Home > Destinations > New Zealand > Wellington Region

The Wellington Region provides families with a great choice of holiday activities. If your family loves the outdoors then the regional parks in the area offer anything from hour-long walks to multi-day tramps or for those who prefer two wheels the Hutt Valley has some great mountain-bike trails. 

Wellington

Wellington City offers some special highlights. For families that want to soak up both local and national history there are a number of museums, covering everything from maritime history to our more recent past. One of the capital city's most distinctive buildings, the Beehive, is the seat of government and where New Zealand's laws are passed. Don't forget to put the cable car on your list of things to do and, of course, enjoy the wonderful Botanical Gardens at the top of the cable-car ride. Have a look at some of the things that you can do with kids around Wellington.

What about take the children on a night time adventure to Zealandia, where you'll discover how the New Zealand bush comes to life when the sun goes down. 

Hutt Valley 

The Hutt Valley is very near the capital city of Wellington. Nestled in the valley along the Hutt River it stretches up to the Tararua Range. With great access by bus, car and train it is an easy destination to get to. 

 

Wainuiomata is on the eastern hill side of the Lower Hutt and is the gateway to the Rimutaka Forest Park. 

 

Petone is the gateway to Wainuiomata, Eastbourne and the Hutt Valley. This area is beautiful on a sunny day and offers a pleasant walk along the foreshore, including The Settlers Museum and a great playground.

 

Eastbourne and Days Bay are located across the harbour from Wellington. To get to there you can either drive through Petone or take a ferry from Wellington's waterfront. The area provides beaches for swimming and Williams Park which is a popular picnic area. An excellent playground, suitable for children of all ages, is located next to the Eastbourne outdoor swimming pool. You can access Butterfly Creek and Pencarrow Coast Road from Eastbourne. 

 

Wellington is a short 30-minute trip down the motorway from Upper Hutt, so if staying in the Hutt don't forget to visit some of Wellington's great attractions. Or travel by car or train up to Otaki and  Paraparaumu and visit some of the sights there, as it is all within one hour of the Hutt. Then again, if you are interested in wine, a short drive across the Rimutaka Range will bring you to either  Martinborough  or Masterton. 

 

Kapiti Coast

The Kapiti Coast follows the western coastline south to Wellington through the seaside towns of Otaki, Waikanae, Paraparaumu, Raumati and Paekakariki, and offshore you'll see Kapiti Island.

 

Kapiti Island

Offshore near Paraparaumu Beach is Kapiti Island, a nature reserve run by the Department of Conservation. Each day a limited number of people are allowed to visit the island. Families are welcome, but you will need a special permit from the Department of Conservation and can only travel aboard an approved charter boat. This trip is very popular, so you will need to book a few months in advance to avoid missing out on a visit to the island.

 

Paraparaumu

Paraparaumu has a long sandy beach that is good for swimming in summer and,during the winter months, letting the children run around or make sandcastles.