COLLECT Our journey starts by safely collecting all of our guests & getting onboard our vehicle. If you are coming in by cruise ship, we will collect you directly from the port. You do not need to get on a shuttle bus or head to the city as we are accredited to collect you as you walk off the ship. If you are being collected from your hotel then please wait in reception or just outside where you can been seen by your friendly guide. Sit tight, sometimes traffic (or people) can delay our arrival. If you are being collected from the iSite then pop out to the tour bus stop just outside/beside the iSite. Keep an eye out for Ka Rawe signage on the vehicle & we'll see you soon!
What about this for a first stop! Check out the best vantage point in our beautiful city. Breathtaking 360 degree views of the central business district, the harbour & the ocean to the south. Stunnnnning! Legend has it that Wellington harbour, originally a land-locked lake, was home to two large and very active taniwha (sea monsters). One taniwha forged a passage to the open sea creating the entrance to the harbour. The second, named Whataitai, tried a different route, became stranded and died. It is believed that Tangi-te keo (Mt Victoria) was named after the soul of Whataitai. Probably the best photo opportunity on the tour, our guide/host would be delighted to be your personal photographer for the day. What a beautiful city!
We head due south to our stunning coastline, passing through Lyall Bay as we go. Did you know that no matter where you are in Wellington, you are 3km (1.8 miles) from a beach? How lucky are we!? Lyall Bay is Wellingtons most popular surf beach & even has 2 surf live saving clubs. For those of you that might be fans of the royals, we'll even pass the cafe that Harry & Megan frequented when they were here in 2018. If we're lucky, we might even see one of the Ferries that travel from North Island to South Island, out in the strait. What a ripper of a place!
We continue around our stunning coastline where you can breathe the fresh, salt air & marvel in the picturesque views. As we turn the corner & in a more sombre moment on the tour, we reflect on Wellingtons worst ever maritime disaster. The Wahine was battling unprecedented winds & many perished on this day the 10th April 1968. Our guides expertly point out what happened & where then bring this to life with some imagery of this event. A sad yet memorable event in New Zealand history.
WETA CAVE Don't be fooled in to thinking we're here to see some New Zealand native insects up close...... Whilst the Weta is a native new zealand cricket like insect, its also the name of a World famous Film & Special Effects company right here in little old Wellington! Arguably Weta is most famous for the incredible work of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, however their impact on the greater industry is much broader than that. Here at the Weta cave, you'll get to purchase some memorabilia, check out some of the items on show in the mini museum & you'll even have a photo opportunity with the Cave Trolls! At Ka Rawe, our guides make great photographers too. e stop at the Weta Cave where you can pop on in & check out some Lord of the Rings memorabilia. Don't forget to take up the photo opportunity with the cave trolls! Once we leave the Weta Cave, we check out the Wellington sign on our travels, this is the one our friends from Hollywood copied!!
We make our way back in to the city around the bay & your guide will keep you informed as we go. We make it around to Oriental Bay known for being both a popular beach and an opulent centre of affluence in the city. Its a little bit pricey around here!. You'll get to see some amazing architecture & perhaps this will be the only "man made" beach you'll ever see in your lives!!? Check out Carter Fountain too. Originally named Duppa Bay after its original sole resident George Duppa, it was renamed to Oriental Bay after one of the first to bring settlers here to Wellington. Spectacular!
All abooooard! One of the most iconic attractions in Wellington is our Cable car. Some of you might refer to it as a funicular. Take a short ride up to the suburb of Kelburn at a leisurely pace where you'll get to enjoy more spectacular views of Wellington on arrival. At the top of ride you'll be met by your guide (who will have dropped you off at t the bottom) & you'll also get to check out the Cable car museum whilst there. Souvenirs are available for purchase at the museum too. Your ride on the Cable Car is included in your tour price.
Pretty! Part of the sweeping Wellington Botanical Gardens is the Lady Norwood Rose Garden. Did you know that in 2015, the Lady Norwood Rose Garden received the Garden of Excellence award from the World Federation of Rose Societies? Well you do now! Over 110 unique varieties of flowers reside here & when they are in full bloom (November - April), she's bloody pretty! We take a short stop, grab some fresh air & enjoy the visual delights that the Rose Garden offers. Beautiful.
Welcome to the Parliamentβs grounds, which are used regularly for many kinds of public gatherings. From the grounds you can admire Parliamentβs buildings, the flags on the many flagpoles, the rose and camellia gardens, fine ironwork on the gates and lamp standards, and commemorative statues and plaques. Two New Zealand flags are flown every day on the forecourt, in front of Parliament House. Other flags may be flown between the New Zealand flags to mark special visits or occasions. The design of Parliamentβs iron gates incorporates the initials of King George V, who was the monarch when the gates were made. There are several statues and plaques in Parliamentβs grounds. The most prominent is a bronze statue of Richard John Seddon at the front of the main forecourt. Richard John Seddon was New Zealandβs longest serving Prime Minister. He was Prime Minister from 1893 to 1906. We also check out the Beehive, the name for the Executive Wing of New Zealand Parliament Buildings
DROP OFF Wow! Hopefully you'll agree that we've packed loads of Wellington goodness in to your time spent with us today. However as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. We offer a few different locations for you to get dropped off & don't forget that Wellington is a very small, compact city that is easy to get around & you're never too far from where you want to be. Our recommendation is that we drop you to Te Papa. Not only is Te Papa New Zealand's national museum but it is also centrally located for wherever your final destination may be. What a day out!
