Internships in New Zealand are often completed in Auckland. Wellington is the capital but Auckland is the most popular and biggest city in New Zealand. Actually, this is not really fair on amazing Wellington! Most of the interns in New Zealand do not know what Wellington has to offer and therefore skip this city. Well, this is why a city trip to Wellington should be on your list.
Cheap as: return ticket Auckland to Wellington for $50
Yep, that’s right, a return ticket to Wellington from Auckland for fifty bucks. This is less than a regular night out! This night bus called Nakedbus takes you from the centre of Wellington to the heart of Wellington in eleven hours. Are you worried about getting through this journey? Read our blog post about how to survive long bus journeys.
More peaceful, charming, and cosy
Of course, we love Auckland – we have written a blog post about the many things to do during an Auckland city trip. There’s so much to do and to see. However, there some big differences between Auckland and Wellington. Although Wellington is the capital, it is a peaceful city compared to Auckland. The ambience is more relaxed, open, and calm. It is not necessarily quiet, just more intimate. Wellington is a charming city that offers many different restaurants, cafés, and shopping opportunities. You can find basically everything you want here but it’s not as crowded and stressful. Places to have food are more personal and cosy. So this makes Wellington the perfect weekend getaway: you’re away from the busy city life but you’re not in the middle of nowhere.
Delicious coffee and food
Perhaps you’ve already heard or read the reputation of coffee in Wellington. It is commonly known as the city of coffee. There’s literally a place to get great coffee wherever you are in Wellington. It’s not all those hipster coffee places (which we adore, by the way) but there are cafés for everyone: tough guys, millennials, busy business people, animal lovers, or typical tourists. For all kinds of people, there are cafés for amazing coffee, hot chocolate, or sandwiches. And even then we haven’t even talked about all the restaurants. Fish and chippies, vegan Mexican food, authentic Italian food… Welly has it all.
Lord of The Rings overload
In the centre of Wellington, there are not many Lord of The Rings locations, but a go just a bit outside Wellington and there’s plenty! If you are a Lord of The Rings fan, a day tour that takes you to the filming locations is a must do. You can go for a half day or full day tour, or – if LoTR is the love of your life – an overnight tour. But that’s not all. It gets better. Wellington is the home of the Weta Studio. It might not sound familiar to you, but we guess the movies Narnia, Avatar, and The Thunderbirds do. WEta Studio designs all the artistic props of these movies as well as of Lord of The Rings. For example costumes, masks, miniature buildings and also computer animations. Go for the tour and a world will open up for you. You will never look at the movies in the same way. Shortly, we’ll publish an article about this tour.
Free or cheap stuff
Wellington offers many free things to do or to see like Cuba Street. This lively street is in the heart of the city and is home to many bars and unique stores. You don’t necessarily need to take a seat and have a drink or a bite – just walking through the street is lovely. Another free way to explore the city is by walking to Mount Victoria (a viewpoint) through the Botanic Gardens. Actually, the best way to explore Wellington is by just walking around – which is free as well! Of course, you will have to pay for the Cable Car but that’s only $7. By the way, do not forget the fountain and the harbour! Beautiful views that do not cost you a cent.
The party life
We’ve all been there, the city trip dilemma: going for a party or being fully charged for the next day? Sometimes, the least responsible choice is the best one, which in this case means going for a great night out in Wellington. Queenstown still wins this game but partying in Wellington is definitely fun.