Wellington in 3 Days: Cuba Street, Kelburn & the Eastern Bays
Who this is for: First-time visitors with ~3 full days who want the harbour city, the hill above it and the peninsula beyond it — without losing a day to a Cook Strait crossing that is too long and too weather-dependent to work as a day trip.
Timing assumptions: Assumes you’re based somewhere on the flat central strip (Te Aro, Lambton Quay or the waterfront), moving mostly on foot with occasional Metlink fares, and handling arrival and departure separately. Day 1 is the waterfront, Te Papa and Cuba Street; Day 2 rides the Cable Car up and walks the hill back down into Thorndon; Day 3 heads east to Mount Victoria and Miramar, with a full-day Wairarapa swap. Every day here should have a wet-and-windy alternative attached, and the notes below give one.
Getting around: Walk first. Central Wellington is roughly 2km across and takes about half an hour to cross on foot, so a large share of a visit needs no transport at all. Metlink runs the buses, suburban trains and the harbour ferry on one zone-based fare system — pay with a Snapper card or a contactless bank card, both cheaper than cash (a zone-1 adult fare is NZ$2.12 on Snapper against NZ$3.00 cash), and the Metlink Explorer day pass covering zones 1–3 is NZ$15. Wellington Airport (WLG) is about 8km southeast: the Airport Express (route AX) runs to the railway station every 10–20 minutes, seven days, in 25–35 minutes, for NZ$9.23 on Snapper or NZ$12 cash/contactless — note that off-peak discounts and free transfers do not apply to it, and the Explorer pass is only accepted on it from 9am. The airport also sits in fare zone 3, so ordinary Metlink buses are a cheaper if slower alternative. The Cable Car between Lambton Quay and Kelburn is a separate operator that no longer accepts Snapper: NZ$7 one way, NZ$13 return for adults. You do not need a car in the city; you might want one for the Wairarapa, though the train also goes.
When to go: Seasons run opposite to the northern hemisphere. December–February is warm, long-evening summer and the busiest, priciest stretch, with the waterfront and Oriental Bay at their best. March–May is the local secret: the calmest, clearest, least windy window of the year, and CubaDupa fills Cuba Street in March. June–August is cool, wet and windy, but it is also the cheapest time to come and the city compensates with its strongest indoor calendar, including the Visa Wellington On a Plate food festival in August. September–November is spring — the windiest season here, unpredictable day to day, but it brings the World of WearableArt season in September–October. Whenever you come, judge the day rather than the month: Wellington weather turns fast.
When to go — month by month
Average daytime high (bars) and rainy days per month, from 5-year climate normals. Greener months are the most comfortable to visit.
Best months to visit: Jan–May
Daylight by month
Hours of daylight through the year in Wellington — it swings from about 9h 2m in midwinter to 14h 58m at midsummer, which decides how many stops realistically fit in a day.
Day 1 — The waterfront, Te Papa & Cuba Street
Get the harbour and the national museum done on the flat, then finish in the quarter where Wellington actually spends its evenings.
- ~2.5hTe Papa Tongarewa timed entryOpen daily 10am–6pm. Free for New Zealand residents; international visitors 16+ pay NZ$35, so buy online first and walk past the ticket desk. Go at opening — it is quietest in the first hour.
- ~1.5hWaterfront promenade & Wellington Museum walk-upWalk north from Te Papa past Frank Kitts Park to Queens Wharf; Wellington Museum sits in the 1892 Bond Store and covers the harbour’s history, including the 1968 Wahine disaster.
- ~1.5hCuba Street & the Te Aro laneways walk-upCut two blocks inland from the water. The Bucket Fountain, the record and vintage shops, Hannahs Laneway and Leeds Street — this is the compact core of the city’s character.
- ~2hCraft beer & dinner around Courtenay Place walk-upThe brewery taprooms and small kitchens between Cuba Street and Courtenay Place are where Wellington earns its food reputation. Kitchens here often stop serving earlier than the bars suggest.
- Route logic:
- A single flat loop: south end of the waterfront up to the north end, then inland and back south down Cuba Street into the evening. No hills and no transport on day one, while you are still finding your feet.
- Getting between stops:
- Entirely on foot and entirely flat. Te Papa to Queens Wharf is about 15 minutes along the water; Cuba Street is two blocks inland from either end.
