Wellington and the surrounding regions offer a wide range of attractions. I've listed just some of these (grouped by 'outdoors' and 'indoors') but am happy to provide additional suggestions if you let me know what interests you.

Outdoor Activities

• Drive to the top of Mt Victoria for panoramic views across the whole city and beyond - good for getting a sense of the city

• Harbourside walks/rides or rent scooters, e-bikes or a ‘Crocodile’ multi-seater pedal ‘bike’. The harbour frontage from Queen’s Wharf all around Oriental Bay is very pedestrian/bike/scooter friendly and lovely. There are some small beaches and several cafes en-route.
o E-scooter rentals - https://flamingoscooters.com/city/wellington
o E-bike rentals (and tours) - https://switchedonbikes.co.nz/
o Crocodile bike rentals - https://www.crocbikes.co.nz/
There’s also a bustling open-air market next to Te Papa Museum every Sunday which, apart from fresh produce, has an ‘avenue’ of street food vendors of different cuisines.

• Kayak on the harbour - https://fergskayaks.co.nz/pages/wellington

• Ferry across the harbour – from Queen’s Wharf to Day’s Bay or to Matiu/Somes Island. Only recommended in good weather. https://eastbywest.co.nz/timetables-and-fares
While the drive around the Harbour to Day’s Bay and Eastbourne is worth doing, if you fancy getting out on the water, the ferry ride is fun and there’s a beach and several cafes awaiting you on the other side.
Matiu/Somes Island is also worth a visit. Now a scientific reserve, it has a long pre-colonial Māori history and was also used as both a quarantine centre and wartime internment camp. Take your own food and drink and enjoy the walking trails and views.

• Ride the Cable Car from Lambton Quay (one of Wellington’s main shopping streets) up to the top of the Botanic Gardens. Lovely views from the top. Either have a brief wander and ride back down, or go for a longer walk down through the gardens. NB if there’s a cruise ship in town the queues will be ridiculously long.

• Wellington Gardens – including the Botannic Garden and Otari/Wilton’s Bush https://wellingtongardens.nz/

• Zealandia – a lovely nature reserve just outside the city centre which has been largely responsible for the 'rebirding' of Wellington. It is situated in a valley which includes former reservoirs for the city. There are lots of different walking paths from easy to quite challenging. It has a slight ‘Jurassic Park’ / valley that time forgot feel to it, without the dinosaurs. There are shuttle busses that you can take, or parking for your own car. https://www.visitzealandia.com/

• Drives round the bays (with some pleasant, simple cafes en route)
o round past the airport, Shelly Bay, Scorching Bay, Karaka Bay. You could combine this with a visit to Weta Cave in Miramar
o or around to the other side of the harbour to Days Bay and on to Eastbourne where there’s a pleasant esplanade walk, and further to Cape Palliser Lighthouse
• Drive over to Makara and a rugged coast line walk - about 30 minutes out of town

Indoor Activities:
Museums and Art Galleries
• Te Papa – Wellington’s waterfront ‘museum’. Has visiting exhibitions as well as permanent collections/displays https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/
• Takina – a new convention/exhibition centre opposite Te Papa. https://www.takina.co.nz
• City Art Gallery – https://citygallery.org.nz/
• Wellington Museum – Jervois Quay https://www.museumswellington.org.nz/wellington-museum/
• Katherine Mansfield House and Garden - https://www.katherinemansfield.com/
• Petone Settlers Museum - https://www.huttcity.govt.nz/arts-and-culture/museums/petone-settlers-museum
• The Dowse Art Museum - https://dowse.org.nz/
• Weta Workshop/Cave – Miramar https://tours.wetaworkshop.com/wetacave/

Cinemas/Movie Theatres
In central Wellington there's old-fashioned style Embassy Theatre at the far end of Courtney Place. It has one huge auditorium and two smaller, more modern ones. There’s also the Lighthouse Cuba cinema which is part of a small chain of slightly more ‘arthouse’ cinemas. The difficult trick with both of these is finding nearby parking. The large Reading 10-cinema complex is currently closed due to earthquake-prone issues. So, if we want to catch a movie, we tend to head to the suburbs:
• The Penthouse Cinema – in Brooklyn, about 20 mins drive from home. It’s a privately owned 4-screen complex housed in a (mostly) deco building. 3 good sized screens/auditoriums and one very small one. They have their own carpark (reasonable rates) but it’s normally easy to find a nearby free street park https://www.penthousecinema.co.nz/
• Lighthouse Petone – in Petone, a rather charming old suburb at the inner end of Wellington Harbour, about 20 mins drive from home, along the edge of the harbour. Small free carpark opposite, and usually plenty of free nearby street parking available. 52 Beach Street, Petone

Restaurants, Cafes and Bars
Wellington has a large number of places to eat and drink and options to suit all tastes and budgets. So in the section below, I've only included our very favourite 'special treat' places, but am happy to provide additional suggestions for mid-range and cheap-eats.