Our tour guide, Nathan, was a real character. He couldn't have been more helpful, informative and entertaining. His pride in Wellington shone through his extensive knowledge of his home city. His advice about pies was spot on!!
Kia Ora Nathan. Such an interesting, pleasant and friendly tour. You are so knowledgeable about Wellington and clearly love to show others your wonderful city. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone new to Wellington. Thanks again from Sandy and Sharon
This tour far exceeded my expectations. Nathan was a marvelous guide and the tour of Wellington was great. He gave us detailed history as well as fun facts about Wellington and I know everyone had a great times. He engages you as a tour operator, and at times may even give you a pop quiz which is super fun. It's a wonderful way to spendn1/2 day then he will drop you off wherever you want. I toured the TE Papa museum based on his recommendation and it was well worth it. I would recommend this tour for anyone who is in Wellington. First-timers its a must-do and if you haven't done it a second time visitor you need to as you will learn things you never knew.
Excellent tour and guide. We saw beautiful sights, learned the history. The tour guide was very helpful, pleasant throughout.
Fabulous tour if youβre time poor and want to see as much as you can of Wellington. David was a fantastic knowledgeable guide. Highly recommend ππΌ
Will was an excellent guide and very knowledgeable of the area. He was very accommodating and he was flexible as to where we requested to be dropped-off. Unfortunately the van used was awful. It was a Hertz rental that had small windows and not a good choice for this type of excursion. The van also was very uncomfortable with regard to the quality of the ride. Very harsh and stiff. Will could have been more conscious of passenger comfort when braking, and going over speed bumps. Because of the van, I couldn't in good faith recommend this excursion.
Sam was a great guide, fully recommend to anyone, was a great experience. We enjoyed the company of everyone.
We had a lovely snapshot of Wellington for a half day tour. Sam was so knowledgeable and passionate about his chosen space, where he has chosen to live. He was also easy going and flexible. Thank you Sam.
Nathan was fantastic, driving us around in a luxury Mercedes van, taking in a range of sites and learning some interesting things about Wellington. We appreciated the way we were engaged and the tour customised to meet our particular interests. We left the tour feeling like friends who had enjoyed a wonderful experience together. Our only regret is that we didnβt plan to spend more time in Wellington on this trip, as there were so many places we would have liked to explore further.
Great day and experience! Our guide Nathan was very knowledgeable and personable too! He made our trip around Wellington sites very fun and engaging!
Highly recommended! A perfect way to see the highlights of Wellington in a short period of time. Nathan was friendly, shared lots of local knowledge and was happy to answer all our questions.
Absolutely incredible experience. Talked through by Nathan. Very interesting, funny, Beautiful experience, and we learnt a lot throughout the tour! Could not recommend this any more! Nathan was so so engaging, personable, down to earth, and made us feel extremely comfortable being only two on the tour. Highly recommend. From Charlotte ad Emma from Melbourne, Australia
In half a day, we managed to catch a glimpse of the beautiful city of Wellington. Nathan was extremely informative. He made it all worthwhile! Thank you, Nathan. Best Wishes, Vimala
We had a great time and felt like we really got to know David, our guide. We picked the tour primarily because it fit our schedule and budget but got so much more. We covered most of the geographic area but with David continually providing facts and stories constantly being aware of our schedule.
We really enjoyed our 1/2 day tour of Wellington with Nathan. He gave us some fun insights to all the sights we visited and was kind and helpful during the tour.
Terrific tour with Nathan, who was knowledgeable and friendly. The tour gave us a great understanding of the tourist highlights of the city, and also an insight into the local culture and hotspots. Highly recommend this tour.
Amazing educational experience with one of the most knowledgeable and personable guides imaginable! Took us to places others couldn't, eg a 1600 acre private farm!
Amazing education about Wellington with one of the most knowledgeable and personable guides ever! Took us to place, eg a private 1600 acre farm, that others can't!
Amazing tour, friendly guide, very relaxed, explored beautiful wellington
Would absolutely recommended this tour to anyone looking for the highlights of Wellington. Our guide, Nathan, was so friendly and knowledgeable. My friend and I were the only ones on the tour and he really embraced that and made it personal to us.
We had an enjoyable day out in Wellington, guide was great and very informative. Enjoyed the cable car ride, however it did feel a bit rushed would have liked a bit more time there ( but I guess it was only a half day tour). The lord of the rings stop at Weta studio was good too and had time to grab a coffee Driver dropped us off before the port (walking distance) and we stopped in to see the oldest pub in Wellington.
