Things to do in Wellington

On Wellington's waterfront, Te Papa Tongarewa, the national museum, holds the colossal squid, the national art collection and Māori and Pacific treasures, and the Harbourside Market sets up beside it every Sunday. Ride the Wellington Cable Car up to Kelburn and walk back down through the Botanic Garden, take the Mount Victoria Lookout Walkway for harbour views, see how film armour, creatures and costumes are made at Wētā Workshop in Miramar, and look for kākā, takahē and tuatara at the fenced Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne sanctuary.

Good to knowThe Mount Victoria loop takes about 1.5 hours with steep sections, or you can take the Number 20 bus up. Zealandia runs a free electric shuttle from the city, and its night tours look for tuatara, glowworms and maybe kiwi by torchlight. Te Papa and Wētā Workshop are both indoors, so they work in any weather.