I read really good reviews on the museum but me and my husband aren't really museum people, however…read morewhen it started raining in Wellington we knew we needed to try something indoors! The museum is very neat and large- has multiple floors. They have many interesting exhibits that can entertain all ages! Also recommend going to their top floor and the view outdoors is beautiful! They do allow the ticket to be valid for 48 hours so we were able to go back the next day when it was raining again and finish the museum! I would recommend if you need an indoor activity- the whole area is nice, the walking area is pretty and walkable to the downtown food scene as well.

New Zealand's national museum is "Te Papa" which is Māori for 'the treasure box' and it does look a…read morelot like a jewelry box. I did want to see the Gallipoli exhibit but it was slammed all three times I walked past. Instead, lots of art and history. There's a space on the roof with a patio and a fabulous view. I spent over two hours. It was a great time. Oh, and it's free. [Review 479 of 2024 - 129 in New Zealand - 21511 overall]

A small museum worth taking a look. We decided to come here and take a look around. Just like te…read morepapa, this museum was also free admission. We quickly looked around and went through all the floors. This museum had a good mix of interactive exhibits, videos, and information. Overall, not a bad museum, but I would rather go to te papa if I was short on time.

An amazing experience albeit being smaller than The Papa. It has plenty to offer especially for a…read moreyounger audience. My favourite levels were those that allowed for one to vote for an alternate story or name to some things and had a short hologram describing a certain legend involving Maui, and my second most favourite level was the level describing the origins of Wellington.

Take the historic Wellington Cable Car to Victoria Peak for an amazing 360 view of the city…read more At the peak, explore the free Cable Car Museum and the beautiful botanical gardens. Just stunning!

The site from the top of Wellington is OK... And the cable car museum is nothing to venture up to…read morethe top for! A round trip ticket is $7 NZ which is fair however, nothing much to see at the top!

This is an older property covered in dark paint and lots of questionable framed artwork. The rooms…read moreare fairly small with lighting so poor that it's obvious no woman was involved in the design. The "king" bed is two saggy twin beds squeezed together, creating a hump and seam in the center. Our more expensive "harbor view" room was actually a view of the street and parking lot. No water in sight, but the rude desk clerk refused to acknowledge this reality and encouraged me to write this review. There is no way to get a cup of coffee or a snack without paying a whopping $38 for their third floor breakfast. Much less overpriced options are close by, but inconvenient in a rush. While the location is very close to Te Papa Museum, most other desirable locations are a bit of a walk. Due to the false advertising, bad attitude, poor lighting and uncomfortable beds, I'd suggest you consider a better property.

Cool place. Neat artwork. Friendly people, but ineffective staff. My heat/air wouldn't cool, so…read morestopped at the desk to ask it be fixed. I was told they'd put a fan in my room until maintenance came in on Monday. Never happened. Drank 2 bottles of water from the refrigerator ($6.00 each) my first night there. They were never replenished. Asked the concierge to order a cab and I'd be right down. He said he would, it didn't until I was standing there in front of him. The room was comfortable and clean, but for the money the service is lacking.

The cable car is such a great way to get to a beautiful view in Wellington. We met a kind lady,…read moreSally, at parliament who actually walked us to the Cable Car ticket office. So interesting to hear about the royals and their visits to Wellington. Apparently about 75% of the population saw Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to New Zealand. Interesting to also hear about Prince William's visit. There were lots of signs from young admirers wanting to marry the young prince. Tickets are just $11 NZD. The views are great. Visit the cable car museum and gardens while you are there.

Compared to the nearby Te Papa museum, or other art galleries I've seen in Auckland and…read moreChristchurch, this one was unimpressive. It is rather small, with two partially full levels, and the exhibitions when I dropped included such things as graffiti-like phrases with no meaning I could discern and a room full of chairs you weren't allowed to sit in. It lacked views of the harbor or any great aesthetic quality to the building itself. Exhibitions will vary over time of course, but I'd give it a miss.

This simple, ever changing gallery in an old shed (No. 11) in central Wellington's Queens Wharf is…read morea bit of a secret gem. Free entry and an interesting selection of portraits make for an enjoyable visit. The small size of the shed means a visit will not be too laborious if you're not a fan. Last time I visited I think I was out in between 5 and 10 minutes, but previous visits have stretched for far longer. I struck it lucky once as the renovations to Government House required the artworks from the Vice-Regal residence to be relocated, and many found a short term home here. Well worth a visit, see what you find.

