Natural Beauty in Wellington Area

[A.C. Slater]

So there seems to be a pretty strong consensus that New Zealand is a beautiful place, full of amazing things to see and experience outdoors. While Auckland seems to be full of them, I'm having a hard time finding these things in the Wellington area. What are some things we can do that are nearby ( < 1 hour by car/train/bus ) that will make us say, "OMG WE'RE IN NEW ZEALAND!!!!!"

There's Oriental Bay, but judging by the photos and the reviews, I'm not sure it's going to evoke that kind of emotion.

[Georgebulldog]

You say Auckland seems to be full of them, can you elaborate on that, having never been to Auckland (apart from the airport & Henderson) I would like to know what sort of things you are after. For me Wellington has everything & is beautiful with it, having been to a lot of places in NZ I haven't found anywhere quite like it but that' just me :-) What sort of things are you looking for?

[A.C. Slater]

Well, it was pretty much the beaches that really sold us on Auckland. Hard to beat that. But we're pretty much open to anything that will inspire us. Where can we go with our son on a day off to see some really amazing nature?

[dharder]

You say Auckland seems to be full of them, can you elaborate on that, having never been to Auckland (apart from the airport & Henderson) I would like to know what sort of things you are after.

Bush, beaches (East coast, West coast), forest? Other than skiing mountains, I'm not sure there's much that can't be found around here, in the way of nature.

Daniela

[A.C. Slater]

Can you give me some specific places you like to go, so I can look them up and get excited?

[kiwi.]

Beaches - Oriental Bay, Scorching Bay, surfing at Lyall Bay, rock pools at Island Bay, a drive from town to Day's Bay, or up the Kapiti coast.
Views from Mt Victoria or the Brooklyn Wind Turbine, or further up the coast to the top of teh Paekakariki Hill Road.
Nature - What ever the Karori Wildlife park is called now, botanical gardens, explore the Belmont Regional Park from one of its many entrances.
Exercise - Run around Oriental Bay to Baleana Bay and up over Roseneath/Mt Vic. Mountain bike at the Makara mountain bike park or a gentle ride over the Rimutaka Incline over to the Wairarapa. Hike/run up the Belmont Trig.

Google image any of the names above and you should get an idea, and maybe excited.

[tigerlily]

Oh, you want to get excited. Ok. Within 1 hour of Wellington (actually several are within the city of Wellington):

Otari-Wilton Bush
http://wellington.govt.nz/recreation...or-information

Makara Beach (and bike trail up mountain if you are keen). We always stop for fish and chips at the little cafe there too.
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...akara-walkway/

Matiu/Somes Island (we once saw a Southern Right Whale from the ferry heading out there)
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...-somes-island/

Island Bay, Houghton Bay and the South Coast
http://www.newzealand.com/int/featur...rocks-reserve/
http://wellington.govt.nz/recreation...s/princess-bay

Scorching Bay
Just look it up and be dazzled
Also neat is Breaker Bay since there is an arch you can walk under
http://wellington.govt.nz/recreation...bs/breaker-bay

Eastbourne is one of my favorite spots in Wellington Harbour- little cafes, beach, etc.
Nice walk up the hill to Butterfly Creek
http://www.gw.govt.nz/Eastbourne-tracks/

The Wairarapa
http://www.newzealand.com/int/wairarapa/
Do not miss the wineries around Martinborough and the olive groves
Greytown for cute little shops
Masterton for a taste of real rural new zealand. Men in short shorts and gum boots at the supermarket.

Windsurfing in at Plimmerton
http://www.wwa.org.nz/plimmerton

Walking at Queen Elizabeth Park in Paekakariki
http://www.gw.govt.nz/QEP/

Head to Waikanae Beach to swim in the warm waters and gaze out to Kapiti Island
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photogra...waikanae-beach
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-rec...ature-reserve/

All of these are within an hour by car/ferry/ train from Wellington downtown (they call it the CBD here).

When you run out of Wellington excitement, look at what you get by crossing over the top of South Island!
http://lovemarlborough.co.nz/water/

[kiwieagle]

Just to add to the fabulous lists above: Kaitoke Regional Park http://www.gw.govt.nz/Kaitoke/

And if you cross to the South and venture outside of Marlborough, Tasman has a lot of great natural bush parks including Abel Tasman National Park, Kahurangi National Park and Nelson Lakes.

[girlwithanewf]

The Miramar peninsula is pretty nice for somewhere so close to a capital city. Lovely drive/walk/cycle around the bays - penguins at night there at certain times of the year, seals and if you are very very very lucky orcas and we even saw a whale there.
If you drive out of Wellington, and through Wainuiomata on the other side, down the coast road, the scenery gets quite wild. There are good walks round there at Catchpool valley, or up to Baring Head lighthouse (great view of the south island, but you can see the south island mountains from many places in Wellington) which is one of the windiest places in New Zealand (and therefore the world). There are walks along the ocean there too, very wind-swept and rugged scenery.
Matiu/Somes island with the ferry from the CBD - great for bird-spotting and looking for tuataras.
And all the places above.
You can google and street view most of New Zealand.

[Ana&Steve]

Some of my favorite things in Wellington (some may be repeats from above) include the Botanic Gardens (you can take the trolley there from Lambton Quay), Zealandia, TePapa, and driving around the bays. I also find the city itself pretty, and I love how there are parks and playgrounds everywhere. Closer to where I live in Tawa there's Titahi Bay (swimming and tidepools on the beach plus gorgeous views from the heights), Colonial Knob, and Spicers Botanical Park. In my eyes, there is breathtaking beauty everywhere around Wellington. I hope you also find this to be true.