Top Wellington Walking Tours

Wellington, New Zealand, is home to an entire community of creative Wētā Workshop artisans who’ve brought life to such films as The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies, King Kong, The Chronicles of Narnia, Avatar, and many others. Wētā Workshop is your gateway to filmmaking creativity. Join our guided tours and learn about the making of movie effects, from armour to weapons, creatures to costumes, make-up to miniatures, and more!

Lovers of good food and drink will enjoy this small-group food walking tour of Wellington. Sample some of the capital’s finest cuisine, including local specialties. Your guide will show you the best spots, and eat at places that you might miss when touring independently. Whether you’re a first-time or repeat visitor to Wellington, you’re sure to try something new.

Enter the world of Wētā Workshop with the Wētā Workshop Experience + Guided Transfers, a guided round trip by Wētā Workshop! You’ll enjoy return transfers from Wellington i-SITE to Wētā Workshop, where you’ll explore our two unique tour spaces. Your driver will highlight iconic film sites during your journey to the Wētā Cave (a cavern of creativity in it's own right!) On arrival, a Wētā Workshop crew member will show you incredible props and costumes from films like The Hobbit and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Gain entry to Zealandia at night and take a guided tour of Zealandia: The Exhibition, which showcases New Zealand’s natural history. Interact with a life-size model moa and Haast’s eagle — both extinct — and learn about the country’s conservation efforts to preserve other native species. Located just minutes from central Wellington, Zealandia includes a night tour of Sanctuary Valley, a fenced eco-sanctuary and safe haven for endemic animal and bird species such as the nocturnal little spotted kiwi.

Whether it’s your first time in Wellington or you just want to see as much as possible during your time in port, this half-day sightseeing tour offers a great introduction to the city and a diverse range of sights. Visit the iconic Weta Cave and the historic Old St. Paul’s Cathedral, ride the Wellington cable car to the top of the city, and enjoy panoramic views from the top of Mount Victoria.

Wellington’s south coast is both a popular choice and a missed opportunity for visitors; although a visit to Weta Workshop is a popular choice, many visitors pass up the chance to see the rocky beaches and rough surf that Wellington locals have learned to love. From the Weta Cave to the Taputarenga Marine Reserve, this small group tour offers the full south coast experience.

An hour or so north of Wellington, Martinborough is fast making a name for itself as one of the Southern Hemisphere’s leading wine regions. Each weekend, Wellingtonians make the trek over the Remutakas to escape to this European-style wine village. This small group tour is a convenient way to visit Martinborough. There’s no need to stress about driving on country backroads, and no need to plan the day’s itinerary - leaving you to focus on the wine and the iconic scenery.

Combine award-winning wine and gorgeous scenery on a full-day tour from Wellington to Martinborough that also explores Hutt Valley, the Rimutaka Ranges, the Wairarapa coast, and Lake Onoke. You'll visit Martinborough wineries for cellar tours and tastings, pause for lunch in a vineyard restaurant, then eat dinner at the edge of Lake Onoke after a short shoreline hike. This Martinborough wine tour includes meals and a wine tasting, and it's limited to 11 people to ensure personalized service.

Book a shared arrival transfer from Wellington Airport to your hotel doorstep, and enjoy a stress-free start to your trip. It’s a simple, cost-effective option that takes all the hassle out of arranging transportation after you land. Transport is by climate-controlled shuttle.

The hills around Wellington offer a spectacular backdrop for a cycling tour, but you don’t need to worry about biking uphill. This 3-4 hour electric bike tour takes all the effort out of cycling, so you can concentrate on admiring the sights and enjoying the views.

Board the InterIslander ferry for a 3-hour cruise across Cook Strait, which links New Zealand’s capital city in the North Island to a charming enclave in the South Island. The Wellington-to-Picton ferry offers daily service one way, with jaw-dropping views along one of the world’s most scenic waterways.

Tick off the top attractions of the Windy City on this private full-day tour of Wellington. Experience the myriad delights of New Zealand’s capital as you take in the views from Mt Victoria, spot seals at Red Rocks, then go behind-the-scenes with a short tour of the Weta Cave, where the special effects for Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were created. After a scrumptious lunch at the Chocolate Fish Café (included), ride the cable car over Wellington and visit landmarks like the Botanical Gardens, the Parliament Buildings and the Beehive.

