Half Day Sightseeing in Wellington

One of the best ways to explore a city or place is by walking. Holding the city map on hands, May and I managed to visit some interesting places on the day. I was accustomed to do a little bit of research every time before I headed to a new place and also visited the local I-site. All the time I could get details map and information about the local tourism from there.

A tour in Wellington which you might be interesting is the Open House, it's the Parliament Experience. There are 3 historical buildings for you to explore: Parliament House, the Parliamentary Library and the Executive Wing which looks like a beehive. These buildings are close to each other and located in the heart of Wellington. There are gardens, statues, architecture...for you to sightsee. During the visit, a speaker of the House of Representative will guide the tour and provide the details of the buildings. If you are not that attracted by the tour, then you might fall asleep as it takes up to an hour. The good thing is there's no admission charge. However, you should check for the tour sessions prior visit. www.parliament.nz

The Beehive

Parliament House

Parliamentary Library

One of the well known attractions in Wellington that I highly recommend you to visit is the Museum of New Zealand named Te Papa, situated at Cable Street. Te Papa, in Maori language, means 'The Earth'. I know the word 'museum' may sound boring to some of you, but this one is somewhat different and more exciting. I'm sure you'll find something inside the large building that catch your eyes. How much is the entrance fee? It's free! :D www.tepapa.govt.nz

New Zealand's National Museum - Te Papa

There are about 20 galleries inside the museum and many collabrative displays for you to explore including the land, ocean & wildlife.

I have learn something about the ethos of Maori...

Te Hono ki Hawaiki(The link back to Hawaiki)

Heke(The rafters - the ribs of the ancestor)

Feature above: Tekoteko(Carved figure standing at the apex
of the badge boards)
Feature below: Koruru(The image of the ancestor's head)

Poupou(The carved figures representing the ancestor's various descendants)

Tukutuku(Decorative woven panels)

Some other displays of Maori culture...

Ahhh...Golden Days! I personally love it so much! I was brought back to the old days in the mini cinema, surprised by those moving features.

After the visit to Te Papa, we had a short walk to the harbour and took few more pictures before we got back to the hostel.

A Stopover in Wellington, The Capital City of New Zealand

After staying 6 weeks in Hastings, I decided to move to South Island before the weather there turned too cold for me. I was initially planning to come back North Island and stay during winter as I was being told that it's much warmer. But, I ended up the other way round. Once I was able to adapt the environment in South Island, I just loved that beautiful part of NZ too much and I refused  to leave , even the winter came. Okay, it's a later story, let's move on!

I have planned leaving to South Island by ferry, Interislander. The connection is from Wellington to Picton. Together with May, I took a ride on nakedbus for nearly 5 hours with a stopover before we arrived in the capital city from Hastings. Well, we knew that we'll revisit Wellington later when we return to North Island. So, we only stayed overnight there just for a transit this time. Anyhow, we still made the most of it.

We stayed in the Downtown Backpackers hostel, situated just opposite of the railway station. Downtown Backpackers is the closest hostel to the Inter-Island Ferry Terminals and this is the core reason we chose to stay there. Besides, it is also within walkable distance to some attractions of the city and central shopping area. If location is your main concern while selecting budget accomodation in Wellington, perhaps this hostel can be your choice too.

The green building is the Downtown Backpackers

Railway Station 

Wellington CBD

Wellington CBD