Wellington Facts

Wellington's diverse and traditionally transient population, of more than 300,000, consists of an eclectic mix of colourful suburbanites and chic inner-city apartment dwellers. Many of the central and city-fringe suburbs were rejuvenated in the 1990s. This period of rejuvenation created a vibrancy and positive spirit that is reflected in the region.

Courtenay Place

Courtenay Place is the center of local theatrical activity and the favored destination for those seeking entertainment into the small hours. Restaurants, cafes, wine bars and pubs line both sides of this long, wide strip. A good spread of ethnic tastes is evident in their many and varied menus.

Cuba Street

For the young...

...is, without doubt, my favorite New Zealand city. I've always seen it geographically as a miniature Hong Kong -- there's a beautiful curved harbor surrounded by hillsides dotted with houses and elegant high-rises clustered into a central fist. There is an immediacy and a vibrancy here that you don't get in other New Zealand cities.

Once seen as a stuffy, bureaucrat-filled political capital, Wellington has reinvented itself to become New Zealand's entertainment and cultural capital and the fastest-growing weekend destination in the country.

With the opening of the long-awaited Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand, the waterfront is alive again. The Courtenay Place neighborhood has one...