The coolest little capital in the world and my home for the last 4 years, here are 10 interesting facts about Wellington, New Zealand, that will intrigue you enough to book a trip here.
I keep waiting to get bored of Wellington. But as the years pass, the opposite happens. Wellington is a tiny city that many large-city dwellers underestimate.
In 1865, Wellington became the capital of New Zealand, and has since become the country’s art and cultural hub.
The city may be small but it’s accumulated a few accolades over the decades. Even writing this post, I uncovered plaudits I hadn’t known before.
There is much to do, and see, and eat. Businesses are constantly changing. Festivals and events are abound.
It is charming and endlessly entertaining. And I’m lucky to call it home.
As an ode to my favorite place in the world, here are 10 interesting facts about Wellington, New Zealand.
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10 interesting facts about Wellington, New Zealand
1. Wellington’s real name is Te Whanganui-a-Tara
You may know that New Zealand/Aotearoa has long been in a political battle to reinstate its original name before European settlers changed it. Same goes for New Zealand cities, landmarks, and… everything else.
Wellington is named after Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington… who’s never been to New Zealand. But to Māori (New Zealand’s indegenous people), these lands have always been Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Te Whanganui-a-Tara translates to “the great harbour of Tara”. According to Wellington City Council, the name is “said to come from Whatonga’s son Tara who was sent down from the Mahia Peninsula by his father to explore southern lands for their people to settle.”
People have complained that “Te Whanganui-a-Tara” is a mouthful. But (and I can say this as someone who’s had her Lebanese name butchered her whole life) those people need to take some time and reflect.
Wellington’s Māori name is an ode to New Zealand’s Māori roots, having existed for a thousand years before the settlers arrived. And it was important that Te Ao Māori tops this list of interesting facts about Wellington, New Zealand.
2. Wellington is the most remote capital city in the world
Wellington sits at the bottom of the North Island. This makes Wellington the southernmost capital city in the world, and also the most remote. Mind you, it’s not remote in a forlorn way… Wellington is a bustling hive of activity and culture, hemmed in by stunning scenery.
The southern tip of the North Island is rugged land with mercurial weather, and it thrills me that a city was wedged amongst it all. My love for Wellington’s coastlines is no secret. The beaches are wild, backed by gargantuan hills pummeled by violent winds. A sea fog often blankets the city in mystical grace, and seagulls glide across the sky like wraiths.
Most importantly, Wellington is gateway to the South Island. On a good day, the peaks of the South Island appear from the shores of Wellington.
And every day, ferries leave Wellington harbour and traverse the Cook Strait toward Picton, a small South Island port town. The South Island has my soul, so I am happy to live a mere cruise away from its shores.
All in all, Wellington is spectacularly placed for a major city, with enough geographical diversity to suit both urban and nature lovers.
3. Wellington is the windiest city in the world
Another record goes to Wellington for being the windiest city in the world. Winds have an average speed of 16 miles (26 km) per hour.
I have never known wind to be a phenomenon. A worthy foe for runners and cyclists. A trickster to bins and gardens.
Wellington wind packs a lot of personality, singing a variety of songs in the hills and between skyscrapers, from chipper whistling to eerie moaning.
Back when I lived on a hilltop, the wind rattled the house enough to wake me in the dead of night. I often mistook it for an earthquake. Windows caved and strained against it. The wind seemed determined to fling the house off the hill.
On a lighter note, one of my life’s favorite moments was when I stepped off the bus and took my very first steps in Wellington. The wind rolled my suitcase for me, and I followed it down the pavement in glee.
For those who choose to make themselves Wellingtonians, the wind is an unintended neighbour, spinning tall stories through the seasons across land and sea.
4. Wellington scores high for quality of life
Wellington has received much praise for offering a high quality of life. It currently ranks 11th city in the world on the Quality of Life Index. And out of all New Zealand cities, Wellington topped the list on the 2020 Quality of Life survey.
This survey was an interesting dive into New Zealanders’ wellbeing in a rapidly changing world, rating quality of life by housing, transport, crime, economic health, and environment, among other things.
Compared to previous homes, I concur that my quality of life has improved in Wellington. The thriving CBD ensures strong community networks. The city is rampant with forest and coastal walks, surrounded by idyllic nature on all sides. The wind clears the air of pollution. The Government presences ensures countless job opportunities, especially through New Zealand’s aggressive growth curve. And the coffee is good.
5. Wellington has more cafés per capita than NYC
Call me impressed because, even through a pandemic, Wellington churned out new cafés in any last available corner of the city.
It’s worthy to note that Wellington is unique in that it’s a stunted city. Locked by the hills and surrounding sea, there’s literally no room to grow. (It’s good the people here value green spaces, otherwise this corner of New Zealand would be entirely brick and mortar).