Get a personal introduction to Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand’s premier museum based in Wellington. This 1-hour guided tour provides an overview of the museum’s interactive exhibits, artifacts, fine art and natural history displays so that you can better explore the collection on your own. You’ll get a deeper look at Maori cultural heritage and colonial history with an expert guide who share insights and offers suggestions for galleries that might suit your interests.

Experience the wildlife of New Zealand in the early evening with a guided 2,5-hour tour of Zealandia, a wildlife sanctuary located on the outskirts of Wellington. This after-hours tour takes place during the most active period for many resident animals, when they transition from daytime to nighttime activity. You may observe birds returning to their nests, hear nocturnal birds waking up, and learn how the sanctuary restores native habitat.

Get a 60-minute introduction to the highlights of Te Papa’s ‘taonga,’ meaning a ‘cultural treasures’ in the Māori language. While admission to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is free, a small-group tour with a museum guide offers more insight on the enrich your understanding of this unique culture.

Beat the crowds and explore this award-winning exhibitions before opening. Explore Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War with the peace and stillness this subject matter deserves by entering the exhibit half an hour before the public. Te Papa has joined forces with Weta Workshop to create an exhibition like no other. After a short introduction from a Te Papa Host, you will wander freely at your own pace through this gallery. Garnering international acclaim and various awards, this space is best experienced before the museum's doors are opened for general admission. * See eight extraordinary New Zealanders captured frozen in time on a monumental scale - 2.4 times human size * Learn about the battles that took place in this culturally-defining event * Discover more about the ANZAC story through 3D maps and projections, miniatures, models, dioramas, and a range of interactive experiences.

With a professional guide visitors will be taken to visit the most charming places that Wellington has to offer. This is the ideal opportunity to explore the city while hearing fascinating facts and hidden stories. This service is perfect for those visiting the city for the first time and want to get the most out of Wellington in a reasonable time frame.

Have fun with your friends while testing your teamwork skills during this 90-minute problem-solving adventure. Enter a spaceship, where you get the news of an impending alien invasion. Race against the clock to solve the puzzles and stop the invasion. This is an interactive game that’s suitable for almost everyone, including kids.

Experience the best of Wellington nightlife by going on this fascinating cocktail tour. You’ll save hours researching nightlife spots, and instead have a guide to take you past the tourist traps, and to the best local haunts. Learn about the city’s best bars, meet master mixologists, and try inventive cocktails. Conveniently, this tour includes at least four craft cocktails and nibbles too.

Join the locals on the fortnightly Saturday morning Walk & Talk an Art Precinct. Explore art the best way, with other art lovers and an expert guide. Find the contemporary dealer art galleries in the city. Each Walk is to a different cluster of galleries. We are introduced to the gallery, gallerist, exhibition and sometimes we are lucky to get to talk with an artist. We get all the extras of being with a person the gallerists know and respect. Sometimes we go to art auction houses and/or artist studios. Returning several weeks later we find new exhibitions and therefore new experiences. Guides are chosen for their intimate knowledge of the region’s art scene, galleries and artists. As the exhibitions are constantly changing, no Walk is the same. Returning to the precinct will always take us to different exhibitions, deepening and extending our knowledge of the art. We always find a good place for coffee and more talking.

An exclusive tour for all the romantics of the world! Together with the professional local guide, you will visit the most romantic places in the city. Did you know Wellington is the most beautiful and coolest little capital for couples to visit? You will feel spellbound in a charming atmosphere. What is considered as one of the best places to have a date in the city? Where can you make lovely photos? You will be surprised how many historical love stories are hidden in the streets, buildings, parks of the city. From heartbreaking and tragic, to the hilarious or spicy ones. What is so special about Mount Victoria? The Mount Victoria Lookout is situated within the Town Belt, and offers panoramic views of the greater Wellington area. Wellington is a land of beauty making it the perfect city to take your significant partner. This tour is especially recommended in the Saint Valentine period!