Wellington is the capital and second-largest city in New Zealand. The area surrounding the city is best-known to the international community through its film tourism. Most notably, Avatar and The Lord of the Rings film series both used the lush green fields surrounding the city for some of their most visually stunning scenes.
The city's cosmopolitan population promotes the city as Absolutely Positively Wellington, a great introduction to the city visitors called Coolest Little Capital in the World. It is also one of the most affordable, both for foreign visitors, expatriates, and multinational companies. The city's colonial-style weatherboard houses are reminiscent of its 19th century roots, and its plethora of sculptures and unique sights make it a very special destination for world travelers.
New Zealand relies on Wellington as its chief seaport. Wellington Harbour is the point of entry for the vast majority of New Zealand imports, and the port is a popular stop for cruise ships traveling through the region.
While much of New Zealand's heavy industry, finance, and technology companies have moved to Auckland, Wellington remains the country's foremost player in film, arts, culture, and education. The local tourism industry is dominated by the steady stream of cruise ships that visit the city, with many onshore travelers making special trips to the Wellington Zoo or the charming and historic Wellington Cable Car.
Wellington has a temperate marine climate and averages just above 2,000 hours of sunshine per year. The city rarely gets too hot or too cold, but it does experience windy southerly blasts every winter, and these can serve to make the city feel much colder than it is. In fact, the city is generally very windy all year round, and while snow is uncommon, frosts are.
Wellington is a very compact city, making it easy for travelers to travel throughout its tree-lined residential districts and slick commercial areas on foot or by bicycle. The city's public transit system is clean, cheap, and efficient, and timetables are widely available at the city's central bus and subway stops.
Travelers who plan on staying within the city's central area won't need to use the city's public transit that often. However, if you want to visit any suburbs outside the city proper, you'll find the transit system to be very useful – the main corridor through which most lines run is located between its central Railway Station and Courtenay Place. This is where you'll want to start any adventure along Wellington's mass transit systems.
If you get to Lambton Quay or Kelburn, you can take the famous Wellington Cable Car to the city's Botanic Gardens. The cable cars operate between 7.00 AM and 10.00 PM and cost less than $5, traveling up above the city to provide a beautiful panorama of it and the surrounding countryside.
Taxis are almost always in plentiful supply, especially in the city center. However, they tend to be expensive. Renting a car is another option, but Wellington's many one-way streets take some getting some used to, but traffic is not a major concern and driving on Wellington streets is generally safe and pleasant.
Located about 20 minutes south of Wellington's center in nearby Rongotai, Wellington Airport is one of the country's busiest airports. Operating a single terminal with three piers, it's a relatively small airport for a city of this size, but it operates with considerable efficiency.
The majority of flights to Wellington come from cities in Australia. Next to these domestic flights, planes coming in from the UK and from the United States are the most common. The busiest flights coming in are from Sydney and Melbourne – together, the two cities' passenger volume matches that of all incoming international flights combined.
BYOjet has the resources and connections you need to get guaranteed low prices on your flights to Wellington from any of our participating network of international airports. We help travelers get great deals on hotels, car rentals, and more. Use our user-friendly online interface to buy airfare at the lowest prices available and contact our 24-hour customer service for more information.
It's easy to get to Wellington from its primary airport. The State Highway 1 connects the two locations through the Mount Victoria Tunnel. If you hail a taxi or rent a car from the airport, you'll be able to get to the city quickly and inexpensively.
However, two Metlink bus routes serve the airport, as well. The Route 91 "Airport Flyer" connects travelers with the Wellington Railway Station. The Route 11 "Seatoun" is a trolley bus that connected to the Wellington's eastern suburbs. There are no rail links between Wellington and its airport.
Trust BYOjet to help you navigate this exciting city. Book your entire holiday through our online service and benefit from our unique expertise and partnerships with key Wellington service providers. Our help ensures that flights to Wellington will be memorable ones.