now known as NZ's Art Deco City.  The Art Deco influence has created a unique city – nowhere else can you see such a varied concentration of art deco style. With over 2,200 sunshine hours a year, Napier is a year-round holiday destination with countless activities to entertain the kids – there's days of entertainment on Marine Parade alone, plus numerous other family-friendly trips and activities.  Add to that the beaches, walks and flat cycle paths, outdoor cafes and entertainment, and you have a perfect holiday destination!

Northland

Beautiful, unspoiled beaches, fishing, historic gum fields, kauri forests – the Far North has it all. With subtropical temperatures, it's often known as ‘the Winterless north', with warm, humid summers and mild winters.
Gateway to the Bay of Islands, Paihia is a pretty, lively beachside town and a perfect base for your family holiday. It’s your start point for Bay of Island adventures including day cruises, sailing, kayaking, swimming with dolphins and reef or wreck diving.