View of Wellington harbor from Mount Victoria lookout in Wellington, New Zealand.

© ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock

Mt Victoria Lookout

Top choice in Wellington


The city's most impressive viewpoint is atop 196m-high Mt Victoria (Matairangi), east of the city centre. You can take bus 20 most of the way up, but the rite of passage is to sweat it out on the walk (ask a local for directions or just follow your nose). If you’ve got wheels, take Oriental Pde along the waterfront and then scoot up Carlton Gore Rd. Aside from the views there are some interesting info panels to ogle.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Wellington attractions

1. Te Papa

0.76 MILES

New Zealand's national museum is hard to miss, taking up a sizeable chunk of the Wellington waterfront. ‘Te Papa Tongarewa’ loosely translates as …

2. New Zealand Cricket Museum

0.79 MILES

Tucked under a stand at the Basin Reserve, the NZ Cricket Museum is a must-see for fans of the old game. It's only open during cricket matches or by…

3. Pukeahu National War Memorial Park

0.87 MILES

It seems strangely fitting that NZ's National War Memorial should be a musical instrument and contain as its centrepiece not a statue of a soldier, but of…

4. Bucket Fountain

0.96 MILES

Cuba Mall's landmark (and sneakily splashy) fountain mocks the surrounding commerce with its Zen-like tilt-and-pour processes. The kids (and the wandering…

5. City Gallery Wellington

1.03 MILES

Housed in the monumental old library in Civic Sq (the new library is next door), Wellington’s much-loved City Gallery does a cracking job of securing…

6. Wellington Museum

1.15 MILES

For an imaginative, interactive experience of Wellington’s social and maritime history, head to this bewitching little museum, inside an 1892 bond store…

7. St Mary of the Angels

1.16 MILES

Closed for seismic strengthening and restoration from 2013 to 2017, this pretty Catholic parish church is looking downright heavenly. Built in 1922, it…

8. Academy Galleries

1.17 MILES

The showcase of the esteemed New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts (founded 1882), the Academy Galleries presents frequently changing exhibitions by NZ artists…