Without a doubt, Te Papa Museum, one of the finest museums in the world, is among the premier Wellington attractions.
Housed in a strikingly modern building on the Wellington waterfront, Te Papa Museum portrays the many facets of New Zealand's past, present and envisioned future.
WAKA
At the Te Papa Museum, interactive technology allows you to take a virtual ride in a waka, or Maori canoe, make a bungy jump, feel a simulated earthquake or experience the eruption of Mount Ruapehu. These are Wellington attractions appealing to young and old alike.
Te Papa means Our Place and a fully functioning marae (Maori meeting house) involves you in Maori ceremonies.
In its more traditional role, the Te Papa Museum houses invaluable collections of the arts and artefacts of the country and its history.
WETA
If you were more interested in New Zealand fauna, you would find giant wetas and tuataras at the Wellington Zoo. One of the major Wellington attractions, the zoo is four kilometres from the Wellington city centre on a convenient bus route.
And, yes, the weta is a large invertebrate with a large head and snapping mandibles. The tuatara is a lizard-like reptile dating back to the time of the dinosaurs.
You'll also find the nocturnal and flightless kiwi in the zoo, along with numerous other interesting species of New Zealand fauna.
WALLIS
In 1858 carpenter William Wallis built a colonial cottage on Nairn St and his family and descendants lived there until 1977.
This is now the Colonial Cottage Museum, which gives you an experience of how life was lived in New Zealand's colonial past.
WRITER
Those who know of the works of Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923), particularly her celebrated short stories, will find the place of her Wellington childhood at 25 Tinakori Rd.
Mansfield spent five years of her childhood here and the Mansfield house is mentioned in her stories The Aloe and A Birthday.
The writer left Wellington at the age of 19, dying in France at the age of 34.
The house, a shrine to her life and work, is open to the public every day except Monday.
WANDER
Wander down Wellington streets and there will always be interesting Wellington attractions to notice on a sightseeing walk.
At the parliamentary complex, for instance, you'll find the building known as the Beehive because that's how it looks. This houses the country's executive offices.
Then there's the 1922 Parliamentary Building which has been renovated due to earthquake damage. The neo-Gothic Parliament Library is the oldest building in the complex.
You will find the parliamentary complex along Bowen St north of the city centre.
WOOD
Opposite the Beehive is the Old Government Building, one of the largest wooden buildings in the world.
In fact, wood was used widely in Wellington buildings, particularly those built in earlier times. You will find some fine wooden buildings on your Wellington sightseeing tour along Tinakori Rd in the northwestern section of the city.
WALKS
You can plan more organised city walks by visiting the visitor centre and getting information on the many Wellington walks available.
There should be more than 50 mapped walks in the Wellington area with descriptions of many Wellington attractions.
WILLIS
On your own, if you wanted to, you could walk northeast along Willis St, and feel the throb of metropolitan Wellington life.
You will find many restaurants here, offering various types of fare, and this is as good a spot as any for a spot of lunch while taking in the Wellington attractions.
WHARF
Turning east at the northeastern end of Willis St, you'll find yourself at the waterfront. There are cruise ships at the wharf which you can take for a tour of the harbour. Or you can cross the harbour to Days Bay, or take a fishing trip.
There are a couple of houses at Days Bay which Katherine Mansfield's family used as summer homes. One of these is described in the Mansfield story At the Bay.
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