11 Best Sights in Wellington and the Wairarapa, New Zealand

This sprawling tipple-town is an embodiment of a sunny summer's afternoon feeling. Brewtown is conveniently within walking distance from Upper Hutt train station. On site are five award-winning breweries and a whisky distillery, spread around a large green of picnic tables on which to enjoy the vast menus of elevated bar food. Guided tours are available and are a great way to get a behind-the-scenes look and taste of the best in town. All five senses, not just taste, are stimulated at Brewtown: also on-site is a raceway, an ice skating rink, a ten-pin bowling alley, a large trampoline park, an indoor paintball field, and a multiplayer VR gaming station! Essentially a massive playground, Brewtown is incredibly family-friendly, so everyone can join the fun.

Te Papa Tongarewa (the Māori translation is "container of treasures") provides an essential introduction to the country's people, cultures, landforms, flora, and fauna. Bringing together the latest technology, interactive exhibits, and storytelling, it shares New Zealand's past and present. Whether you want to enter a carved marae (Māori meetinghouse), walk through living native bush, be shaken in the Earthquake House, or see a colossal squid, there's inspiration for everyone. Don't miss the Toi Art gallery; spanning two floors, it features New Zealand, Pacific, and international works.

Opposite the Parliament Buildings is the country's national library. The Alexander Turnbull Library, a "library within a library," specializes in archival materials about New Zealand and the Pacific. Its books, manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, maps, and oral history tapes are available for research. One special highlight, He Tohu, is an exhibition housing Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Treaty of Waitangi. This controversial 1840 agreement between the British crown and more than 500 Māori chiefs is considered the founding document of modern New Zealand. The oldest document on display is the Declaration of Independence of the Northern Chiefs, signed by more than 30 northern Māori chiefs on October 28, 1835, a confederation agreement that led up to the Waitangi treaty. Also on view is the 1893 Women's Suffrage Petition, which led to New Zealand becoming the world's first nation to grant women the vote.

Explore true backcountry New Zealand on a half-day trek. This four-hour hike starts with a typical Kiwi trail through native forest, before descending to the river floor. Here you'll discover the chasm's cathedral-like limestone halls and waterfalls. Be advised that most of the walk is in a river and can be steep or slippery. Pack a change of clothes and shoes for after the walk. Bookings are essential.

Wine-lovers flock to Poppies for the stunning wines, picturesque views, and relaxed ambience. Their wines, crafted by old-world techniques, celebrate the beauty of simplicity and tradition. Visiting the tasting room, you can expect to sip on delectable wines paired with excellent platters, all while admiring the vineyard vista. Bookings are essential.

Head 30 km (19 miles) north of Masterton for a fine introduction to the country's wildlife. An easy trail through the bush (one hour, round-trip) takes you past aviaries containing rare, endangered, or vulnerable birds, including the takahē, a flightless species thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1948. The real highlight, though, is the nocturnal habitat containing foraging kiwis, endearing little bundles of energy that are the national symbol. Here you can also view the only white kiwi in captivity; she glows in the dark, so you won't have to wait for your eyes to adjust to the gloom to see her. In addition to animal feedings and talks, Pūkaha offers a variety of tours and workshops that can be booked online.

Housing the southern hemisphere's largest private car collection, this museum has more than 400 automobiles and 140 motorcycles, plus aircraft, vintage tools, and an old fire engine. Among the most popular are Marlene Dietrich's 1934 Cadillac Town Cabriolet, a 1915 Stutz Indianapolis race car, a gull-winged Mercedes-Benz, a 1950 Cadillac "Gangster Special" that had belonged to gangster Mickey Cohen, and an 1895 Benz Velo.

Staglands offers visitors the opportunity to feed and freely interact with animals in a beautiful natural environment. As you wander around its 25 peaceful acres, you'll follow its weaving trails around rivers, forests, and paddocks. Take a tip-toe through the aviaries, and you'll be rewarded with famously funny encounters with the native kea and kaka parrots. At the stables, you'll meet goats, highland cows, and native kunekune pigs, who are always happy to exchange more petting for feed. If you want the complete cozy homestead experience, you can take a tractor-trailer ride or roast marshmallows on the outdoor fire pit. Be sure to also explore the nooks of the re-created Old Bush Settlement. Here, you may just stumble upon the whimsical wonderland of the secret garden. Take a climb to the Deer Park lookout and finish your visit with stunning views.

For an all-weather, all-season exploration of Martinborough's vineyards, look no further than The Wine Bank. The Bank has an ATM-style automatic wine dispensary, a small kitchen, and a classy and comfortable lounge. The set-up makes for a relaxed experience, where you can select from over 60 local wines and try the ones you want, at your own pace.

The innovative designers and effects wizards at Weta have brought many high-profile movies to life. At Weta Cave, you get a fascinating "behind the scenes look" detailing the characters and equipment used in special effects for the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit series, Avatar, King Kong, and many other award-winning films. Memorabilia (think models, limited-edition sculptures, books, posters, and T-shirts) is sold at the on-site shop. Departing from the Cave are your choice of two popular tours guided by industry experts. The workshop tour showcases original props, costumes, and the artists at work. The miniature effects tour explores how miniatures, lighting, and clever camerawork make for some of the most iconic shots in cinema history. You can also pre-book special interactive workshops to try your hand at sculpting, special effects make-up, and even making chain mail.

Just minutes from downtown Wellington, more than 500 acres of forest have been transformed into a unique safe-haven for New Zealand's most endangered native species. A specially designed fence creates a cage-free eco-sanctuary for species that had disappeared from the mainland. Tuatara, New Zealand's unique "living fossil," are breeding, as are takahē and saddleback, which have both been brought back from the brink of extinction. Pick up a map and explore at your leisure, or join a 2-hour guided tour. The flashlight-led nighttime tour is very popular; departing about 30 minutes before sunset, it provides a glimpse into the nocturnal world—you might even spy a little spotted kiwi.