Cable Car - Nick Servian
Weather Wellington’s wind gusts to over 60 km/h on 173 days each year. So as you can imagine the wind can become both the runner’s best friend (when tailing you into the finishing chute) and worst enemy (on a long Sunday run into the teeth of a vicious southerly). But spend time with a Wellington local and you’ll soon hear them exclaim, “Well, the weather’s not the best today, but you actually can’t beat Wellington on a good day!” There is a certain amount of truth in the saying, for although the good days don’t come too often, when they do occur, the harbour glasses off and turns a deep blue, the cityscape basks in the sun and
Oriental Bay
the hills lure all sorts of adventurers— and you wonder why anyone would even contemplate living anywhere else.
To See and Do (Apart From Running) The first port of call for any visitor to the capital is Te Papa (meaning “Our Place”). It is a very large museum and art gallery on Wellington’s waterfront that can easily consume a good afternoon. From Te Papa it’s an easy stroll (no more than 20 minutes’ walk) to the parliamentary buildings and The Beehive, the Botanical Gardens and the Cable Car, an abundance of good shopping, a legendary coffee culture and thriving local music and arts scene. Mt Victoria (to the southeast of the CBD) provides