Nathan was wonderful. Highly recommend his tour to anyone visiting Wellington. His fun attitude, his knowledge of the city and his story telling of important events and people of Wellington allowed us to learn to appreciate and know the Kiwis and the Maori. Icing to the tour experience, we can now claim that a celebrity toured us - Nathan played "Orc" ( if you are a Lord of the Rings or Hobbit fan) Nathan is a gentle Orc.
What an amazing way to get your bearings in Wellington and see all the must do sights with a very experienced, knowledgeable guide. Excellent hospitality and very professional but relaxed and fun
We had a wonderful time with Nathan .He was full of knowledge and we laughed and talked
Our driver Nathan was amazing. Full of fascinating insights of Wellington. Would recommend this half day tour of Wellington and cable car
Has to be the best tour guide we have had, ticked off the big Wellington sights & very entertaining.
We would highly recommend this tour, our guide Nathan, was an amazing wealth of knowledge and a guienuely lovely guy. The experience gave us such a great insight into Wellington and a perfect way to get our baring. Do it, book now. Thanks heaps Nathan
David, our driver/tour guide, was exceptional! He has lived there, just about all his life and knew all the history and everything about where we went and gave us a great running commentary during the whole tour. Highly recommend him.
Informative information of the places been seen and they made it a comfortable and enjoyable experience. It was well worth it.
We loved the size of the vehicle and the smaller group of people! The half day tour was perfect and our guide David was a lot of fun and very knowledgeable about the area.
Beautiful views, great tour guide. Easy way to see the top sights of Wellington. Thanks again Sam! You did a great job! We appreciate it!
Fantastic day out. Nathan our guide was very knowledgeable.Highly recommended.
This was an informative and fun day. Our tour guide Ian was helpful and funny. I learned a lot about Wellington and its people.
Ian our tour guide was the best of all the tours we did. Very interesting drive around Wellington and cable car ride. Has some delicious ice cream at the top! Rose gardens were real pretty! Definitely recommend this tour. Especially if you can request Ian!!
Our tour van driver and guide, Glenys, was friendly and well informed. The small group size of 10 was congenial and we were collected from and returned to our ship, which made it so easy. The tour included all the must do locations, and we saw so much more of Wellington than we could have seen on our own. Glenys is a born and bred local, which added authenticity to her commentary. All in all, a most enjoyable and informative tour.
Great tour with plenty of sights seen. Tour guide was awesome with lots of knowledge . Thanks for a great day
Sam was very friendly, knowledgeable and an excellent guide.
Our guide Ian was outstanding! He kept everyone engaged and was thorough and informative. I highly recommend this tour and request Ian if you have the opportunity.
Great experience , Nathan was awesome! Nothing to tell description of tour met all expectations And then some!
This is the best way to get acquainted with Wellington! Our guide, Sam, stopped many times for photo opportunities, and there were many! Victoria Lookout and the cable car offered magnificent views! And the Botanical Garden! It's such a beautiful area! Our guide was helpful with suggestions for the rest of our time in Wellington. Definitely a bonus. Thank you Sam!
A thorough look at the city and environs. Only 3 of us and Peter in the car. A great experience. Highly recommended
IAN was our guide and he was great! Thank you for the 1/2 day tour of Wellington. Very pleasant man and informative!
Nathan was a great tour guide. We had a good time seeing Wellington. There were so many sights & he was very good explaining what we were looking at and the history.
If coming in on a cruise ship you are collected on the quayside which is a bonus. A great half day trip in a minibus all around Wellington. A very informative driver who made stops at various places of interest. Nothing is too far a walk if mobility is an issue. Would definitely recommend.
Great 1/2 day tour of the capitol. Great sites to see. Our driver/tour guide was great. I would recommend this tour to anyone interested in seeing this beautiful city.
Nathan did a remarkable job sharing his passion, stories and knowledge of Wellington. He was so thorough and engaging with our group. I left feeling I had a solid understanding of the highlights of Wellington. We had some great photo stops! It was a fun time! Well worth the cost especially compared to others tours I have experienced. Nathan really brought it all to life! Great job!
This is the perfect tour to get a taste of what Wellington has to offer and packs a lot in but doesnβt feel rushed. Nathan our guide was brilliant. You got a real sense of Wellington and what New Zealand is all about. Really enjoyed it. Thank you Nathan it was a pleasure to meet you.
Nathan was a fantastic guide! He was knowledgeable, passionate, and very informative about MΔori culture and Wellington. We enjoyed the tour thoroughly! A do not miss tour! The views were spectacular . A must do!
Tour guide was good and very knowledgeable. Interacted well will tourists Meeting place was easy to find and lots of signage
Wellington was wet and extremely windy that day but our driver did his best to find alternatives for our small group, and he did well. We took the cable car, which was interesting.
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