Wellimgton, NZ

We are cruising with Celebrity Solstice in November. We would like to do Wellington ourshelves.

Does Celebrity provide Shuttle from Port to Downtown?

We would like to cover following places:

Botanic gardens

Te Papa Museum

Parliament Buildings

Old St Paul’s church

panoramic views then Mt Victoria

I have a feeling we might have to take Taxi to go Mt. Victoria.

Please give us some suggestions to make it easy for us to do.

Thank you very much in advance.

We are cruising with Celebrity Solstice in November. We would like to do Wellington ourshelves.

Does Celebrity provide Shuttle from Port to Downtown?

We would like to cover following places:

Botanic gardens

Te Papa Museum

Parliament Buildings

Old St Paul’s church

panoramic views then Mt Victoria

I have a feeling we might have to take Taxi to go Mt. Victoria.

Please give us some suggestions to make it easy for us to do.

Thank you very much in advance.

Your headline/subject title was a little confusing, but then checked more to see that you were asking about Wellington. Below is some added information. Plus, you can check and look at my full live/blog for added background and visuals on Wellington and many other great port stops in New Zealand and Australia.

Wellington is the NZ national capital. It is the second largest urban area of New Zealand at the SW tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. The urban area has nearly 400,000 residents. The 2012 Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranked Wellington 13th in the world and in 2011, Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2011 named Wellington as fourth in its "Top 10 Cities to Visit" in the world. They call New Zealand's capital as the "coolest little capital in the world". Wellington takes its name the first Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), the famed victor of the Battle of Waterloo (1815).

European settlement began in 1839. Wellington became the capital city of New Zealand in 1865, replacing Auckland. That shift was driven by concerns that the more populated South Island (where the goldfields were located and creating huge wealth) would choose to form a separate colony in the British Empire. Wellington was picked because of its central location in New Zealand and good harbor. Wellington is the location of the highest court of New Zealand, the Supreme Court, plus the Parliament (with its beehive, round shape), the head offices of all Government Ministries and Departments and most foreign diplomatic missions. It is an important, growing center of New Zealand's film and theater industry, including with the technical operations for Peter Jackson and James Cameron.

Wellington displays a wide variety of architectural styles from the past 150 years. This includes 19th-century wooden cottages, Art Deco structures and curving/vibrant post-modern designs in the main business district. Old St Paul's (as shown in upcoming pictures) is an example of 19th-century Gothic Revival architecture adapted to colonial conditions and wooden materials.

Lots of shopping options in Wellington!! One area is focused around Cuba Street. It is named after an early (1840) settler ship to New Zealand. This street was closed to traffic in 1969 and is one of the busiest areas with many buildings of historic significance. This is one of the more "bohemian" areas of Wellington and home to an eclectic collection of cafes, boutique, fashion stores, art galleries and music shops.

The Museum of New Zealand or Te Papa is the NZ national museum and art gallery. The main Te Papa building is on the waterfront with six floors of exhibitions, cafés and gift shops. Yes, they have gift shops. So shocking!! The 387,000 square feet building cost NZ$300 million when opened in 1998. There has been controversy for having such a significant collections at the water's edge on reclaimed land next to one of the world's most active earthquake fault lines.

Added questions, info needs for this interesting town or other NZ stops? Happy to share more. Just go the live/blog and post any added interests/needs.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 70,353 views for this fun posting.

We started out our day in Wellington by hooking up with an excellent cab driver for a mini-tour and introduction to this city. This included first going up to Mount Victoria for a great overview of the city and seeing many sights around town. Here is an overview for this city from this great location on a wonderful weather day. We could also the residential structures that climb up the hills all around this great, scenic harbor. And, we had a view of the Wellington airport where the top movie/computer operations for Peter Jackson and James Cameron are working their magic for future film releases. Wellington is now the center for this type of film production in the world. There was also a closer view of the Te Papa museum shown below from this vantage point.:

This is the main government center for New Zealand, including on the left with its round, Beehive building. The Beehive was built in stages between 1969 and 1979. It is extensively decorated with New Zealand art. The top floor is occupied by the Cabinet room, with the Prime Minister's offices on the ninth floor. The Parliament is located next door in the middle building shown.:

This is the inside of Old St. Paul's church in Wellington. See, we did go to church on our trip! It is the former cathedral in the Diocese of Wellington for the Anglican Church. As an example of 19th-century Gothic Revival architecture, they adapted to colonial conditions and materials. It is at 34 Mulgrave Street, close to the New Zealand Parliament. Its construction was completed in June 1866. In 1964, the Diocese of Wellington moved to the new St Paul's Cathedral nearby. After a significant battle to prevent its demolition, Old St. Paul's was purchased by the New Zealand Government in 1967 and restored. Although not a parish church, it remains consecrated and is a popular for weddings, funerals and other services. It is constructed from native NZ timbers. The interior has been likened to the upturned hull of an Elizabethan galleon. As this picture shows, it has exposed curving trusses and roof sacking. The flags displayed in the nave include the Royal Navy, NZ Merchant Navy and US Marine Corps. Many of our Marines were stationed in Wellington during World War II. My wife is in yellow walking down the center aisle as she absorb the building details. This was a very important and "moving" site to experience.:

Starting with its contemporary design, this Te Papa Museum is not a boring and/or average facility. And, the admission is FREE!! Such a deal! Well worth it, too. The second picture below reflect some of its native Maori collection and emphasis.:

Below is a view for a small portion of the Wellington downtown reflecting the architecture and art variety, style, interest, beauty, etc. Nice mix and options here for shopping, dining, sampling. Their waterfront is nicely developed with many options there for things to do and see.:

Here are a few more visuals to spur added ideas on Wellington, plus a link below for added info on the Solstice. For the mini-tour by cab that we did, it runs about 65 NZD. One of the key points is to talk with the cab driver, IN ADVANCE! Make sure that the driver, in this town or any other city where you would do this, has good skills in English and can carry on a decent conversation. Our driver had both, plus good Irish charm/character to add to the experience. AND, wonderful background and knowledge on NZS and his town.

Don't be shy, let me know your added questions, interests, etc.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a “Solstice: Visuals, Highlights Shared!” summary with many pictures and other details on this ship and its many options. Check it out at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1803477

Now at 20,570 views for this posting.

Here is our cab driver explaining more details, insights and background to my wife on Wellington, its people, housing areas, culture, etc. He has lived here since 1972 and has family heritage going back to Ireland. Very charming and honest!! Worked well as a "plan". Better than being on a big bus with a guide just playing back a long script of boring facts. Lots of chances to ask questions, learn more. Great way to start sampling this charming city. Second is an example for the many housing styles and character that makes this hilly town so nice and enjoyable.:

Cuba Street was an interesting area of Wellington to see and enjoy. It's on the "funky" side, but that made it fun and different. Below is one of the sign to mark this pedestrian-focused shopping area with lots of older, more historic buildings. Second is one of the friendly staff members in a shop there. The third picture shows one of the historic, older building, the trees, etc.:

This visuals shows in the center the large bones from a whale that hangs in this portion of the Te Papa Museum collection. The next picture is a massive squid that has bee preserved at this museum. The third picture has a more contemporary examples connected with NZ history.:

Hello Terry,

Thank you very much for your quick respond. In past I have always enjoyed reading your whole blog. You have given me information in details.

I have few questions about your private cab tour.

How many places did it covered?

How long was your tour?

Did he charged you by time or fixed prices?

Could you please tell me more about your vist to Wellington?

We are group of 8 friends. Do you think we can get Van easily at the port or should we book it ahead?

I would like to know how did you go all these plases in Wellington. for example: walk or cable or Bus?

Hi Kharvavad

We are on Solstice departing Auk on 9th.Dec... lots of info on our roll call if you want to have a look.

There is a Hop on Hop off "bus" (12 seater van actually) that does all the sights that might suit you...also same mob does a cruise ship special, that goes to all the same places but does not have the hopon hopoff feature. Its in a 40 seater coach however.

Have a look here:

http://www.hoponhopoff.co.nz/book-now/

cheers

Nice pictures Terry!

My wife and I also did a taxi tour right from the pier and ours ended at the top of the cable car which we rode to the bottom and eventually caught the shuttle ( yes Celebrity does provide a shuttle).

Wellington is a beautiful city - very nice sail away also. It is very walker friendly and pretty compact.

Have a great trip!

Chris

Hi Kharvavad

 

We are on Solstice departing Auk on 9th.Dec... lots of info on our roll call if you want to have a look.

 

There is a Hop on Hop off "bus" (12 seater van actually) that does all the sights that might suit you...also same mob does a cruise ship special, that goes to all the same places but does not have the hopon hopoff feature. Its in a 40 seater coach however.

 

Have a look here:

 

http://www.hoponhopoff.co.nz/book-now/

 

cheers

Hello Flipper133,

Thank you very much. I will ckeckit out your blog on Dec 9th. plus Hoponhopoff website.

Nice pictures Terry!

My wife and I also did a taxi tour right from the pier and ours ended at the top of the cable car which we rode to the bottom and eventually caught the shuttle ( yes Celebrity does provide a shuttle).

Wellington is a beautiful city - very nice sail away also. It is very walker friendly and pretty compact.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Chris

Hello Cwtravel,

Thanks. Do the Celebrity charge for Shuttle?