- Meals:
- Coffee: anywhere in Te Aro — Wellington takes it seriously. Lunch: Te Papa’s café or the waterfront. Dinner: Cuba Street or the Leeds Street pocket.
- Rain / limited mobility:
- Southerly blowing? The whole day works indoors — extend Te Papa, add Wellington Museum and the city galleries, and shift the walk to the sheltered inland streets. Short on time: Te Papa plus Cuba Street, and skip the full promenade.
Day 2 — Cable Car, the Botanic Garden & Thorndon
Let the Cable Car buy you the altitude, then spend the day giving it back on the way down through the garden into the government quarter.
- ~20mWellington Cable Car to Kelburn walk-upFrom the Lambton Quay terminal, 3–5 minutes and 609m up, departing every 10 minutes. NZ$7 one way — buy one way, not return, because the walk down is the point. Snapper cards are not accepted here.
- ~1.5hKelburn lookout, Cable Car Museum & Space Place walk-upThe classic postcard view over the CBD to the harbour is right at the top station. The Cable Car Museum next door is free; Space Place at the Carter Observatory has ticketed planetarium shows.
- ~2hWellington Botanic Garden ki Paekākā, walking down walk-upDescend through the garden — the Lady Norwood Rose Garden and the tree fern gullies — and come out at the Bolton Street end. This is the free centrepiece of the day and it takes longer than you expect.
- ~2hParliament & Old St Paul’s, Thorndon book aheadThe garden’s lower exit puts you a few minutes from the Beehive. Guided tours of Parliament are free but the schedule varies with sitting days — check and book. Old St Paul’s, an all-timber colonial Gothic church, is a short walk on.
- Route logic:
- Ride up, walk down. The Cable Car does the 119m of climbing, the garden path does the descent, and the lower gate delivers you to Parliament — so a hill day costs almost no uphill effort and no backtracking.
- Getting between stops:
- Cable Car up, then all downhill on foot. From Thorndon it is a 15–20 minute flat walk back along Lambton Quay, or one short bus hop.
- Meals:
- Breakfast: before you ride up. Lunch: the Botanic Garden café or a Thorndon bakery. Dinner: back on the flat in Te Aro, or in Thorndon if you want it quiet.
- Rain / limited mobility:
- Wildlife rather than gardens? Swap the garden descent for Zealandia along the ridge — sanctuary hours 9am–4.30pm with last entry at 4pm, and the guided night tour is a separate booking. Wet day: Space Place and the Parliament tour are both indoors; skip the garden.
Day 3 — Mount Victoria, Miramar & the eastern bays (or the Wairarapa)
Take in the view that puts the whole city in one frame, then follow the harbour road east into the film district and the swimming bays — or leave the city entirely.
- ~1.5hMount Victoria Lookout (Matairangi) walk-upThe 360° view over the harbour, the CBD and the airport runway. Walk up from Oriental Bay or the Majoribanks Street end — it is a steep 30–40 minutes — or take the bus to the top and walk down.
- ~2hWētā Workshop, Miramar book aheadGuided, timed and capacity-capped small-group experiences in Wellington’s film district. Book before you arrive; walk-up availability is the exception.
- ~2hThe eastern bays: Scorching Bay & Seatoun walk-upThe road around the Miramar peninsula strings together the calmest swimming beaches in the city, with Matiu/Somes Island out in the harbour. Good by bus, better by hire bike or e-bike on a still day.
- ~8hAlternative: a Wairarapa & Martinborough wine day book aheadTake the Metlink Wairarapa Line train over the hill and cycle between Martinborough’s cellar doors, or join a guided trip. A genuine full day — and the pinot noir is the reason to give it one.
- Route logic:
- One eastward arc: up the hill for the overview first while your legs are fresh, then down the far side and around the peninsula, so you are always moving away from the centre rather than crossing back through it.
- Getting between stops:
- Mount Victoria is a walk or a short bus from the centre; Miramar and the bays are 20–30 minutes by bus from town. The Wairarapa train from Wellington Station crosses into fare zone territory well beyond the city, so an Explorer pass covering zones 1–14 is the cheap way to do it.
