Wellington

New Zealand's bustling capital is often seen as a transit point to make connections between the North and South Islands. However there is much more to Wellington, which has recently undergone a great deal of development including a pleasant harbour front area that includes the excellent Te Papa museum.

Wellington is built around a hilly landscape with houses clinging to steep hills and high rises occupying the precious flat space in the downtown area. Because of the lack of flat space Wellington started building multi-storey office buildings early on and has a real big-city feel even though there are only 350,000 residents. The hilly terrain also prevented a lot of the suburban sprawl that you find in Auckland, making it an easily walkable city.

Like Auckland, New Zealand's windy city is built around a spectacular harbour. This isn't as big a feature in Wellington but the suburban ferry services make good day-trips.

Apart from Te Papa, Wellington's attractions include the Bond Store, a maritime museum; the Beehive, Wellington's parliament house and the popular cable car ride between Lambton Quay and Kelburn.