Port guide: Wellington, New Zealand

Although small, Wellington is cultured, occasionally avant-garde and buzzing with youthful energy. Here’s what to do in a day.

Who goes there

Azamara, Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, Norwegian, Oceania, P&O Australia, Princess, Regent Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean and Silversea are among the varied cruise lines that visit. Many are sailing New Zealand itineraries (some departing from Sydney or Melbourne, others from Auckland), but ships also pass through on trans-Pacific cruises.

If you only make one stop, this must be it … Te Papa Museum.

Sail on in

Ships slide between two headlands and into a sheltered bay ringed by high-rises that give way to weatherboard houses higher on the hills, then a backing of forested ridges. This would be a top arrival anywhere else but New Zealand, which has many more ports wedged in even more gorgeous locations that makes it one of the world’s great cruise destinations.

Berth rites

Ships dock at Aotea Quay 1.5 kilometres north of the city centre. This working port area is only accessible by accredited tour or shore-excursion buses, so you’ll have to get the free shuttle into town. A plus is the cheerful volunteers providing tourist information – occasionally small ships tie up at the very convenient Queen’s Wharf.

Buzzy Wellington.

Going ashore

Admire Old St Paul’s Cathedral, which has a ceiling that resembles an upturned boat, and decide whether the Beehive parliament building is hideous or inspired. Eco-sanctuary Zealandia houses the island nation’s unusual and rare wildlife. Then take the famous red train (described as a cable car) from downtown to admire the views. This is a port perfect for cruising: you can pass a pleasant day and sail away without thinking you need more time.

Don’t miss

If you only see one thing, make it the incomparable Te Papa Museum. Cruise lines offer excursions, but you can easily do it yourself, although some luxury lines do offer behind-the-scenes tours. Innovative interactive displays bring New Zealand’s natural history, geology and history to life, and simulators allow you to experience bungy jumping, whale riding and an earthquake. The absorbing Gallipoli exhibition relates the World War I campaign through the eyes of eight ordinary New Zealanders.

Get active

You can walk around all of downtown Wellington, which is only two kilometres across. Waterfront promenades are the place to jog, rollerblade or plunge into frigid water from the winsome beach at Oriental Bay. Beyond the city centre, steep streets will give your thighs and lungs a workout. Instead of taking the classic cable-car ride, walk instead, passing through a 19th-century cemetery and the Botanic Garden (especially good for its roses and terrific city and harbour views) along the way.

Best bites

Hip and colourful Hannahs Laneway.Credit: Wellington NZ

The drinking and dining scene in Wellington is buzzing. Start your search down Cuba Street and hip Hannahs Laneway, where a former shoe factory has transformed into a gourmet dining and cocktail destination.

The city has a thriving micro-brewery scene linked on a tourist beer trail, plus one of the world’s best coffee scenes: try Fidel’s Cafe or Caffe L’affare for your caffeine and sugar hit. Among some of New Zealand’s top restaurants are Shepherd and Longan Brown for contemporary New Zealand food.

Further afield

Trek out to peninsular suburb Miramar yourself – or visit on a popular shore excursion that also takes in Lord of the Rings film locations – to film director Peter Jackson’s Weta Workshop, where movie models, special effects, costumes and props are created. Other excursions take you along the Storm Coast to visit sheep station Pencarrow, or to the Kapiti Coast on a windblown 4WD trek to seal colonies, lavender and berry farms, and a native bird sanctuary.