- Meals:
- Coffee: before the climb, in Oriental Bay. Lunch: a Miramar café or fish and chips at Seatoun. Dinner: back in town, or in Martinborough if you took the wine day.
- Rain / limited mobility:
- Prefer wild coast to film sets? Swap Miramar for the south coast walk from Owhiro Bay out to Red Rocks and the fur seal haul-out — free, dramatic, most reliable for seals in the colder months, and impossible in a gale. Short on energy: Mount Victoria plus Oriental Bay is a half day on its own.
⚠︎ Before you book
- Wētā Workshop experiences and the Zealandia night tour are timed, guided and capacity-limited — book these before you fly, not on the day.
- International visitors aged 16+ need a NZ$35 ticket for Te Papa; buying it online beforehand skips the ticket-desk queue at the entrance.
- Parliament’s free guided tours run to a schedule that changes with sitting days — confirm and book rather than turning up.
- CubaDupa (March), Visa Wellington On a Plate (August) and the World of WearableArt season (September–October) fill the city’s hotels; so do parliamentary sitting weeks and big sports fixtures.
Weather & mobility: Central Wellington is flat and easy; everything beyond it is not. The Mount Victoria walk-up and the hill suburbs are genuinely steep, and many streets are stepped rather than sloped — wear proper shoes and check the contour before trusting a map distance. The wind is the real variable: Cook Strait gales cancel ferry sailings, delay flights and make the south coast and the harbour ferry unusable, sometimes with only a few hours’ notice. Pack a windproof shell rather than an umbrella, and keep an indoor option attached to every outdoor plan. Summer sun here is harsh even on cool days — New Zealand’s UV is strong, so sunscreen is not optional.
Budget: Wellington is mid-cost by New Zealand standards — cheaper than Auckland or Queenstown, but eating out is the line that surprises visitors rather than the room rate. Approximate (verify current prices): a Metlink zone-1 adult fare NZ$2.12 on a Snapper card or NZ$3.00 cash; a Metlink Explorer day pass for zones 1–3 NZ$15; the Airport Express NZ$9.23 on Snapper or NZ$12 cash; the Cable Car NZ$7 one way and NZ$13 return; Te Papa entry NZ$35 for international visitors aged 16+ and free for New Zealand residents; a flat white NZ$5–7; a casual lunch NZ$18–28; a mid-range dinner with a glass of wine NZ$55–90. Every price already includes New Zealand’s 15% GST, and tipping is not expected.
Optional swaps
- Visiting in winter (June–August)? Trade Day 3’s bays for the indoor half of the city — Space Place, the galleries, a brewery crawl — and keep the south coast walk for the one clear, still morning you get.
- More nature, less city? Give Day 2 entirely to Zealandia, day tour plus the guided night tour, and fold the Botanic Garden into a short Day 1 detour off the Cable Car.
What this plan intentionally leaves out
- The South Island as a day trip: The Cook Strait ferry crossing takes several hours each way and is the first service cancelled in bad weather — a same-day return means a day on a boat with a real chance of being stranded. Give Picton and the Marlborough Sounds their own overnight.
- Kāpiti Island: The nature reserve is superb, but landing requires a permit booked through a licensed operator and a weather-dependent boat, and it consumes a full day plus an hour of travel each way from the city.
- Booking around a specific festival act: CubaDupa, Visa Wellington On a Plate and the World of WearableArt shift dates and programmes year to year — this plan points at the season, not a lineup. Check the event’s own site before you build travel around one.
Planning notes & sources
The day-by-day routing — a flat waterfront-and-Cuba-Street day, a ride-up-walk-down Cable Car and Botanic Garden day, and an eastern bays or Wairarapa day — plus the time estimates here are our own, built around how small and how steep this city actually is, and around the fact that its weather changes plans. Fares, entry prices and opening hours move, so confirm current details with WellingtonNZ, Metlink and the individual operators before you set out — particularly last-entry times, which catch out more visitors here than closing times do.
- WellingtonNZ — official Wellington visitor information
- Metlink — Greater Wellington public transport, fares & the Airport Express
- Wellington City Council — Wellington City District Plan
- Te Papa Tongarewa — Museum of New Zealand
- Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne — ecosanctuary
- Wellington Cable Car — timetable & fares
- New Zealand Parliament — visiting and tours
- Inland Revenue — New Zealand GST (15%)