Day Trips from Wellington
One-Day Excursions from WellingtonAdmire a lush and lushly lush and overall visual pleasing scenery and delightful architectural style with lovely little B&B's, and it's a tranquil, rotten getaway from Wellington. From Wellington to Wairarapa it is a kind of high-altitude trail that lasts an hours drive on the other side. Although the flexible rental of a vehicle is enjoyable, the driver's incapacity to really savour the wine of the area hampers something, so it's up to you to decide whether you want cash and services rather than challenges, individualisation and value for your investment.
It is not directly linked to Wellington by railway, but rather needs a ride to Featherston in the mornings and a shuttles or taxis transfer to it. Located just off the beaten path, it is more of a jewel than the more celebrated Marlborough vineyard above the sea and therefore more work.
The Wairarapa area is also home to a number of other attractive cities, all of which have their own characteristics and are relatively inaccessible. The coastline is also rough and nice, so you have to decide for an extra side trip which ambience fits best to a trip.
A 92-kilometer voyage across the Cook Strait from Wellington to the Picton harbour at the tip of the South Island provides stunning overlooks. It' s especially breath-taking on the route that Picton is approaching when the ship dives into the beautiful Marlborough Sounds and especially into the Queen Charlotte Sounds - home of pleasant, clean water that allows a steady dive into the colorful landscape.
Every ship is built for sturdiness, but as with any voyage, the voyage across the Cook Strait is weather-dependent and can sometimes become a little unsettled when things get worse. Those who do not have "sea legs" should therefore be prepared with seasick medication or get some from the ship's people.
All you can do in Picton / Marlborough: In Picton itself, it is a small but enchanting city, with a beautiful shore area for strolling and strolls to the Marlborough Sound, which offers a magnificent view. The Edwin Fox is one of the oldest vessels in the worid and offers an insight into the nautical past of the inmates.
In Picton, near the Marlborough wine cellars, about 30 minutes by car, but for a short period of timeframe, it is best to join one of the available routes that are synchronized with the schedules of the Ferrero. Regional carriers are also often willing to adapt their schedules, paying attention to the trip back by boat.
Naturally, going back to Wellington by plane can also help to ease some of the worries about losing track of your own schedule in exchange for the increase in your financial investments. The Kapiti Island is only a few kilometres away from the Kapiti Coast part of the North Island, so the major part of the trip just leads from Wellington to the starting point.
Trains and buses are both available as means of transportation to the islands, taking about an hour ride just an hour north of Wellington before reaching Paraparaumu Beach, from where the boat departs. It is only a short 15 to 20-minute ride on the boat itself, but keep in mind that due to its conservation status, a Department of Conservation approval is needed to explore Kapiti Iceland.
Apart from the apparent aviary celebrities of the show, who will probably attract the most interest, the walk to the top of Tuteremoana and the views are the other great attraction for tourists to the isle. Stand out multi-day goals that offer enhanced opportunities for enjoyment and adventure from Wellington:
Located in the heart of the town of Nelson itself on the banks of Tasman Bay, this prospective route offers the visitor the opportunity to enjoy a balanced range of water adventure as well as some culture and land-based sights. There is also the splendour of one of the most scenic ferries in the whole wide range, tastings of the scenery and products of the Marlborough area and the opportunity to hike to one of the best natural reserves in the state, according to how long you would like to spend on a journey here.
At the end of the trip, you can either return to Wellington via Blenheim and enjoy the Marlborough vineyards or return to Picton on the beautiful Queen Charlotte Drive itinerary. For those who want to maximize their stay and are willing to give a little more money for the benefits, they can choose to take the road from Wellington to Nelson, which is an effective 2nd class flight.
Single transits are provided by both Air New Zealand and Jetstar from Wellington Airport to Nelson - a 25-minute journey with minimal effort. Disadvantages: more costly, miss Marlborough Sounds part of the landscape. Maritime options require you to book a ferry crossing on the Interislander or Bluebridge ferry and cross the Cook Strait within 3 hrs of arrival at the Picton docks.
Once you have arrived in Picton, you will have to go a little less than 2 h to get to Nelson, although you will probably also want to make a few stopovers that can increase the journey more. Advantages: less expensive than airplanes, beautiful landscape on clear day, possibility to stop on the way to Nelson.
Disadvantages: Slow down, the Cook Strait can be chewy in bad weathers. About the Nelson region: Nelson provides a beautiful mix of pristine, seaside and artificial or touristic delights. Nelson attracts many visitors to its beautiful sandy areas, and both Taunanui (the Nelson City's principal beach) and Kaiteriteri are well deserved.
