Historic places in Wellington

161 historic buildings, sites and memorials in Wellington.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first. Showing the top 40 of 161.

Photo: Phillip Capper, CC BY 2.0 (licence)

SeeMuseumCity
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Te Papa
New Zealand's national museum contains interesting exhibitions on the country's history and culture and includes several shops. It has the only complete colossal squid on display.
Daily 10AM-6PM, closed 25 Dec · Free for NZ citizens (except for the occasional special presentation), $35 for 48hr international visitor ticket · Free entry · Wheelchair accessible
SeeArt galleryCity
City Gallery
Runs a consistently avant-garde set of exhibits, with no permanent collection. In it's usual location has an excellent café, Nikau, attached to it.
Tue-Fri 10AM-5PM, Sat 9AM-1PM · Wheelchair accessible
SeeMuseumCity
Wellington Museum
formerly Museum of Wellington City & Sea
A well-presented museum of the history of Wellington, including its maritime history.
Daily 10AM-5PM, closed 25 Dec · Free for NZ residents, $16 for international visitors · Free entry · Wheelchair accessible
SeeAttractionCity
Bucket Fountain
a real splash, for many years. The Bucket Fountain is an iconic kinetic sculpturet. It consists of a series of "buckets" that fill with water until they tip, spilling their load into the buckets and pool below. The fountain was designed by Burren and Keen and erected in 1969.
Wheelchair accessible
SeeCastleCity
Wrights Hill
More views, and World War II underground tunnels which are open to the public on public holidays for a small fee.
Open 4 days per year · $10
SeeHistoric buildingCity
Turnbull House
This imposing brick mansion now seems small and out of place amongst the surrounding high-rises. It is closed for renovation.
SeeMemorialCity
Massey Memorial
An interesting place to go if you want to see a large memorial in the middle of nowhere, with a good view of the surrounding harbour. The memorial's namesake is William Massey, Prime Minister of New Zealand between 1912 and 1925.
SeeMemorialCity
Pukeahu National War Memorial Park
A tall Art Deco carillon was dedicated in 1932, the Hall of Memories opened in 1964, and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior was built in 2004. There are Australian, Belgian, French, Turkish, UK and US memorials and some sculptures in the wider park, which was opened in 2015.
Park always open; National War Memorial interior daily 10AM-5PM · Free
SeeMuseumCity
Nairn Street Cottage
Preserved cottage built in 1858 and kept in the same family until it became a museum, with an exhibition on its history. The small garden is open every day..
daily tours at noon, 2PM, and 3PM · $8
EatRestaurantCity
Logan Brown
In the former banking chamber of an historic banking building.
Mains around $40, early bird dinner special $45 per person
SeeAttractionCity
Brooklyn Wind Turbine
Another great place to go to get an excellent view of the city, the harbour, and Cook Strait, plus experience the wind! The current turbine was installed in 2016 and is the second on the site; the first was erected in 1993 to test the potential of turning Wellington's infamous wind into electricity.
SeeHistoric siteCity
Parliament Buildings
Home of New Zealand's lawmakers and leaders, the complex consists of four building: the Beehive (or Executive Wing), Parliament House, the Parliamentary Library and Bowen House. The grounds of Parliament are open to the public, and free tours of the buildings are available from the visitor centre located between the Beehive and Parliament House. Depending on parliamentary business, tours may include a visit to the House of Representatives debating chamber and the Select Committee rooms. For security reasons, you need to leave all your belongings at the visitor centre and clear a checkpoint.
SeeHistoric siteCity
Old Government Buildings
This is the largest wooden building in the southern hemisphere and the second-largest in the world. It is now the home of Victoria University Law School.
SeeArchaeological siteCity
Plimmer's Ark
In 1883, a bank was built on top of a wrecked ship that had been built in Nova Scotia in 1848, and had been used as a market. When they renovated the building, they discovered the ship's timbers and preserved the remains in the building. Take the escalator down through the bank vault doors.
