The best of
Wellington. Ranked.

The only accommodation provider on Kapiti Island — day walks plus overnight stays in glamping tents, cabins or a beach bungalow, with meals and a night kiwi-spotting walk included.

Local tip: It books out a long way ahead — the next round of bookings opens 4 September 2026.

The Miramar workshop tour, starting at the Wētā Cave store — how props, costumes and creatures are made for films like The Lord of the Rings and Avatar.

Local tip: The "There and Back Again" ticket combines the workshop tour with the miniature-effects tour in one visit.

A predator-free island reserve in the middle of the harbour, reached by the East by West ferry from Queens Wharf — walking tracks, tuatara and harbour views in every direction.

Local tip: Every visitor has to do a quarantine bag-check in the shelter on the wharf when they land — pack so you can open everything easily.

A 225-hectare fenced valley 10 minutes from the CBD with more than 40 bird species, many found nowhere else in mainland New Zealand.

Local tip: The by-night tour is the one to book if you want a realistic shot at seeing kiwi.

Harbour ferry operator running since 1989 — Queens Wharf to Days Bay and Mātiu/Somes Island, aboard Ika Rere, the southern hemisphere's first electric ferry.

Local tip: Days Bay makes an easy half-day: ferry over, walk the beach, eat, ferry back.

An Akatarawa Valley reserve where the animals roam free and visitors walk among and feed them — no pre-booking needed.

Local tip: Adult $29, child (4–16) $12, family pass $82 — and you can just turn up, which is rare for a day trip this size.

Waterfront kayak, paddleboard and bike hire with an indoor climbing wall upstairs, right next to Switched On Bikes on Queens Wharf.

Local tip: The harbour is calmest in the morning — by afternoon the northerly usually has an opinion.

The exhibition centre across the road from Te Papa, hosting ticketed touring international exhibitions.

Local tip: Worth checking whenever the weather kills an outdoor plan — it is a two-minute walk from Te Papa.

New Zealand's only public botanic garden devoted entirely to native plants — around 1,200 species, an 18-metre canopy walkway and an ~800-year-old rimu.

Local tip: Free, and close enough to town to pair with a Karori or Kelburn stop rather than being a whole day on its own.

The 3.5-hour Cook Strait crossing to Picton — the biggest day trip on this list, and one of the more spectacular ferry routes anywhere.

Local tip: As a day trip it only works on the early sailing out and the late one back — check the timetable before committing.