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WELLINGTON IS generally considered to be wild, wet and windy, but official figures show it gets more hours of sun than Auckland or London and less rain than Auckland.
It offers an unforgettable city experience in a natural setting, located between a beautiful harbour and rolling green hills.
Wellington has excellent shopping, professional theatre and cafes and restaurants all close to untouched nature spots.
The city is only two kilometres wide so it can be explored easily on foot.
Te Papa, New Zealand's national museum is on the waterfront and you can walk to Te Papa from a central city restaurant and stop at a local fashion store or an art gallery on the way.
Wellington is the arts and culture capital of New Zealand. Festivals and events are held here throughout the year. A highlight is the bi-annual New Zealand Festival - a month long arts festival.
The South Coast is one of Wellington's most beautiful places. Visit the New Zealand fur seal colony or just watch the waves or you can mountain bike through native bush at Makara Peak, or kayak out to Scorching Bay - the choice is yours.
Discover New Zealand's heritage in Wellington. The city is home to Parliament Buildings as well as many historic buildings and museums which tell the story of New Zealand and is the country's national capital.
Wellington is the world's most southern capital and the only capital in the "Roaring Forties" latitudes.
Nearly all Wellington residents are within three km of the sea.
The city has the greatest proportion of open space land per capita at 17.3 ha for every 1000 people.
More Wellingtonians feel safe in their homes than in other cities. (Quality of Life Report commissioned by national City Councils 2001).
Wellington gets more sunshine than Auckland, Melbourne and London and less rain than Auckland and Sydney.
Thorndon is New Zealand's oldest suburb and is best known for being home of the world renowned author Katherine Mansfield's Birthplace. It's also where you will find the oldest hotel in New Zealand, now renovated as The Shepherd's Arms.