Wellington

The Urban List guide to the absolute best things to do in Wellington. 

We love satisfying our food cravings and nabbing a bangin’ food deal at the same time—and what better way than getting a chicken wing fix while also getting more bang for your buck (yes to making savings for the next meal).

From rolling valleys to dense native forest and cliffs overlooking black sand beaches, we've found the most jaw-dropping Airbnbs across New Zealand that you can book for a getaway.

Wellington’s breakfast game is strong, just like their coffee.

There’s a reason why Wellington is Aotearoa’s coolest capital. Among the most (and best) flat whites per corner, beach-side brunch spots and breathtaking walks along the windy hills, Te-Whanganui-a-Tara truly has some of the best restaurants in Aotearoa.

April has arrived in the blink of an eye which means yet another round of school holidays are fast approaching. If you're scrambling for ways to keep the boredom at bay, we've got you. From an eggciting Easter hunt to a dazzling kids' ballet, and a cute as clay workshop, there's a whole lot of kid-approved things to get amongst this month. 

Arts and culture capital of Aotearoa, Te Whanganui-a-Tara is packed with an epic lineup of things to do.

We’ve rounded up our top picks of Māori-owned kai pakihi (food businesses) across the motu where you can show your support.

Whatever your tipple of choice—we’ve got you. Here are the best bars in Wellington.

Craving a taste of Italy without the plane ticket? Look no further than Wellington's vibrant Italian food scene.

We've found the best restaurants open on Christmas Day in Wellington for 2024, so you can sit back, relax, and scrap the tradition of stressful cooking.

As the saying goes, you can’t beat Wellington on a good day.

Wellington prides itself on its cafe culture and we’ll be the first to say it’s justified.

Our fine capital is home to some fantastic hotels for all kinds of visitors looking for all kinds of getaways. Whether you’re looking for a staycation in your own city or need to find a place for a cheeky trip away, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington has somewhere for everyone.

The best things in life are furry, so we've compiled a list of the top places to adopt a cat in New Zealand so you can help a kitty in need.

We've teamed up with Bombay Sapphire to inspire you to get out of your G&T comfort zone and stir a bit more creatively. 

With summer on the horizon, there's never been a better time for us to explore our beautiful country. We've put together a list of well-known (and a few more secret) spots around the North Island you need to check out to make the most of the season.

We’ve got the buzz on the best luxury hotels around the country, so you can be drinking champagne in a spa pool as soon as physically possible. Start packing those bags.

We’ve rounded up the best of the best costume shops in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and online so you can dive straight into bringing your fantasy (or worst nightmare) to life and take out that costume competition. 

After taking Auckland and then Christchurch by storm, entertainment masters Funlab has announced that its biggest (and best) Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq AND Holey Moley will be opening right in the heart of Wellington.

Brimming with vibrance, creativity, and some of the best coffee you'll find in the country, you'll never have a dull moment when visiting our nation's capital. Whether your ideal holiday abode is seaside or central, Wellington boasts a scenic selection of Airbnb stays that'll take your visit (and your Instagram) to the next level.

New Zealand's cool capital is known for it’s huge food scene. We may be a teeeeny bit biased, but we reckon it's got some of the best spots in the country.  

New Zealand is renowned for its stunning scenery, natural beauty, wondrous escapes and being one of the best places to look at the Southern Lights.

Whether you’re a die-hard pickle fan, on the fence or just pickle-curious this week will hit in all the right places.

Ready to get adventuring? Here are the best free camping spots in New Zealand.

If you consider yourself a foodie, chances are you’ve heard of Logan Brown. The Cuba Street institution is one of Wellington’s OG fine dining spots and has been impressing diners for the last couple of decades.

Hot on the heels of Te Marama Puoro O Aotearoa NZ Music Month we caught up with eight of Aotearoa's most exciting up-and-coming DJs to hear about life on the scene.

Whether you’re planning the ultimate staff do, a creative girls' night out, or your little one’s birthday bash, bowling is a time-tested way to get a party started.

Whether you’re saying congratulations, happy birthday, or just a simple I love you, a beautiful bouquet is always a good idea.

Take your tastebuds on tour, Wellington’s got a new restaurant serving epic Turkish and Middle-Eastern-inspired eats.

In the time of Visa Wellington On a Plate, nothing is too outlandish. From immersive themed dinners to sensory experiments to adults-only menus, there are heaps of options out there that'll have your mind blown and your tastebuds cheering. We've got the scoop on the hottest events coming up this year and if our intel is anything to go by, you'll want to get in quick.

If you’re looking for something to watch as it gets colder to cosy up in a cinema or at home, the full Doc Edge Festival programme is now live with over 100 feature length and short films to sink your teeth into.

Whether you’re feeling a bit cash-strapped in the lead up to payday or just love a freebie, Wellington has oodles of fun-tastic things to do that are absolutely, positively free.

Summer is here which means one thing…ice cream, and lots of it. While plenty of the sweet stuff can be found in the Capital’s concrete jungle—we’ve done the hard yards and nailed down a list of the very best. And we take our job very seriously indeed. Here are the best ice cream stores to be found in the windy city.