In the city, businesses wedge themselves into any remaining space, making Wellington a hub for small dining establishments, most of which are at least partly a café. The coffee culture is booming, and the cafés are where everyone goes. Professionals conduct meetings there. Students study there. Laptops are propped, groups chitter-chatter, and fancy coffee menus are abound.
As a personal lover of cafés, this lifestyle has suited me well. It is my default activity when anything goes wrong (or right!). And it tastes so sweet.
6. Wellington is the craft beer capital of New Zealand
If the coffee wasn’t enough, Wellington has also been dubbed the craft beer capital of New Zealand. Wellington has even made the list of top beer cities in the world.
Here, we love our beer festivals and brewery tours. And similar to coffeehouses, it seems a new brewery pops into existence every other week.
I never really liked beer until I moved to Wellington. It took some convincing, but it’s hard not to enjoy a finely crafted hop that sits so sinfully on the palate. Breweries distribute their supply across the city, so every pub will have at least one or two delicacies gracing their taps. So you are guaranteed good beer everywhere you go.
If you’re keen for a beertastic experience, find in this post my personal favorite breweries for an epic self-guided Wellington beer tour. And as we’ll discuss below, Wellington is small enough to walk everywhere, providing a generous bar-hopping experience.
7. Wellington has collected a few cultural accolades
Wellington is often dubbed the “coolest little capital in the world”, and there are proper reasons for it.
The city has hugely contributed to New Zealand’s art and cuisine culture… including the coffee scene, of course. Some people argue that the flat white was created here. And we can’t forget the significant successes that came out of Weta Workshop, including the Avatar and Lord of the Rings franchises, a few of the highest grossing films of all time. This converted Miramar (the suburb where Weta resides) into a film hub, earning Wellington yet another name: “Wellywood”.
Wellington is also home to Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, and the National Library of New Zealand. With its many galleries and cultural centres, Wellington makes us an artistic population, yet another reason why I’m thrilled to call this city my home.
8. You can walk everywhere and you’re never too far from the beach
As mentioned above, Wellington is small and geographically impossible to grow. Although this is bad news for the housing market (Wellington is currently the most expensive place to rent in New Zealand), the lack of car costs make up for it (kind of).
Living in the city, I rarely need a ride. I can walk to work, to the beach, to pubs and cafés, and to friends’. Even if you live in the suburbs, a bus ride from one end of the city to the other will never take longer than 45 minutes. (This excludes the wider Wellington region).
It wasn’t until I moved here that I realised how much time I spent in transit. When the commute is minimal, life slows down, offering calmer mornings and longer evenings.
Walking everywhere is also good for health, particularly when graced with gorgeous views. My morning run takes me to the waterfront, and it’s the same path I take walking home from work. Meaning every day, I get to catch either sunrise or sunset… in winter, sometimes both.
9. Wellington has 50,000 hectares of regional parks and forests
I mentioned earlier that Wellingtonians value their green spaces to foster the Wellingtonian lifestyle. The Wellington region (including land outside the major city) consists of 50,000 hectares of regional parks and forests.
New Zealand will forever excel at environmental responsibility, and this undoubtedly contributes to the high quality of life.
In Wellington, opportunities are endless for an active lifestyle. Many professionals hide in the bush on the weekends, tramping or cycling through Remutaka Forest Park or across the Tararua Ranges. Tracks thread through every reserve, from 30-min loops to multi-day circuits.
From Kāpiti Coast to Cape Palliser, you’ll never run out of nature to explore. I’ve lived here over 4 years and barely scratched the surface. It doesn’t help that I have a few goodies right outside my doorstep, and I tend to stick with what I know. But I’m slowly learning to embrace Kiwis’ adventurous spirit!
10. Wellington sits on a major geological fault
Wellington experiences high seismic activity. It often shakes with small earthquakes, occasionally with a big one.
New Zealand sits on top of two major tectonic plates (the Australian and Pacific plates). And Wellington happens to sit on one of the major faults, the Wellington fault. GNS describes it as an “earthquake-generating collision zone”. And there are reports that New Zealand is due for a major earthquake.
It’s scary to think about.
New Zealand has a had a few devastating earthquakes in its history; most notably the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake. In every city, many corners are roped off, buildings undergoing fortification. Some are declared “earthquake-prone” and promptly shut down, like Reading Cinema on Courtney Place, which came as a personal blow.
Living in such a seismic environment warrants much ponderation about one’s existence in the universe. Read below on all the life lessons I learned from the earthquakes
This is not an extensive list of all the interesting facts about Wellington, New Zealand. But it’s about as much as I can fit into a single post. If you are travelling here, you won’t regret it. Reach out for tips, always happy to answer questions and recommend awesome places.
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