The capital of New Zealand - the city of Wellington - is a very beautiful place that attracts travelers. It is not for nothing that the inscription "excellent in location" flaunts on its coat of arms. What is the weather like in the wonderful city, how to get there and what to see? Read the article below!
Climate and weather in Wellington
The city is located in the southwest of Severny Island, in a bay of volcanic origin. The climate, which is subtropical maritime, depends on this location. It can be called moderate, as during all seasons the city is not very hot and not too cold. In January, the thermometer usually stays at + 16 ° C, and in July - + 8 ° C.
For the year in the capital of New Zealand, approximately 1,445 mm of precipitation falls. Most of the time it rains, and it only snows in the mountains. The rainiest time is winter (June to August). The city is very windy, with storm squalls, and is also considered earthquake-prone.
How to get to the capital of New Zealand - Wellington?
If you dream of seeing the treasured New Zealand, then get ready forlong way. There are no direct flights from Russia to the island nation. And even with one transplant, you won’t be able to get here. It is best to come to grips with the search for tickets in advance. It is convenient to fly to New Zealand with connections in Dubai, Singapore, Sydney. Sometimes it turns out to find profitable tickets with transfers in China. It is possible to purchase separate tickets rather than connecting flights, but in this case, have some time left for transfers.
Another option is to fly to Auckland (with a change in the UAE or Singapore, and go to Wellington by train or bus. The journey will take about 10 hours, and you will be able to see two large cities of the country at once.
If you arrived in the capital of New Zealand by plane, get from the airport to the city by bus or taxi. For covering a distance of about 10 km by bus you will pay almost 400 rubles, and by taxi - about 1,500 rubles.
Vacation in Wellington: food and accommodation
Tourists will have no problems with food in the city, because Wellington accommodates more than 450 different cafes and restaurants. There are especially many of them in the city center. Moreover, the price tag for lunch (with wine) is a pleasant surprise. The average bill for a restaurant is from 1,200 rubles, for a cafe - 600 rubles. The capital of New Zealand has many amazing establishments with cuisines of the peoples of the world, but first the traveler must taste the local cuisine.
Especially impressive are the dishes of the Maori tribe - seaweed, honey, kawakawa leaves and purple potatoes. Worth a trytiti poultry and corn dishes. And the real local exotic is snails, scorpions and opossum meat.
The country's capital, New Zealand, offers guests accommodation in hotels of various levels: from hostels to luxurious mansions. A night in a hostel will cost about 3,000 rubles, and in a five-star hotel - from 10,000 rubles.
Shopping in Wellington: what to buy?
Lovers of shopping in the city will definitely not be bored. If you want to buy designer things, then head to Lambton Promenade, and for outlandish ethnic things, it is better to go to the Cuba area.
As a souvenir from New Zealand, it is best to bring wooden sculptures and jewelry made from shells of the Maori people. Also pay attention to products made from alpaca wool and New Zealand sheep: clothes and bedspreads. This fabric is unusually soft and pleasant to the touch. Local natural cosmetics made from herbs are also good. Get some soap bars and scented oils.
Tourists go to the city market for groceries. Here you can buy New Zealand cheeses, sausages, spices and wines. You can also find exotic fruits.
When planning a shopping trip, it is worth remembering that in the capital and large cities of New Zealand, almost all shops are closed on Sundays. This does not apply to the market, which is just turning around on this day.
Wellington Attractions
The city, surrounded by mountains and standing on them, looks very picturesque. The architecture of residential buildings and churches looks like English. Some travelers are very surprised by this fact.
What can you see in the capital of New Zealand - Wellington? Be sure to go to the town hall - the most beautiful historical building in the city. This symbol of the country was built in 1904 in the Roman style. Initially, it was decorated with a tower, but for security reasons (due to the threat of an earthquake) it was dismantled.
St. Paul's Cathedral was built in the late 19th century and is located in the historic district of Thorndon. Today, it no longer operates by order of the authorities, but is a place of pilgrimage for many tourists.
In Wellington, you must visit the Catholic Church of St. Mary of the Angels, the city art gallery and the Houses of Parliament.
Wellington Museums
In addition to the beautiful nature and significant architectural monuments, Wellington has museums. The most famous of these is the National Museum on Cable Street. Its exposition tells about the history of the colonization of New Zealand, life and way of life, Maori traditions. One of the most famous exhibits of the exhibition is a squid weighing almost 500 kg, caught by local fishermen off the coast of Antarctica.
The Wellington City Museum tells the story of the tragedy that occurred in 1968 on a ferry. It also hosts creative evenings and meetings, excursions for schoolchildren.
Colonial Cottage Museum, located on Nern Street, opened in 1980. The cottage was built much earlier, in 1857.
The Wallis family lived in it, who latermoved to larger housing. They wanted to demolish the cottage, but later it was decided to open a museum in it.
New Zealand is the dream of many travelers, the land of magnificent nature and a rich excursion program. In this article, you learned which city is the capital of New Zealand and how to spend time in it.