Jumping in your car, blasting the tunes and taking in some epic scenery can be soothing for the soul. From craggy coastlines to lush forests and bush, our capital city has a number of drives to hit the road for. 

With the city’s most beloved bakers now offering contactless delivery, you can keep supporting local from the comfort of your own home and stock your kitchen with boxes of doughnuts. Here’s the list of those making level 3 a little sweeter.

With no shortage of sensational routes, lace up your running shoes and enjoy our picks for the12 best running tracks in Wellington.

Realising this gap between food waste and food insecurity, Nick Loosley founded Everybody Eats - a locally-based, not-for-profit with a mission to reduce food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand. With Everybody Eats scaling across NZ, we caught up with Nick to find out more about their origins, their mission, and hear about their new Goodie Box initiative. 

Ah, winter. That delightful season when jammies and slippers become a fashion statement, social outings become rarer than a blood supermoon, and Netflix and chill takes on a whole new meaning. To help combat the winter blues and lure you out of hibernation, St John’s Bar and Restaurant are bringing back their ultra 'Gram-worthy pop-up igloos for a limited time.

What if we told you that you had a billion dollars to spend? Well, it’s your lucky day, because you already are a billionaire; of heartbeats, at least. We’re all born with about 2.5 BILLION heartbeats to spend over our lifetime. Surely, we’ve got to invest these heartbeats into something meaningful.

Not since Priscilla has New Zealand and Australia seen something as bloody fabulous as RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under. Coming this September the absolute dazzling line-up will descend upon Australia for a spanking live tour featuring all ten of the Queens from season one of the show.

Whether it’s the location, the ambience, the comfort of the bed, the 5-star rating or the cleanliness that attracts you to a hotel, we’re here to spoil you for choice and highlight some of Wellington’s top hotels. 

Eat, Drink, Play will be dishing up more than 100 delectable events and there’s something for everyone on the menu. Solve a murder mystery during dinner, play bingo with a drag queen, fire up your tastebuds with a hot wings challenge, or learn to mix cocktails like a pro. Special hotel packages are also up for grabs, so you can stay right amongst the action. 

After taking some time out in 2020, the luxurious, two-hatted Hippopotamus Restaurant and Cocktail Bar is back in full swing and ready to treat you to a fabulously chic culinary experience.

Now you'll be able to have your own Emily In Paris moment as the full-scale, indoor exhibition will be touring stadium-sized venues in Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland next year. Yep, get ready to snap up those tickets.

They’re offering free behind-the-scenes talks in Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Invercargill to share the laughs, mess ups and learnings that got Fix & Fogg to where it is today, with drinks, nibbles, nut butter and a Q&A with Roman, CEO and Founder, to round up the evening. 

Ben & Jerry's have launched what's potentially the world's largest-ever Easter egg hunt—with 10,000 scoops of free ice cream thrown into the mix, no less—and you're invited. Now if you're wondering what the heck a virtual Easter egg hunt is or more importantly, how you can get involved—here's the scoop.

Ready your spoons and don your stretchy pants because an adults-only ice cream truck is going on tour—and it could be stopping at your doorstep. 

From 5 February to 28 March, Wellington’s streets will become centre stage for a free, city-wide programme of music, art, dance and theatre as part of the newly launched festival, What If The City Was A Theatre? 

Paint your mate to resemble a resident of Pandora at Paintvine’s awesome new painting experience. Held this February 14 at Auckland’s Platform 8, why not skip the fancy dinner and get up close and personal with your partner to spice up your Valentine’s day.

From 10am on Saturday 19 December, Wellingtonians will be able to get their hands on the famous yellow-stitched boots at the brand new Dr Martens flagship store on Cuba Street.

In the pursuit of serenity, we’ve found some of the best camping spots in and around Wellington. Whether you’re a tent-pitcher or glamping only type, there’s something for you, check out these epic camping spots.

The Urban Wine Walk is going down in Wellington on Saturday 28 November and will see the capital's best bars and restaurants turn into urban cellar doors for your self-guided walking tour.

Our windy capital makes for the perfect weekend getaway. Wellington is rich with interesting sights, delicious food and coffee strong enough to make any caffeine junky weep. So, why not get blown away this weekend with what our capital has to offer. 

It’s not often that Wellingtonians go crazy over something out of Hamilton, but when it comes to Duck Island, locals are screaming for it. 

While the first two weeks have been all about incredible culinary experiences, what we’re really here for are the final two weeks.

We’ve put together a great tour of the best sustainable spots Welly has to offer and even better, we’ve got the perfect mode of transport to do so. Mevo is a Wellington-based car-share company that lets you rent luxurious Audi A-3s and Volkswagen Polos (#cargoals) for as long as you may need them through their app, similar to Lime.

As Wellington enjoys its first day back at Alert Level 1 we’ve stumbled across some news that will really put the cherry on top of the good vibes. The OG purveyors of damn good ice cream—Ben & Jerry’s—are setting up a permanent home in the windy city. 