It's basically just one warehouse, and not even a full one by any stretch. Might drop in for a…read morequick visit to see what's up, but I wouldn't go in expecting much. It is free and on the waterfront, so there's no reason not to.

After being dropped off on Lambton Quay to browse their local boutiques and to sightsee on our own,…read morewe ended up with eight fellow passengers following us. I shuddered because none of us had ever been to Wellington before, and I somehow felt the weight of being a group leader as they looked to me for having great navigational skills. Luckily, i was listening intently when just before our shuttle bus driver dropped us off on Lambton Quay, he directed us to the lower station of the cable car and gave us 3 options to do, based upon our fitness or stamina levels: 1- purchase a round-trip ticket from Lambton Quay to Kelburn Lookout and continue walking on Lambton Quay to their "Beehive" and Parliament Buildings on Bowen Street where the designated cruise ship shuttle stop would come by every hour; 2- get a one-way ticket to Kelburn, explore the area and dine at one of the numerous cafes in the neighborhood and catch public transportation to the Bowen Street shuttle bus stop; or 3- continue walking downhill from the lookout to the Wellington Botanical Gardens. We decided on option number 3 (one-way ride up to Kelburn Lookout)) and discovered our shuttle bus driver may have meant "walk downhill THROUGH" instead of "TO" the Wellington Botanical Gardens because after getting a map from the museum, I discovered an entrance to the Wellington Botanical Gardens right across the street and found other attractions were also straight through the gardens leading to Bowen Street. Our group began the winding trail on the Downhill Path, past the Space Place, into this beautiful 61-acre botanical garden, and reveled in its 150 years of history. The gardens feature colorful and amazing botanical displays, unique landscapes, specialized native and global plant species, a protective native forest, and unparalleled views over the city. I read that the garden and land date back well before European colonization and permanent settlement in the mid-19th century. The local Māori inhabitants of the Te Ātiawa village used this area for trade and food cultivation, collecting plants for construction, food fiber, and medicine, and birds for food. Unfortunately, during the mid-1800s, as Europeans began permanently settling in the area, the Te Ātiawa were displaced, and the official Wellington Botanic Garden was established in 1868. We all wandered through the gardens at our own pace until we met at the Lady Norwood Rose Garden, and we looked forward to visiting the nearby Begonia House, which features permanent tropical and temperate displays. Also, because most of us had been walking or standing for at least 4 hours straight, part of our group eagerly took a break and snacked at the Picnic Café while my husband and I continued wandering the area, found the country's oldest cricket club (The Wellington Collegians Cricket Club) and its historic field, and were stopped from entering the Begonia House because it was undergoing construction or renovation. Undaunted, we explored the Peace Garden and found an eternal flame featuring the preserved flames from the 1945 atomic holocausts at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The eternal flame was presented to New Zealand by Japan in 1990 in recognition of New Zealand's unilateral steps to stop the spread of atomic weapons. The last line on the bronze plaque reads "The Chief Priest prayed that this Flame of Peace should burn until the day all nuclear weapons are Finding the Peace Garden and reading about this country's pledge toward Anti-Nuclear development policies made me reflect upon the current global events. After the others had eaten and rested, we continued walking through the gardens, which led to Bowen Street, where we saw the "Beehive" or Executive Wing of the New Zealand Parliament and other government buildings. We hopped on the shuttle bus after waiting for 15 minutes. Still, we wished that we had been able to spend more time in the city as we drove past Old St. Paul's Cathedral (a Gothic Revival structure built in the 1860s) and the National Library, which houses the City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi, a premier contemporary art gallery.

We arrived at the Wellington botanic garden through the cable car ride which itself was worth it…read more The botanic garden is very big and beautiful! In New Zealand there are flowers and plants that I've never seen before- all them being different colors, textures. Truly beautiful. To get to the botanic garden it is a hike up / down the mountain so be prepared. They do have a visitor center/gift shop. The center did have a clean restroom and the views even from the center were beautiful. Overall- I would highly recommend!! The only way to get back to your original spot is to take the cable car down however we decided to uber back to our hotel.