Wellington Excursion

[Jeaannie55]

We are docking in Wellington in Jan ‘23 and would really like to ride on the cable car, see the Botanical Gardens and Zealandia.  We are in port from 8.00-18.00. Most excursions that I have seen, do one or two of these, but not all.  Do any of you lovely people think this is doable on our own? 

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, Jeaannie55 said:

We are docking in Wellington in Jan ‘23 and would really like to ride on the cable car, see the Botanical Gardens and Zealandia.  We are in port from 8.00-18.00. Most excursions that I have seen, do one or two of these, but not all.  Do any of you lovely people think this is doable on our own? 

 

I am not familiar with Zealandia and had to google it.  The cable car and the botanical gardens on your own:  yes.  You ought to be able to do those.  Zealandia?  Based on what I read, I doubt that you could include it in your day.  You want to have plenty of time to enjoy the Gardens.  A tour that combines both the Gardens and the cable car might allow you enough time to visit other attractions in the CBD and along the waterfront.  The Wellington Museum and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa are easy to do on one's own after a tour to the Gardens and the cable car.  

 

My ship provided a shuttle (I think it was free) between the pier and the CBD.  

[possum52]

I think you could do all three comfortably. There is a shuttle from the top of the cable car to Zealandia or from the i-Site in Wakefield Street -  Zealandia Shuttle

 

Perhaps do the cable car to the top, take the shuttle to Zealandia, do a tour (suggest pre-purchase tickets to guarantee a seat on the shuttle) and then get dropped off back at the top of the cable car and then explore the gardens, making your way back down to the city. There is a cafe in the Lady Norwood Rose Garden, Picnic Cafe, where you could stop for lunch.

Edited October 15, 2022 by possum52

[WESTEAST]

We visited in February 2020 and found the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa great and especially the exhibit - Gallipoli: The Scale of our War was fascinating and very well done.  Believe it is still an exhibit at the museum.

[Over from NZ]

Easily doable. As possum52 has described would be an easy way of doing it. Then walk back to the ship.. or take a short taxi if you're tired by then lol. 

[Jeaannie55]

Thank you all very much for your helpful replies, much appreciated.

[rkacruiser]

21 hours ago, possum52 said:

There is a cafe in the Lady Norwood Rose Garden, Picnic Cafe, where you could stop for lunch.

'

I thought there was a cafe in the Gardens, but, I decided not to mention it because I really wasn't certain.  I didn't patronize it during my visit.

 

18 hours ago, WESTEAST said:

the exhibit - Gallipoli: The Scale of our War was fascinating and very well done

 

If there is one memorable and historic thing that stood out for me during my visits to Australia and New Zealand is the deep impact WW I and the battle of Gallipoli had on the two countries citizens.  A visitor, visiting the Memorials and exhibits, can sense the reverence that the two countries citizens have for the sacrifices that their soldiers made for them.  

[WESTEAST]

5 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

'

I thought there was a cafe in the Gardens, but, I decided not to mention it because I really wasn't certain.  I didn't patronize it during my visit.

 

 

If there is one memorable and historic thing that stood out for me during my visits to Australia and New Zealand is the deep impact WW I and the battle of Gallipoli had on the two countries citizens.  A visitor, visiting the Memorials and exhibits, can sense the reverence that the two countries citizens have for the sacrifices that their soldiers made for them.  

Agree with your comment and the war history of countries are always our focus and our way of showing our respect and gratitude. We hope that current and future generations pause to view, be educated and reflect. From the Shoes on the Danube to the beaches of Normandy to NZ's Gallipoli exhibit and many in between and afar, too many lives have been lost and sadly, continue to be lost in current battles.

[Relaxing Robbies]

We are cruising to NZ in early November and have already made a booking for a tour at Zealandia. We will decide on the day whether to get the shuttle from the i-site or do the cable car first and shuttle from the top. The walk down through the botanic gardens is lovely if the weather is ok. 

