Wellington

It has the densest run of cafes, bars and craft-beer taps in the country for its size, plus the national museum, and a reputation for wind that the locals wear with something close to pride.

The compact grid means you can see the highlights in a day or two on foot. The red cable car climbs from Lambton Quay to the Botanic Garden, where you can walk back down through the trees. Cuba Street is the centre of the cafe, music and second-hand scene.

International visitors aged 16 and over pay NZ$35 for Te Papa entry, valid for 48 hours. Entry is free for New Zealanders, people living in New Zealand and international visitors under 16. Some exhibitions, experiences and guided tours cost extra. Open 10am–6pm except Christmas Day.

Things to do

• Ride the cable car up and wander down through the Botanic Garden and the Bolton Street cemetery.
• Browse Cuba Street and Aro Valley for coffee, vinyl and small bars.
• Drive or bus around the south coast to the seal colony at Red Rocks.

Where to go nearby

• The Wairarapa over the Remutaka hill, for the wineries around Martinborough.
• The Interislander or Bluebridge ferry across Cook Strait to Picton and the South Island.

Good to know

Shop and eat around Cuba Street or the weekend markets; compare current menus and prices rather than assuming a market is always cheaper.

Wellington's weather is the city's running joke and its real catch. Summer, December to March, gives the warmest and calmest stretches, with days around 18 to 22 degrees and the harbour at its best; this is when to come for the waterfront and the walks. Autumn often brings the most settled days of all. The catch is the wind: the city sits in the path of the Cook Strait gales, and a northerly or southerly can blow hard in any season, turning a sunny day cold and grey within the hour. Winter is rarely freezing, more often 6 to 12 degrees, wet and blustery. Bring a windproof layer whatever the month, and do not over-plan around the forecast.

Central Wellington has several visitor sights close together: the centre, the waterfront, Cuba Street and Te Papa are all within a flat 20-minute stroll of each other, which is the main reason a car is more nuisance than help here. Buses and the suburban trains run on the Snapper card and reach the hill suburbs and the Hutt Valley. The cable car is a short, useful hop as well as a tourist ride. Parking in the centre is metered and limited, so leave the car at the hotel. The airport is close in, about 8 kilometres southeast, roughly 15 to 25 minutes by the Airport Express bus or a NZ$30 to NZ$45 taxi, though the single runway is exposed and crosswind delays happen. The Cook Strait ferry terminals are a short ride or shuttle from the centre.