Getting There

By Plane -- Wellington International Airport is 8km (5 miles) southeast of the city. The quickest route passes through Mount Victoria via a two-lane tunnel. A more circuitous, but more scenic, route travels via Oriental Parade. The trip usually takes 15 to 20 minutes, although it can exceed 30 minutes at peak traffic times.

Wellington Airport operates both international and domestic business from the same building. It is served by the following international airlines: Air New Zealand (tel. 0800/737-000 in NZ, or 04/388-9737; www.airnewzealand.com), British Airways (tel. 09/966-977; www.britishairways.com), Lufthansa (tel. 0800/945-220 in NZ; www.lufthansa.com), Qantas Airways (tel. 0800/767-400; www.qantas.com), Singapore Airlines (tel. 04/499-0271; www.singaporeair.com), and Polynesian Airlines (tel. 0800/800-993; www.polynesianairlines.com).

Leading domestic airlines that fly into Wellington are Air New Zealand, Air New Zealand Link (tel. 04/388-0695; www.airnz.com), and Soundsair Ltd. (tel. 0800/505-505; www.soundsair.com). For arrival and departure information, call tel. 04/388-9900.

The Wellington Airport Visitor Information Centre (tel. 04/385-5123; fax 04/385-5137; www.wellingtonairport.co.nz) is on level one of the main terminal building. Staff members can assist with booking accommodations, TranzRail, Interislander ferries, and long-distance coaches. It's open daily from 7am to 8pm.

The terminal has three restaurants: Red Rocks, for pizza and pasta; The Bays, for bakery, grill, and ice-cream items; and Cooked Strait, for wine and tapas or full meals. There are also car-rental desks, duty-free stores, gift shops, a Travelex Foreign Exchange service open during all international flight times, and ATMs. Coin-operated lockers can be found on the ground floor. Most retail outlets are open 6:30am to 7pm, some later. Duty free stores are open for every international flight.

Super Shuttle (tel. 04/387-8787) operates between the airport, the city, and the railway station Monday through Friday. It costs NZ$15 (US$11/£6) per person. Several shuttle operators provide door-to-door service at higher fares.

The Flyer, the GO Wellington airport express bus Metlink (tel. 0800/801-700 in NZ; www.metlink.org.nz), goes right into Inner City and then on to Waterloo Interchange in Lower Hutt. It operates every 30 minutes, 365 days a year from 5:30am to 8:20pm. An All Day Star Pass costs NZ$10 (US$7.10/£3.60 per person and gives unlimited all-day travel on all Flyer, GO Wellington, Cityline Hutt Valley, and City Circular services. It's available from bus drivers. Single-ride tickets are also available. The trip from the airport to central-city stops takes about 45 minutes.

A taxi between the city center and the airport costs NZ$25 to NZ$40 (US$18-US$28/£9-£14), depending on the destination. The fare to Lower Hutt is approximately NZ$55 to NZ$65 (US$39-US$46/£20-£23). Taxi stands are directly outside the main terminal. If you have any problems with your taxi driver, call Wellington Airport Operation (tel. 04/385-5124).

By Train & Coach (Bus) -- Most long-distance trains depart from the Wellington Railway Station, on Waterloo Quay. For long-distance rail information, call tel. 0800/802-802 in New Zealand or 04/495-0775, or visit www.tranzscenic.co.nz. Most major hostels and hotels are within a short taxi ride of the station.

For coach information, call InterCity (tel. 09/913-6100; www.intercitycoach.co.nz) or Newmans (tel. 09/913-6200; www.newmanscoach.co.nz). Both of these coach lines operate out of the railway station. Kiwi Experience (tel. 09/366-1665) and the Magic Travellers Network (tel. 09/358-5600) also stop in Wellington.

By Car -- Wellington is reached via highways 1 and 2. It's 195km (121 miles) from Wanganui (approximately 2 hr.); 460km (285 miles) from Rotorua (approximately 5 hr.); and 655km (406 miles) from Auckland (approximately 8 hr.). The motorway terminates right in the city.

By Ferry -- For information on the Interislander Wellington-Picton ferry, call tel. 0800/802-802 or check www.interislander.co.nz. Be aware that there are two ferry operators working between Wellington and Picton. The three Interislander ferries operate all year and take three hours to cross the strait. Strait Shipping Ltd., Waterloo Quay (tel. 0800/844-844 in NZ; www.bluebridge.co.nz), operates Bluebridge Cook Strait Ferry, traveling to Picton daily at 3am and 1pm, and Picton to Wellington daily at 8am and 7pm. There are no 3am or 8am sailings on Mondays. The Bluebridge trip is cheapest but it takes 3 hours 20 minutes. If you book either online you get the best fares -- especially if you book well ahead. Cook Strait can be notoriously rough in bad weather so if you get seasick, take your medication.