[clubby]

Zealandia has a. cafe, delicious food. We have just visited there. I agree the 3 things are very doable in the time frame you have,

[Peteymil]

On 10/15/2022 at 6:47 PM, possum52 said:

I think you could do all three comfortably. There is a shuttle from the top of the cable car to Zealandia or from the i-Site in Wakefield Street -  Zealandia Shuttle

 

Perhaps do the cable car to the top, take the shuttle to Zealandia, do a tour (suggest pre-purchase tickets to guarantee a seat on the shuttle) and then get dropped off back at the top of the cable car and then explore the gardens, making your way back down to the city. There is a cafe in the Lady Norwood Rose Garden, Picnic Cafe, where you could stop for lunch.

I plan to do this as you have laid out, would I be pressing my luck if I tried to do a visit to Te papa too?

[possum52]

3 hours ago, Peteymil said:

I plan to do this as you have laid out, would I be pressing my luck if I tried to do a visit to Te papa too?

It will depend on how long you spend at Zealandia and walking back through the gardens. Also the time you arrive in and depart Wellington. But I would think you should have time to visit Te Papa as well. Just make sure you have plenty of time to catch the shuttle back to the port.

[rkacruiser]

23 hours ago, Peteymil said:

I plan to do this as you have laid out, would I be pressing my luck if I tried to do a visit to Te papa too?

 

My opinion:  the time available for you to visit Te papa would be an injustice to the Museum.  It would be a "once over, very lightly and very quickly", I think.  Personally, I think some tourists try to cram too much into a visit.  

[chezzyr]

Thanks to this thread I have been able to make a rough plan for my own cruise visit to Wellington at the end of Nov. Cable car > Zealandia > Botanic gardens walk back to city > Museum to see the skeleton of Phar Lap if it is there (his hide is in my hometown Melbourne and I have seen his heart in Canberra)

[Peteymil]

12 hours ago, chezzyr said:

Thanks to this thread I have been able to make a rough plan for my own cruise visit to Wellington at the end of Nov. Cable car > Zealandia > Botanic gardens walk back to city > Museum to see the skeleton of Phar Lap if it is there (his hide is in my hometown Melbourne and I have seen his heart in Canberra)

I agree with you, planning pretty much the same DIY and really appreciate the help that people offer.

[MMDown Under]

On 10/26/2022 at 6:08 AM, Peteymil said:

I plan to do this as you have laid out, would I be pressing my luck if I tried to do a visit to Te papa too?

If you do your research and have a particular area of interest at Te Papa, it would be achievable.  However, I agree there is too much to see at Te Papa to do a "see it all" visit.  

[DesertGirl28]

On 10/20/2022 at 7:19 AM, Relaxing Robbies said:

We are cruising to NZ in early November and have already made a booking for a tour at Zealandia. We will decide on the day whether to get the shuttle from the i-site or do the cable car first and shuttle from the top. The walk down through the botanic gardens is lovely if the weather is ok. 

We did a NZ cruise in 2020, just before COVID hit. We took the shuttle to Zealandia and went on a tour. I use a walker so they provided a scooter. We wanted to take the cable car back down but there was a sign on the cable car - cash only, local currency. We had only credit cards. We had to walk back down thru the gardens. Husband said it was nice, I was too busy working the walker's brakes so I didn't go over it. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

[Over from NZ]

9 hours ago, DesertGirl28 said:

We did a NZ cruise in 2020, just before COVID hit. We took the shuttle to Zealandia and went on a tour. I use a walker so they provided a scooter. We wanted to take the cable car back down but there was a sign on the cable car - cash only, local currency. We had only credit cards. We had to walk back down thru the gardens. Husband said it was nice, I was too busy working the walker's brakes so I didn't go over it. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

It's only cash if you buy your tickets at the top (there-s no kiosk - so you pay the driver). The kiosk at the bottom sells tickets for cash, eftpost, credit-cards etc.