Wellington Off The Beaten Path Tips by vtveen

Old St. Paul's

On our walk through Wellington we also encountered Cathedral Church of St. Paul, or as it is called nowadays "Old St. Paul's".

The outside of this gothic building is white and it does not look very big. But once we went inside we were impressed by the warmth of the timber interior with some beautiful stained glass windows. The church was built (1866) in native timbers like totara, rimu and kauri.

After the realisation of a new cathedral Old St. Paul's is no longer a parish church and was taken over by the government of New Zealand.

You will find Old St. Paul's at 34 Mulgrave Street, Thorndon, Wellington. It is rather close to the Old Government Buildings at the north end of Lambton Quay.

Old Government Buildings

Just after the hustle and bustle of the shops of Lambton Quay lie the Old Government Buildings. We found it really impressive to see this massive building, knowing it was built of kauri wood. First we didn't recognise the difference between a brick building and this one. They made a great job with imitating bricks.

This should be the biggest wooden structure on the southern part of the world. We suppose there will be never again built such a nice building, while the kauri trees are now protected in New Zealand.

On the ground floor, with a DOC-office, are a couple of restored rooms, with some displays, open for the public. The rest of the building is used by the Victoria University.

Government Buildings are at the north end of Lambton Quay, opposite the Cenotaph (close to the Parliament Buildings).

Scenic drive to Palliser Bay

Leave Wellington and take SH 2 over the Rimutaka Range. Through Featherston and Martinborough you will reach Palliser Bay in about 1½ hour.

Enjoy the scenic drive, the quietness, lots of seals along the road, the Putangirua Pinnacles and the lighthouse at Cape Pallisser.

For much more tips and pics see my Wairarapa page.

Marine Drive Tour

A really nice half-day 'off the beaten' drive. It is no longer than 30 km's, but is one of the most beautiful and varied coastal roads in New Zealand we have seen.

Starting point is the city centre/Te Papa Museum and we just followed the coastline. Starting with Oriental Bay we passed several small coves and sandy beaches. We enjoyed the views over the harbour and Cook Strait, seeing the ferries sailing in and out. We even could see the snowy mountains of South Island.

On the other side of the road there are wooden houses built on impossible places against the hills of Wellington. At Breaker Bay we just saw the sign for crossing penguins (not the penguins). Further on is Lyall Bay, very close to the runway of the airport. We finished our drive at Island Bay and returned to our accommodation Buckley Homestay in Melrose (see accommodation tip).

Back to downtown Wellingtion via the Happy Valley Road.
At Island Bay starts the so called Red Rocks Coastal Walk (4 km) to Owhiro Bay with a seal colony.