Well-known for its onshore and offshore cuisine, this is a great place for eating, and you have plenty of opportunities to sample a mix of 25 winery boutiques, a fistful of artisanal beers or any number of top class fish eateries - with mussels such as Jacob's mussels, mussels and farm shells, and so on.
Happy Valley Adventures is an excellent way to see more of the Nelson countryside while maintaining family entertainment, offering a huge part of the countryside and forests with a variety of fun and exciting adventures that include quads, paintballs and a one-of-a-kind floating-fiche. The Nelson region's lakes are famous lyes and you don't have to keep to the sandy beaches to savour them.
Yachting and kayak are two of the most enjoyable things to do here, with paddling and yachting trips around Abel Tasman and to see New Zealand's fur seals and other water dwellers up close. 2. The Gourmet Seasailing offers sailboats that are geared towards visiting places of interest as well as catering from Nelson Harbour, while those looking for a kayak adventure can join Kaiteriteriteriteri kayaks for a full day of accompanied kayak touring.
Discover Abel Tasman National Park: Abel Tasman National Park, the main tourist attractions of the Nelson/Tasman area, is home to one of New Zealand's Great Walks, but provides a completely different area than many of its wooded counterparts upcountry. To find a variety of Nelson Valley activites, have a look at our catalog of the best trips and activites by selecting below.
For travellers who are not too fond of adrenaline-focused adventures or high-octane adventures and prefer a high-quality drizzle of reds and a scenic green countryside that reminds of parts of Europe, the journey from Wellington to the Hawke's Bay area is the culmination of your New Zealand itinerary.
Hawke's Bay is another sunnier part of the land that focuses more on relaxing and relaxing trips and sight-seeing as bicycling, hiking and even hiking offer some of the best ways to discover the mix of vines - the area is home to over 80 estates and 100 vines in all - as well as the green countryside and a fistful of small rural villages.
It is also a driving force for the area to see some of New Zealand's best animal species in a man-made and pure nature environment. Hawke Bay is a vibrant multi-day excursion area, with the diversity of both the cities and tourist sites of Hawke's Bay, and while only a few short hrs from New Zealand's capitol, Wellington's changing scenery and rhythm of living is far away.
If you are travelling without a vehicle or want to maximize your stay in Hawke's Bay and use the flag ship Napier as a stepping stone for further adventure, you can quickly take a direct flight from Wellington to Napier. Low-cost internal services from Wellington to Napier are available from times to times, while those who want to make reservations well in advance are likely to be able to make reservations at a sensible price.
Wellington to Napier / Hawke's Bay is around 4 o'clock. This first 30-minute stage of the Eastern Coast Trail leads through scenic Hutt Valley out of Wellington City and through the meandering Rimutaka Range before entering more open, hilly ground.
The itinerary also provides an opportunity to explore the city of Martinborough and its characteristic wine estates, but the high standards of the Hawke's Bay area' vines make this somewhat superfluous. For those who choose to drive, there is plenty of riding experience on the Puhaka Mount Bruce Wildlife Centre, about half way between Wellington and Napier.
On the way to Napier, the remainder of the journey is a question of navigation through a nice, fruitful countryside - perhaps via Greytown because of its interesting mixture of high-quality cafés and antiqueshops. So what to do in the Hawke's Bay region: Napier's sightseeing tour: Napier's own uniqueness is one of the major landmarks in the Hawke's Bay area, where the city was almost completely reconstructed in the Art Deco spirit by an 1930s-storm.
Cycle through the vineyards: As a part of the world known for biking, there is no better way to get around Hawke's Bay than on two-wheelers. The visitor can move along the 36 km long Vineyard Trail, a bend that offers a magnificent landscape and the opportunity to see 15 different vines along the way.
If you want to make it easy, there are several cellar tours with Ulysses, Bay Tours, Grape Escape and various other providers for a deeper winerieside. About 20 km outside of Napier Downtown Cape Kidnappers is not directly reachable by road, but can be reached by driving, parking and on feet.
Te Mata Summit: The viewpoint of the Hawke's Bay area, Te Mata Summit, can be climbed as well as climbed. At 400m above sealevel, the summit is not solid but offers a 360 degree panoramic look over the Hawke's Bay area. Situated about 25 min by car from Napier, the summit can be reached on foot in about 1.5 h. The summit can be reached on the left.
For itineraries and day trips or more information about the Hawke's Bay area, have a look at our catalog by click below.