Mon-Fri 9:30AM-5PM, Sat 10AM-4PM, Sun 11AM-3PM
DoParkCity
Bolton Street Memorial Park
Watch out for the friendly black cat who haunts this hillside cemetery. If you're returning from the Botanic Gardens by foot, this is a great place to meander through and check out the epitaphs of early pioneers and historical figures. Between 1968 and 1971, over 3700 bodies were controversially exhumed to make way for motorway construction; their remains are now in an underground vault below the Early Settlers Memorial Lawn. At the Bolton Street entrance, the former mortuary chapel, reconstructed after the motorway, has information on the cemetery history and guide leaflets if you want to explore further.
DoPorirua
Battle Hill Farm Forest Park
Historic battle site and regional park. See the farm animals and feed the eels. Yep, feed eels. You can view the site of one of the "Hutt Valley Campaign" battles of 1846. Picnicking, camping, and trails. No dogs, no cell coverage.
Apr-Sep 6AM-6PM; Oct-Mar 6AM-8PM
SeeCity
Cathedral of St Paul
Large Anglican church built between 1954 and 1998. The cathedral is a relatively plain design, made of reinforced concrete, and has some fine stained glass. A farmer's market is held in the car park on Saturday mornings.
Mon-Fri 10AM-5PM, Sat 10AM-4PM, Sun 8AM-4PM; services Sun 8AM, 10AM, 4PM
SeeCity
National Tattoo Museum of New Zealand
History of tattooing in New Zealand and the Pacific, especially traditional Maori tattooing. Shown in just two rooms attached to a tattoo studio. One of Wellington's least museums.
Fri Sat noon-8PM, Sun-Thu noon-5:30PM · Free (the sign at the entrance about payment relates to getting a tattoo)
SeeCity
Old St Paul's
This was the Anglican centre for decades. Superseded by the new cathedral north of Parliament, this one is popular for weddings and funerals.
Daily 9:30AM-5PM · Donation, tours $5
SeeHistory museumCity
Holocaust Centre of New Zealand
A small museum.
Sun-Fri 10AM-1PM · Free · Free entry
SeeCity
Matiu/Somes Island
Out in the middle of the harbour, this island has its share of history. It was once a quarantine station for immigrants, and later (and more extensively) for animals. It was also an internment camp for "dangerous" individuals during both world wars. The island is a nature reserve managed by the DOC, bio-security bag inspections on arrival and a small exhibition. The animal quarantine station and some wartime defences can be explored, there are good harbour views, but the wildlife is the main attraction. Bring food in sealed containers and something to drink as there are no shops. There is a campsite and two bachs which need to be booked in advance.
Ferry $25
SeeLower Hutt
Matiu/Somes Island
Out in the middle of the harbour, this island has its share of history. It was once a quarantine station for immigrants, and later (and more extensively) for animals. It was also an internment camp for "dangerous" individuals during both world wars. The ferry leaves from Day's Bay / Eastbourne and from Queen's Wharf in Wellington City. Only at certain times will the ferry stop at the island and only upon request.
$22
SeePorirua
Takapuwahia Marae
The headquarters of the Ngati Toa tribe, who immigrated from the Waikato in the 1820s under Te Rauparaha; across the harbour, see the small historic reserve in Plimmerton where the Government captured him in 1846, and which seems to be in better condition than the ruins of the stone fort that was built in the same year at "Parramatta" (now the Ngatitoa Domain) but dismembered by an earthquake very soon after.
EatCity Not mapped
Satay Palace
Don't let the run-down décor fool you, ultra-cheap, excellent food and service.
SeeCathedral
Metropolitan Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and of Saint Mary His Mother, better known as Sacred Heart Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral church on Hill Street, Wellington, New Zealand. It is the parish church of the Thorndon Catholic parish (founded 1850) and the seat of the Archbishop of Wellington. The New Zealand Parliament is a close neighbour of the cathedral.
Built 1851
SeePorirua
Gear Homestead
Gear Eatery and Bar
Historic home built for a meat magnate.
SeeHistoric site
SS Hikitia
Hikitia is a self-propelled floating steam crane in Wellington Harbour, New Zealand. She is thought to be the only working steam crane of her type in the world. She is also the sister ship to the Rapaki, formerly of the Port of Lyttelton, which was put on display at the New Zealand Maritime Museum after being taken out of service, and then scrapped in January 2019.
SeeCity
Elmscourt
An historic art deco apartment block.
