There's a lot more to Wellington than just the CBD, so if you're looking to get up close and personal to the capital's hot spots just jump on the Wellington Explorer tour.
Try and keep the whole day free for this tour because you can hop on and off the bus wherever takes your fancy and you'll have a couple of hours free to check things out more closely.
"do some bracing coastal walks"
Each tour visits Mount Victoria , Lord of the Rings locations, city sights, South coast beaches, historic suburbs and Botanic Gardens. You can hop off to visit Te Papa Museum, do some bracing coastal walks (that wind is pretty darn strong in Wellington !), Red Rocks Seals Walk, Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, coastal cafes and Wellington Zoo.
I jumped off to do the Red Rocks Seals Walk which is a great way to stretch the legs, see some amazing coastal scenery and get in with some pretty friendly seals at Sinclair Head! There's no road, so it's a great way to experience the coast as the earlier explorers would have discovered it.
This is the perfect way to fit the best bits of Wellington into one day, or you can just stay on the bus and enjoy the two and a half hour tour without getting off.
The tour costs $40 and the bus leaves from Wellington visitor centre, 101 Wakefield Street , at 9am, 11.30am and 2.30pm, seven days a week.
You can either stay on the bus for the two and a half hour tour, or take advantage of the hop on hop off option.
There are three tours that run every day - the Explorer Tour, Ful Day Rover Rings Tour and half day Lord tour. The Adventure Wairarapa Group Tour runs on demand.
Complimentary pick-up is available from your hostel in Wellington .
Rachel stayed at Nomads Capital, 118-120 Wakefield Street , Wellington . Tel: 04 978 7800 or freephone 0508 666 237. For more info check out www.nomadscapital.com
