New Zealand's capital has become a foodie city in recent years, its festivals attracting more and more visitors on cheap flights to Wellington each year.
Wellington has bags of charm, it blends a city experience with the stunning New Zealand landscape. Its location is beautiful - perched on the edge of a harbour, surrounded by rolling green hills - at the southern tip of the North Island.
Given its compact size, you can shop, eat and drink and see the sights - Te Papa, the national museum, is a must-visit, Mount Victoria is the spot to gaze across this beautiful city and if you're shopping in the Lambton Quarter, ride the famed Wellington Cable Car - then get into nature. Walking and biking trails are just a few hours away.
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The climate is temperate. Winter temperatures rarely fall beneath 8 degrees and summer temperatures rarely soar above 25 degrees. It's rare to hit zero degrees or below however, inland, there are frosts and snow sometimes. Wellington is known as a windy city, and visitors should also remember that the sunshine in New Zealand is very strong.
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Peak Season:
December to February is high season in Wellington.
Off Season:
May to September is the low season.
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There are several car-rental companies that have desks at the airport including Avis and Budget.
The Airport Flyer express bus service travels to the Hutt Valley, via the centre of Wellington, to Queensgate. Buses run every 15 minutes, every day, and the fare is $8.
Taxi ranks are outside the baggage claim area on level 0 of the terminal building. Fares vary, but a journey to the Terrace ranges between $30 and $35. Door-to-door shuttles cost $14-$16 per person, additional passengers carry a charge of $5.
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The best way to see Wellington is on foot. Its centre is compact, just 2km wide. If you are travelling outside the city, Metlink operates the bus, train and ferry services in Wellington, Porirua, Kapiti, Hutt Valley and Wairarapa. Fares in Wellington start at about a dollar. A Snapper card is the cheapest way to pay for single journeys on nearly 400 buses in the Wellington region, across Go Wellington, Valley Flyer, Airport Flyer and Runcimans services.
The Wellington Cable Car, one of Wellington’s most popular attractions, trundles from Lambton Quay to the top entrance of the Botanic Gardens and Te Whanganui-a-Tara (The Great Harbour of Tara) from where you can look out over the city and harbour.
Taxis are readily available.
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- Wellington's World of Wearable Art (WOW) awards in September is a popular event. It's a mixture of fashion, art and theatre attracting more than 35,000 New Zealanders and more and more international visitors each year.
- The Toast Martinborough festival takes place in the Wairarapa region north of Wellington in November. Keep hold of your tasting glass, it's the ticket into the ten vineyards that are taking part in the one-day winery crawl.
- Keep a little space in your bags on your cheap flights to New Zealand for some greenstone, New Zealand's answer to jade.
- Parliament Tours run on the hour, every hour, and are free of charge.
- Enjoy the views: here are a few spots to enjoy this beautiful city. Mount Victoria at 196 metres is Wellington's best lookout. It takes about an hour to walk up from Courtenay Place. Mount Kaukau at 445 metres is further out from the city than Mt Victoria. Wrights Hill (underground tunnels dating from the Second World War are open to the public on a few days during the year for a small fee).
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