Walks And Rides. The Northern, Southern, and Eastern Walkways, detailed in leaflets from the Wellington i-Site or DOC offices, are tame and accessible walks through the city’s greenbelt and coastline (www.feelinggreat.co.nz) . Or rent a bike from town and ride along the spectacular coast from Oriental Bay around the Miramar Peninsula to the end of the pavement. From there, the Red Rocks Coastal Walk, a terrific 8km round-trip loop along the jagged southern shore, winds past the pillow lava formation of Red Rocks. The walk continues out to the crashing surf of Sinclair Head, where a colony of fat fur seals typically lazes around in winter. A 4WD ride from Sea Coast Safaris travels to the colony along rugged and otherwise inaccessible tracks. (☎0800 732 527; www.sealcoast.com. 3hr. $70.)
Adrenaline Boosters. Fergs Kayaks rents sea kayaks and in-line skates. (At Shed 6, Queens Wharf. ☎499 8898; www.fergskayaks.co.nz. Kayaks $12-25 per hr. In-line skates $12 per hr.) HangDog and Top Adventures specialize in caving, rafting, canyoning, and rock climbing in Titahi Bay. (453 Hutt Rd., in Lower Hutt. ☎589 9181; www.topadventures.co.nz. Trips from $70.) In Karori’s suburban expanses, Mud Cycles rents bikes for the world-famous mountain biking trails at Makara Peak. (1 Allington Rd. ☎476 4961; www.mudcycles.co.nz. Open M-Tu, Th-F 9:30am-6pm, W 9:30am-7pm, Sa 10am-5pm, Su 10am-4pm. Bike rental $40 per day.)
Aquatic Activities. Within walking distance from downtown, Oriental Bay boasts beautiful sands and bustling crowds. Locals prefer Lyall Bay, which has a patrolled swimming stretch and a relatively consistent break at the airport end. If you have the time, Plimmerton and the Kapiti Coast have superior swimming and sunning. Wellington’s surfing is wind-dependent: winter southerlies cause bigger waves, but breaks are more consistent east of the Wairarapa towns of Martinborough and Masterton. Windsurfing here is popular among the hardened professionals.
The Dominion Post Ferry is a cheap way to experience the harbor. Full of Wellingtonians escaping the city, it leaves from Queens Wharf and crosses to the quaint community of Day’s Bay, home to a small but popular swimming beach. Past Day’s Bay is the village of Eastbourne, similarly saturated with cafes, blue penguins, and a pebbly beach. (☎499 1282; www.eastwest.co.nz. M-F 9 sailings per day, Sa-Su 5 per day. Round-trip $17, children $9.) Some ferries also stop at Matiu/Somes Island (20min.; departs daily 10am, noon, 2:15pm; round-trip $17).
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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