I really enjoyed my day in Wellington. It’s got a pretty and compact CBD close to the water, while a little farther out there are wooden Victorian houses on the surrounding hills (like my B&B). They reminded me a little of San Francisco.

I started out by walking down through the town to the i-site to get some information about the various things I might want to do that day. I was debating on how to prioritize going to the Weta Workshop, the folks behind a lot of make-up, props, and non-CGI special effects for movies like the Lord of the Rings. I wanted to see it, but I also wanted to get a feel for the city of Wellington.

I decided I would wait to book Weta Cave till after I had explored some more, so I headed out along the beautiful harborside walk to Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand. I spent much more time than anticipated there!

I then walked along the waterfront, headed to the iconic Wellington cable car that goes up to the Botanic Gardens, but it was out of service. Instead, I caught a bus and then walked down through the gardens back into town.

I stopped back at the i-site but found that the Weta Cave tours were all booked for the day. Luckily I wasn’t too disappointed as this would let me walk along the harbor to Oriental Terrace, a beautiful walk.

There was a night noodle market that I enjoyed walking through on my way. I found a lovely little restaurant with a water view where I stopped for a very early dinner or late lunch (only having had tea and cake at Te Papa), and I sat drinking wine and watching the sun set.