Shore Excursion: Wellington Highlights Small-Group Tour - Wellington, New Zealand

Make the most of your time on this 5.5-hour highlights small-group, guided tour. You will see and learn more about Wellington and be taken to places the coach tours cannot reach. Enjoy some free time in town and transfer back to the ship if you wish.

Having met your guide in the morning outside the cruise terminal, you will be part of a small and intimate tour through the capital city of New Zealand, affectionately known as the "Windy City" and you may just find out why. The tour heads directly to the iconic cable car in downtown Wellington, aiming to beat the queues that build up later in the day. The tour includes the ride up the steep cable railway to the top station. Here you will have a little time to look around the cable car museum and take photos from the viewpoints. Your driver will then arrive to collect you to continue on with your city tour.

The next stop being the top of Mount Victoria, another great location for photos and where your guide will point out all the landmarks visible from here. 

The smaller vehicle allows you to cut through the steep and winding streets of the city and back down to the harbor-side drive. You will head out to the Port Lighthouse and around the coast, passing the many rocky bays and interesting waterfront properties along the way. Watch out for the seals who sometimes play on the rocks. 

Wellington is famous for its film industry, notably the Lord of The Rings and Hobbit movies. The usual lunch venue, the Art Deco Roxy Cinema at Miramar owes its recent restoration and rejuvenation to the support of many of the leading film industry stars, such as Weta Workshop founders Tania Rodger and Sir Richard Taylor. 

Following lunch (at your own cost) take a short drive to Weta Workshop. Here you will be able to see some of the props used in the movies and have a look around the retail shop for some souvenirs if you're a fan (Weta tour not included).

Departing the workshop, head back into the city to see many other landmarks before returning to the cruise terminal. If you wish, you can be left at the Te Papa National Museum where you can look around for 90-minutes or so before the vehicle returns to collect you for the transfer back to the ship in good time for its departure.