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Maori carving guarding Omaha beach, Wellington

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Things to see in Wellington

Tourist information: 

Wellington i-SITE Visitor Centre
Corner of Victoria and Wakefield Streets (Civic Square)
Tel: (04) 802 4860 or 0800 933 5363.
www.wellingtonNZ.com

The Wellington Visitor Information Centre offers visitors a comprehensive range of services, from information to travel bookings.

Katherine Mansfield's Birthplace

Katherine Mansfield Beauchamp is New Zealand's most famous author and one of the world's best-known short-story writers. Visit her birthplace in Thorndon and step back into Victorian New Zealand in the late 1880s.

Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 25 Tinakori Road, Wellington, New Zealand
Telephone: (04) 473 7268.
Website: www.katherinemansfield.com
National Tattoo Museum

A look at the rich history of the 'tattoo' or 'ta moko', traditional and contemporary tattoo practices. Discover the spiritual, political and symbolic dimensions of body art throughout the Pacific, Asia and wider, and more recently, fashionable body adornment practices.

Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 42 Ablesmith Street, Wellington, New Zealand
Telephone: (04) 385 6444.
Website: www.mokomuseum.org.nz
Old St Paul's

Constructed entirely of native timber in the mid-1850s, this 19th-century gothic revival church showcases stunning wooden arches and magnificent stained-glass windows. Various memorial items and displays tell the early history of Wellington. Tours by arrangement.

Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 34 Mulgrave Street, Wellington, New Zealand
Telephone: (04) 473 6722.
Website: www.historicplaces.org.nz
Parliament Buildings

A visit to the capital city would not be complete without a visit to New Zealand's beautifully refurbished Parliament Buildings, in the historic suburb of Thorndon. The complex is made up of three architecturally distinctive buildings: the Edwardian neoclassical Parliament House, the Victorian gothic Parliamentary Library and the striking 1970s-style Beehive building.

Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Corner Lambton Quay & Molesworth Streets, Wellington, New Zealand
Telephone: (04) 817 9503.
Website: www.ps.parliament.govt.nz
Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand)

Te Papa (meaning 'Our Place' in Maori), the national museum of New Zealand, is located on Wellington's waterfront, from where it enjoys magnificent views across the harbour. The museum was opened to enable the people of New Zealand to learn more about their cultural identity and their country's geography and has attracted international acclaim for its ultra-modern and interactive displays. It occupies a floor space measuring 36,000 sq m (387,513 sq ft) and houses many national artefacts, enabling visitors to learn about the art, history and natural environment of New Zealand. It also has several permanent exhibitions, including the Time Warp display, which allows visitors to travel back in time to New Zealand's prehistoric age. Don't miss it.

Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 55 Cable Street, Wellington, New Zealand
Telephone: (04) 381 7000.
Website: www.tepapa.govt.nz
Wellington Botanic Garden

Take the cable car from Lambton Quay and spend half a day exploring over 25 hectares (62 acres) of exotic forests, native bush, colourful floral displays and gorgeous specialist gardens of Wellington Botanic Garden. There are great views of the city from the top of the hill. Gardens are open daily sunrise to sunset.

Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Glenmore Street, Wellington, New Zealand
Telephone: (04) 499 1400.
Website: www.wellington.govt.nz/services/gardens
Wellington Waterfront

Once the centre of Wellington's bustling port, the Wellington Waterfront is one of the city's most distinctive and attractive precincts, home to many bars and restaurants, galleries and museums (including the wonderful Te Papa Tongarewa).

Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Wellington Waterfront, Wellington, New Zealand
Website: www.wellingtonwaterfront.co.nz
Wellington Zoo

The city's zoo is the oldest in the country (it opened in 1906) and is home to over 500 animals, including meerkats, red pandas, Malayan sun bears and Sumatran tigers. African, Asian and native wildlife (tuatara, kiwi, kea among them) are all well represented.

Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 200 Daniell Street, Wellington, New Zealand
Telephone: (04) 381 6755.
Website: www.wellingtonzoo.com
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