While Duck Island has been available at various supermarkets and Moore Wilson’s in Wellington, we’re beyond excited to announce that they’re opening one of their fabled ice cream stores in the heart of the Windy City.

Move over monopoly, escape rooms are our new favourite way to get competitive and tackle some good old fashioned problem solving with our friends. Here are the best escape rooms in Wellington. 

We headed out around Wellington to document some of our favourite stargazing places, capturing the beauty of the cosmos as gorgeously documented in these stunning photos.

Check out of work and on to the next available flight with Jetstar’s epic Hello NZ sale. 

Here is a list of great, or potentially not-so-great, films you might not have realised were filmed in god’s zone.

We’ve come up with the ultimate weekend mini-escape to little old’ Levin and back, which is jam-packed with activities to tackle over two days. Call your favourite road trip companion, pack your bags and let’s get exploring.

Although times are tough right now, our local cafes and restaurants are working hard to make sure we can get our fill of their goods, making our lives easy by offering new delivery and takeaway services.

We are currently in Level 4 lockdown in New Zealand and that means, no restaurants, no going out for coffee and no takeaways. But this doesn't mean an end to healthy hearty food and now is the perfect time to learn to cook great food with local ingredients. 

It’s thirsty work this lockdown business, isn’t it? Fortunately for Wellingtonians, there’s a fabulous handful of local boozy businesses delivering their goods to your door during level-4 lockdown. 

Whether you’ve got the coordination of a baby giraffe or you’re a dancer from way back, lockdown is the perfect time to try your hand at an online dance class.

Gone are the days of shopping mall food courts that have the acoustics of an indoor swimming pool. We’re into the era of stylish eating and Wellington is home to one of the nicest food halls around. Press Hall on Willis Street is a food court setting you’ll actually want to spend your lunch break in.

GoodFor has finally opened a store in the capital and we couldn’t be more excited.

It's all getting very festive in Wellington. There are so many wonderfully celebratory events happening in the run up to Christmas, you won’t want to miss out. Eat your weight in festive treats, have a laugh at a panto or maybe treat yourself to a festive Christmas Drag show! It won’t be hard to have a very merry Christmas in the capital so here are our top picks for Christmassy things to see and do in Wellington this December.

Forget your keep cup (yes, trust us), cause there’s a new sustainable cup in town, and it’s ridiculously delicious.  

After becoming local celebrities and winning the latest season of The Block NZ, what else is left for Lisa Ridout-Gordon and Chris Gordon? Fulfilling a long term dream and opening up The Ribz Shak, of course. 

Folk are flocking to New Zealand’s first dedicated mac (of mac 'n' cheese fame) eatery in Petone, and for good reason.

When we heard Basque was closing, tears were shed. It was a staple in the rooftop bar scene and home to some of the best sangria in Wellington. It may be the end of an era, but luckily for us, they’ve renovated and reopened as Mockingbird; a vegetarian and vegan plant-based food eatery and bar that still serves up banging sangria, has an impressive craft beer and cider range, and will make your vegan heart (and stomach) very, very full. 

Get those sleighbells ringing, a festive high tea is coming to Wellington.

La Belle Waffle is the new kid on the block, a bright yellow hole in the wall and a little ray of sunshine in the middle of the city. You’ll find the Belgian style waffles being served up in Dukes Arcade by owner Nicholas, who is Belgian himself so he knows the real deal. Take the fact that they have sold out several times since opening as positive proof of his waff skills.

Those of you who have been waiting for somewhere to drink really great wine on the north side of Wellington will be thrilled about the opening of Atlas.

Cheese High Tea. High Cheeses. Whatever you want to call them—dedicated cheese-themed afternoon teas are a thing, and they’re swapping out the traditional scones, jam and cream for, well, all things cheese. And we’re digging them!

Round up the crew to celebrate life and loved ones at this year’s annual Day of the Dead Street Fiesta.

With The World Of Wearable Art (WOW) exhibition just around the corner, Auckland finalist Ian Bernhard is gearing up to send his daring designs out on the stage. We had a chat with Ian about what inspires him, his design journey, and all things WOW.

Whether you are looking for some pals to go running with, a sweat inducing HIIT workout or a good regular yoga practise, New Zealand's ‘coolest little capital’ has you covered.

Here are our top picks for the best things to see and do in our fine capital during September.

From concept stores to luxury multi-brand retailers, here are the best boutiques in Wellington to find a unique addition to your wardrobe or a memento of a Wellingtonian getaway. Get ready to pop those tags. 

Get ready to pop some tags and swipe that credit card, here are the best vintage stores in Wellington for all your thrifting needs and desires. 

To celebrate the iconic girl-cat’s 45th birthday. 

Calling all creatives—Urban List New Zealand, the home of urban culture and everything that’s cool and trending, is on the lookout for new superstars to collaborate with.

The search for binge-worthy shows is never over and as difficult as it is finding fresh new series to watch, we want to make it that little bit easier.

It is a pretty big capsule—expect t-shirts, denim, sweaters and hoodies.