Wellington

Facts:

Wellington, the worlds most southerly capital, is located on the south western tip of the North Island. It offers all the facilities and advantages of a vibrant city, close to some remote areas of coastline, bush and mountain terrains. The city is and is built on the shores of a spectacular harbour and the suburbs sit on the surrounding hills.

Wellington is lively and it is great city for shopping, restaurants, theatre and bustling nightlife. Wellington is also known as the Art capital of New Zealand. Many festivals and sport events are held each year, including the "Wine and Food Festival", the "Dragon Boating Festival" and the International "Festival of the Arts", the British Global Challenge.

Outside Wellington city Region you can find plenty of areas to get away from it all. For more information, please visit the Wairarapa Region web-site. http://wairarapa.co.nz/tourism/

http://www.wellingtonnz.com/

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Te Whanganui-a-Tara (The Great Harbour of Tara) is the Maori name of Wellington. They did not find it a suitable place for large scale villages or kainga, nevertheless, people have lived here ever since its discovery.

The British explorer Captain Cook anchored inside the harbour in 1773. The harbour was named it Port Nicholson to honour John Nicholson, who was then harbour master of Port Jackson, New South Wales. In 1840, the directors of the "New Zealand Company" decided upon the name Wellington in 1840, in order to express their gratitude to the Duke of Wellington who was a supporter of the company in England.

The seat of government in New Zealand was moved from Auckland to Wellington in 1865, largely on the basis of Wellington's central geographical position.

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Climate

Wellington has a maritime climate. November to April are the warmer month and he best time to visit. During the colder month the temperature never goes under 5°C (41°F). The windy seasons are Winter and Spring, but Summer and Autumn have many fine still days.

http://www.metservice.co.nz

Average annual sunshine:
2025 hours

Average annual rainfall:
1270mm