SeeCastle
Fort Ballance
Fort Ballance is a former coastal artillery battery on Point Gordon on Wellington's Miramar Peninsula. Built in 1885 following fears of an impending war with Russia, Fort Ballance is one of the best preserved of a string of nineteenth century coastal fortifications constructed to protect New Zealand from naval attack. In 1885, the Government, reluctantly acknowledging that they could not rely solely on Britain for protection, commissioned engineer Major Henry Cautley to design a series of fortifications to protect the country's main ports.
SeeMemorial
Tomb of the Unknown Warrior
The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior (Māori: Te Toma o te Toa Matangaro) is part of the New Zealand National War Memorial on Buckle Street, Wellington. On 6 November 2004, the remains of an unknown New Zealand soldier were exhumed from the (CWGC) Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, and laid to rest in the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Wellington, New Zealand. He represents over 18,000 members of New Zealand forces who lost their lives during the First World War.
SeeManor house
Government House
Government House is the principal residence of the governor-general of New Zealand, the representative of the New Zealand head of state, King Charles III. Dame Cindy Kiro, who has been Governor-General since October 2021, currently resides there with her spouse, Richard Davies. The present building, the third Government House in Wellington, was completed in 1910, and is located in the suburb of Newtown. As well as being an official residence and workplace, Government House is also the main venue where the governor-general entertains members of the public, and receives visiting heads of state and other dignitaries and the credentials of ambassadors to New Zealand.
SeeManor house
Premier House
Official residence of the Prime Minister of New Zealand
SeeRuins
Kaiwharawhara
Kaiwharawhara railway station, a former railway station on the North Island Main Trunk and the Wairarapa Line in Wellington in New Zealand, closed in 2013. It was the first station north of Wellington, serving the early suburb of Kaiwharawhara. Prior to its closure it was served by trains operated by Tranz Metro as part of the Metlink network on the Melling Line, the Hutt Valley Line and the Kāpiti Line.
SeeHistoric site
Wellington
WRECK 'WELLINGTON' EXCLUSION ZONE. A 100 metre NO ANCHORING and NO FISHING exclusion zone has been established around the wreck. Four buoys mark the wreck.
SeeFort
Kau Point Battery
Kau Point Battery is a 19th-century coast defence battery constructed in Wellington, New Zealand in the 1890s. It is located on the east side of Point Halswell in Wellington, New Zealand, approximately midway between the Massey Memorial and Fort Ballance, close to the site of the ancient Māori settlement of Kau-whakaara-waru. Construction of the battery was completed in 1891, with the intention of commanding the inner harbour in conjunction with the Halswell Battery, Fort Kelburne and Fort Ballance.
Built 1891
SeeMonument
Evans Bay Patent Slip
The Evans Bay Patent Slip is a heritage site of the former patent slip located in Evans Bay, in Wellington Harbour in the North Island of New Zealand. The first slipway on the site was commissioned in May 1863 to enable maintenance of the hulls of small vessels. The Wellington Provincial Council was keen to encourage shipping trade by improving facilities in Wellington Harbour and began planning later in 1863 for the construction of a larger patent slip.
SeeHistoric building
Goldie's Brae
Goldie's Brae is a historic building in Wadestown, Wellington, New Zealand classified as a "Category I" historic place by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. It is considered remarkable for its relatively new construction material, concrete, and its eccentricity of design. It was designed by its original owner Dr Alexander Johnston, the Provincial Surgeon of Wellington.
SeeHistoric building
Public Trust Building
The Public Trust Office Building is an office building in central Wellington, New Zealand, completed in 1908. It is the only (surviving) building "made of a true New Zealand granite – from Tonga Bay in north-west Nelson." It is also believed to be New Zealand's first steel-framed office building.
SeeMemorial
William Wakefield Memorial
The William Wakefield Memorial is a rare New Zealand example of an early memorial commemorating one of the original European settlers. It was ordered in 1850, some time after the death of William Wakefield, an important but controversial agent for the New Zealand Company. It was not put up until 1882, but even after then, it was rare to commemorate settlers with a memorial.
SeeHistoric site
Kumutoto Stream
Historic Māori birthing stream and place of cultural significance (Wāhi Tūpuna).
24/7 · Heritage listed

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Wellington (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Place data from Overture Maps. Some descriptions from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).