Wellington
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Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. It has almost 400,000 inhabitants and sits on a marvelous natural harbor on the southern tip of North Island. Wellington is a lively city, where numerous cultural and artistic events are organized every year. The city is also the seat of new Zealand's government and home to its most important national treasures. The weather can be quite bad and Wllington is often plagued by heavy winds that can reach gale-forces during the winter.
Wellington's old Government Building is one of the world's largest wooden buildings. The modern version of the Parliament building is the Beehive. Other interesting sights include the National Library, which is home to the country's largest book collection and the Katherine Mansfield Memorials, which consists mainly of the house where the author was born in 1888.
There are too many museums in Wellington to mention here, of which many, such as the Te Papa museum are excellent. Also very interesting is the Native Plant Museum, where you can walk on platforms between the treetops. Information on the museums can be obtained on arrival in Wellington. The capital has a zoo and several good shopping area, of which Cuba Street is probably the best. In the Thorndon area are numerous historic sights. Lambton Quay is the primary business street.
You can climb Mount Victoria for fantastic views over the city. Mount Victoria is also the place where most of the cheaper accommodation and restaurants are situated.