Hema

You may already have this , but if you wish to visit Parliament Buildings in Wellington , here is the link to the tours that are available daily.

http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/about-parliament/visiting/tours/00VisitVisitingTours1/tours-and-educational-visits

They are free, leave on the hour , and last just under 1 hour. No need to book , unless your group is 10 or more .You simply assemble in the Lobby 15 minutes prior.

Nice pictures Terry! My wife and I also did a taxi tour right from the pier and ours ended at the top of the cable car which we rode to the bottom and eventually caught the shuttle ( yes Celebrity does provide a shuttle). Wellington is a beautiful city - very nice sail away also. It is very walker friendly and pretty compact. Have a great trip! Chris

Hello Terry,

Thank you very much for your quick respond. In past I have always enjoyed reading your whole blog. You have given me information in details.

I have few questions about your private cab tour.

How many places did it covered?

How long was your tour?

Did he charged you by time or fixed prices?

Could you please tell me more about your vist to Wellington?

We are group of 8 friends. Do you think we can get Van easily at the port or should we book it ahead? I would like to know how did you go all these plases in Wellington. for example: walk or cable or Bus?

Appreciate these added follow-ups from our original poster and Chris. With a group of eight, it is a little more "complicated/challenging" than exactly what my wife and I did on our glorious sunny morning in Wellington. BUT, our experience was that the cab driver was very flexible in making our tour very "custom" and fitting our needs/interests.

Clearly, going first up to the great Mt. Victoria vantage point will a winner for everyone. Then he drove us around to get a feel for the top attractions, including the main shopping areas, the Parliament Building, Old St Paul’s church, etc. It was an excellent "orientation" for what was there, our options for later in the day, etc.

I think our drive-around was about an hour-and-a-half, but could have been up to about two hours in length if we had desired or needed. The best part for us was our "conversation" with him, getting the overall introduction, asking lots of questions, learning many little items about "life" there in NZ and their capital city, etc.

It was a fixed price. With eight people, you might be able to do this option with two cabs. Like what Chris did on having the cab drop you at the top of the cable car ride. When we were there, the line was long, long waiting for those to go up on this cable car ride. We viewed it as not worth it to wait that long. Had lunch schedule with friends in our tour group at a top dining place in the Cuba shopping area.

We ended up walking back to the cruise ship. That worked well, too! Overall it was a wonderful day here. It was good break from all of the nature efforts and long bus rides that we had during our three previous days.

As I recall, Celebrity did charge for its shuttle bus. Maybe $20 as I remember.

Hop on Hop off "buses" are an option, but in some cities, they can get very crowded and congested. For us, our experience worked super well. No crowds, mobs and/or slowed to the pace of others. Just enjoying a great city with interesting architecture and very nice views.

Added questions and needs??

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 70,496 views for this fun posting.

Hello Terry,

Thank you for details of your car tour.

I think We are going to do same thing as you did. If I can arrange van ahead of then I will do that.

If I don't get van then we will have two taxis at the port and take a tour and ask them to drop off us on top off cable car museum.

After that we will walk down through Botanic Garden and walk around more in downtown or lunch there.

Thanks everyone for trying to help me to plan my vist at Wellington.

Hema

Hello Terry, Thank you for details of your car tour. I think We are going to do same thing as you did. If I can arrange van ahead of then I will do that. If I don't get van then we will have two taxis at the port and take a tour and ask them to drop off us on top off cable car museum.

After that we will walk down through Botanic Garden and walk around more in downtown or lunch there. Thanks everyone for trying to help me to plan my vist at Wellington. Hema

Good luck, Hema, with your NZ adventure and plans for Wellington. Below are a few more Wellington visuals that I have not previously posted. Hope this builds up the excitement for visiting here in their Capital City.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 179,689 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

This visual shows where the Solstice and another larger cruise ship were docked during our Wellington stop. The large round structure is their major outdoor stadium. This gives you a sampling for the wooden tree trunks and other "goods" in this area. Not a scenic neighborhood port location, but it worked for us and not too far from the main downtown/museum/shopping areas.:

As we headed to go up Mt. Victoria, here was a small sampling of a nearby Wellington residential area overlooking the waterfront beaches, etc.:

Here are a couple of downtown visuals. First, one of the older, historic building that has been converted into a shopping area. Second, a closer view of their beehive-shapped Parliament Building.:

From inside the Te Papa Museum, here is the view out towards some of the various and interesting options to see as you walk along this area in returning to ship docking location. Second is another example of the items on display in the Te Papa Museum. This is a long, long boat with lots of carvings, etc.:

