Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
www.wellingtoncablecar.co.nz
;
adult/child 1 way $4/1.50, return $7/2.50; departs every 10min, 7am-10pm Mon-
Fri, 8.30am-10pm Sat, 9am-9pm Sun)
One of Wellington's most famous attractions is the little red
cable car that clanks up the steep slope from Lambton Quay to Kelburn. At the top is the
Wellington Botanic Gardens, the Carter Observatory (
Click here
)
and the small-but-nifty
which evocatively depicts the cable car's story since it was built in 1902 to open up hilly
Kelburn for settlement. Take the cable car back down the hill, or ramble down through the
gardens (a 20- to 60-minute walk, depending on your wend).
ASTRONOMY
Carter Observatory
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
( 04-910 3140;
www.carterobservatory.org
;
40 Salamanca Rd; adult/child $18.50/8; 10am-5pm, to 9.30pm Tue
& Sat)
At the top of the Botanic Gardens (
Click here
), the Carter Observatory features a
full-dome planetarium offering regular shows with virtual tours of the local skies; a multi-
media display of Polynesian navigation, Maori cosmology and European explorers; and
some of NZ's finest telescopes and astronomical artefacts. Check the website for evening
stargazing times.
Zealandia
(
WILDLIFE RESERVE
04-920 9200;
www.visitzealandia.com
; Waiapu Rd; adult/child/family exhibition only $7.50/5/20, exhibition &
valley $17.50/9/44; 10am-5pm, last entry 4pm)
This groundbreaking ecosanctuary is tucked
in the hills about 2km west of town (the Karori bus passes nearby, or see the Zealandia
website for the free shuttle). Living wild within the fenced valley are more than 30 native
bird species, including rare takahe, saddleback, hihi and kaka, as well as tuatara and little
spotted kiwi. An excellent exhibition relays NZ's natural history and world-renowned
conservation story. More than 30km of tracks can be explored independently, or on regu-
lar guided tours. The night tour provides an opportunity to spot nocturnal creatures includ-
ing kiwi, frogs and glowworms (adult/child $75/36). Cafe and shop on site.
Katherine Mansfield Birthplace
(
www.katherinemansfield.com
;
25 Tinakori Rd, Thorndon; adult/child $8/2; 10am-4pm Tue-Sun)
Often com-
pared to Chekhov and Maupassant, Katherine Mansfield is one of NZ's most distin-
guished authors, born in 1888, and dying of tuberculosis in 1923 aged 34. This Tinakori
Rd house is where she spent five years of her childhood; it's a lovely heritage home with
HISTORIC BUILDING
