Sign in with Facebook"Keeweechic's Wellington" Wellington by keeweechic
Wellington Travel Guide: 591 reviews and 1,252 photos
Wellington is the worlds most southerly capital. It was made the capital of New Zealand for no other reason that it was ‘in the middle’ of the country and it had a harbour. It is now the centre of political and economic power. Wellington is the worlds most southerly capital. It was made the capital of New Zealand only because the area was in the centre of the country. Prior to that, Auckland was the capital. With the cities harbour as well, this had some bearing on the decision of it and what has become the centre of both economic power and political power. The city was named after the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley. He was also Prime Minister of Britain from 1828 to 1830.
The city lies on two major tectonic plates and so is susceptible to earthquakes. There are 5 major faults in Wellington and many parts of the city have been constructed on areas raised up following an 1880’s earthquake.
Wellington had its beginnings with a Maori chief named Whatonga who was the first to come upon the region. The original Maori name for the place was Te Whanga-Nui-a-Tara, named after Whatonga's son Tara. Colonel William Wakefield arrived in the area during the late 1830s, and bought land from the Maori people from which he set up two settlements for later arriving Europeans in 1840. Arguments arose about what exactly Wakefield had bought which then resulted in land rights struggles.
Wellington is often compared to San Francisco with its brightly painted timber Victorian houses, cable cars and cosmopolitan lifestyle. With the rugged hills surrounding the city centre, many hundreds of houses are built on the hillsides with some very creatively designed. There are also around 50 private cable cars which give these residents access to their homes, and at times, being the only way of access. Much of the port and city centre has been constructed on reclaimed land. Wellington has also been given the name of being the Windy City.
(c) keeweechic 2001 - 2006 (copyright)
Reviews (23)
Bolton Street Memorial Park
Things to Do
(10)
This church is a true replica of a church which once stood on this site in a cemetery which is the oldest in Wellington.... more travel advice
The Botanical Gardens
Things to Do
(10)
The Botanical Gardens are set on 26 hectares of native and exotic trees, forest and plants. The rose gardens also... more travel advice
The Tararua Forest Park
Off The Beaten Path
(4)
The Tararua Forest Park is about 50kms north of Wellington and covers 155,000 hectares. The area is rugged with steep... more travel advice
Getting There
Transportation
(2)
By Air : Wellington International Airport is one of the three largest in New Zealand and is about 8kms south east of the... more travel advice
keeweechic's Related Pages
-
Paihia
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Lake Taupo
-
Rotorua
-
Auckland
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Devonport
-
Rangitoto Island
-
Christchurch
-
Canberra
-
Sydney
-
Brisbane
-
Gold Coast
-
Adelaide
-
Melbourne
-
Geelong
-
Ballarat
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Bendigo
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Perth
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Fremantle
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Kalgoorlie
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Rottnest Island
Top 5 Page for this destination
Wellington Travel Guide
Member Travel Pages
- "A Capital on Shaky Hills and wind-swept Seas"
- "Wellington - Capital of New Zealand"
- "Raffish and Energetic - Quirky and Agreeable"
- "WELLINGTON - The Capital of our country."
- "wellington, nz"
- "Makara Beach"
- "Windy Wellington"
- See All...
Explore the World
Badges & Stats in Wellington
- 23 Reviews
- 24 Photos
- 0 Forum posts
- 48 Comments
- 6,170PageViews
- See All Stats
- See All Badges (66)
Have you been to Wellington?
Share Your TravelsLatest Activity in Wellington
- updated a Wellington Travel Page "Keeweechic's Wellington"
- Commented on one of knerten's Wellington travel pages
- Uploaded a Photo to "Inner City Dining"
- Wrote a Review Bolton Street Memorial Park in Wellington Things to Do
Top 10 Pages
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Perth
Intro, 336 reviews, 608 photos, 5 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Dallas
Intro, 238 reviews, 512 photos, 12 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Fremantle
Intro, 258 reviews, 399 photos, 3 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Fort Worth
Intro, 223 reviews, 348 photos, 8 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Lisbon
Intro, 159 reviews, 370 photos, 4 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Texas
Intro, 122 reviews, 364 photos, 5 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Auckland
Intro, 212 reviews, 273 photos, 3 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
State of Western Australia
Intro, 148 reviews, 322 photos
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Hong Kong
Intro, 147 reviews, 285 photos, 12 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Sevilla
Intro, 127 reviews, 284 photos, 3 travelogues
Friends
See All Friends (84)
National/State Park
Historical Travel
Museum VisitsLatest Wellington hotel reviews
- Grand Mercure Wellington Century City Apartments
- 87 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 9, 2013 - Kingsgate Hotel Portland Wellington
- 148 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 13, 2013 - Novotel Wellington Capital
- 624 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 16, 2013 - InterContinental Wellington
- 447 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 10, 2013 - Gilmer Apartment Hotel
- 44 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 14, 2013 - Wellington City YHA
- 185 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 7, 2013 - Ibis Wellington
- 703 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 15, 2013 - Bolton Hotel Wellington
- 597 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 16, 2013 - Central City Apartment Hotel
- 145 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 5, 2013 - The Halswell Lodge
- 62 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 20, 2013 - Silveroaks Hotel on Thorndon
- 123 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 27, 2013 - Museum Hotel
- 515 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 15, 2013 - Mercure Hotel Wellington
- 326 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 17, 2013 - Apollo Lodge Motel
- 69 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 2, 2013 - Amora Hotel Wellington
- 376 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jun 15, 2013
Comments (46)
can you walk to Mt victoria from downtown?
Oh how I love NZ Keewee. Thank you for the memories-the ferry picton/wellington,yes. I don't remember it being particularly windy though, maybe because it is so long since I was there. Great pages thank you.
Engaging page as always K ... would love to try some Kiwi style 'Fush and Chups' ... Thanks for sharing.
Lovely page kw, nice hotel...Thanks for this info. Regards.
Very interesting page. I will use your tips for our trip
Rick Steves should hire you.....
Let me tell you all about my Pathological love to New Zealand! which is now after checking your page in Aggravation :-)
Great info about Wellington, the capital of NZL !
Woww.. I love the Parlimentary Library building.. and the James Cook Hotel. Great page and info Girl.. ;-))
Nice job!