Good luck, Hema, with your NZ adventure and plans for Wellington. Below are a few more Wellington visuals that I have not previously posted. Hope this builds up the excitement for visiting here in their Capital City.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 179,689 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

This visual shows where the Solstice and another larger cruise ship were docked during our Wellington stop. The large round structure is their major outdoor stadium. This gives you a sampling for the wooden tree trunks and other "goods" in this area. Not a scenic neighborhood port location, but it worked for us and not too far from the main downtown/museum/shopping areas.:

 

 

 

As we headed to go up Mt. Victoria, here was a small sampling of a nearby Wellington residential area overlooking the waterfront beaches, etc.:

 

 

 

Here are a couple of downtown visuals. First, one of the older, historic building that has been converted into a shopping area. Second, a closer view of their beehive-shapped Parliament Building.:

 

 

 

 

 

From inside the Te Papa Museum, here is the view out towards some of the various and interesting options to see as you walk along this area in returning to ship docking location. Second is another example of the items on display in the Te Papa Museum. This is a long, long boat with lots of carvings, etc.:

 

 

 

Hello Terry,

Thank you very much. Your pictures are very beautiful. I can't wait to go and see myshelf.

By the way I found one van company. I booked one van/shuttle for $75.00NZ per hour. So all of us will be together.

So first we will go to Mt. Victoria and zoom around in van downtown and then he will drop off us at cable museum. From there we will walk down through Botanic garden. Then we will vist some places in downtown. After that we go to Te Papa museum.

If you have some advice on Melbourne, AUS please let me know. We are going to do DIY. I am going to register with Free Tour in Downtown. I am still trying to find transportation to take us from port to downtown. Any Ideas?

Hema

Hello Terry, Thank you very much. Your pictures are very beautiful. I can't wait to go and see myself. By the way I found one van company. I booked one van/shuttle for $75.00NZ per hour. So all of us will be together. So first we will go to Mt. Victoria and zoom around in van downtown and then he will drop off us at cable museum. From there we will walk down through Botanic garden. Then we will vist some places in downtown. After that we go to Te Papa museum.

If you have some advice on Melbourne, AUS please let me know. We are going to do DIY. I am going to register with Free Tour in Downtown. I am still trying to find transportation to take us from port to downtown. Any Ideas?

Hema

Sounds like a great deal on that van for $75NZ a hour. Excellent work!! Appreciate your nice comments on the pictures. It's fun to do this sharing. Your plan for Wellington is shaping up very nicely.

Sorry that I cannot be much help on Melbourne. We only passed through their airport in flying from Cairns to Adelaide/Kangaroo Island before our cruise departed from Sydney. On purpose, we picked a cruise that did Tasmania and skipped Melbourne. Having done 22 different countries in Europe, "cities" were not our priority during this adventure-focused trip.

Any other questions or needs?

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, you might look at this earlier posting that I did on the Italy board that shows many options and visual potentials for this city that is so great for "walking around", personally sampling the great history and architecture. This posting is now at 40,598 views and I appreciate those who have dropped by and tuned in.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

If you have some advice on Melbourne, AUS please let me know. We are going to do DIY. I am going to register with Free Tour in Downtown. I am still trying to find transportation to take us from port to downtown. Any Ideas?

Hema

In Melbourne, you can walk off the dock and get a tram to Melbourne CBD. Note you will need a Miki (http://ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/myki/myki-visitor-value-pack/) to travel on Melbourne public transport. Alternatively, you can get a taxi.

In Melbourne, you can walk off the dock and get a tram to Melbourne CBD. Note you will need a Miki (http://ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/myki/myki-visitor-value-pack/) to travel on Melbourne public transport. Alternatively, you can get a taxi.

Thank you for your respond.

Myki card is going take long time get it and we have to put $10 per person init. Taxi from the port is good ideas.

I wanted to book the two taxi or one van for 8 friends ahead of it so we don't have look for the two taxis at the port.

I tried couple of website for van but they didn't repond back.

Any suggestions will help.

Hema

The Celebrity Solstice does operate a shuttle - last year it was NZ$10 cash (NZ, US or AUD) and you pay for it portside. The ticket can be used all day. However, if you do book a tour in advance, your provider should be able to pick you up and drop you back port-side. No tours are sold at port, however pick-ups for pre-booked excursions are allowed as long as the operator applies for security access a couple of days in advance. Most of the operators will be well aware of this system.

Re shuttles - Co-Op is the main provider in Wellington - http://www.co-opshuttles.co.nz and Super Shuttle is http://www.supershuttle.co.nz. South Coast Shuttles is another good small operator of both tours and shuttles - scshuttles@gmail.com. You might also find that Tranzit is able to accommodate your itinerary with a small coach - http://www.tranzit.co.nz

Have fun!