Let me take you on a stop-by-stop tour through the best of Wellington, using only the Number 2 bus\u2026<\/p>\n
Karori to Allington Road\u00a0
\nThe Route 2 bus at the first stop. Photo: Joel MacManus<\/p>\n
Starting at the eastern extremity of the route, this stop puts you right at the foot of the Makara Peak Mountainbike Park \u2013 and directly across from Mud Cycles, where you can hire mountain bikes and ebikes for a half day or more. For adventurous types, this is always a highlight \u2013 and there\u2019s a great photo spot by the iconic yellow road sign if you make it all the way to the top of the hill. The Koru\/Lazy Fern Loop is perfect for beginners, and for intermediate and above riders, Peak Flow is a legendary trail that lives up to its name.<\/p>\n
Karori Mall to Karori Road<\/p>\n
The Karori mall did not even qualify for The Spinoff\u2019s ranking of Wellington malls<\/a>. So I don\u2019t recommend stopping there. But that\u2019s not our focus here. If you have some time, Karori Village is a lovely spot to meander around. I recommend checking out Marsden Books, browsing Goblin Games and grabbing a bite from Shelly Bay Baker.\u00a0<\/p>\n Zealandia to Chaytor Street (at Tunnel)<\/p>\n You\u2019ll know this stop from the big sign that reads \u201cSee what everyone\u2019s chirping about\u201d. It\u2019s just a 500m walk down Waiapu Road to reach the Zealandia visitor centre. Zealandia Te M\u0101ra a T\u0101ne is the world\u2019s first fully-fenced urban ecosanctuary, covering 225 hectares of bush filled with thriving \u2013 and noisy \u2013 birdlife. Zealandia won the Air New Zealand Supreme Tourism Award in 2023, for New Zealand\u2019s best tourism operator, so you know it\u2019s worth a visit.\u00a0<\/p>\n You could spend a full day, maybe even several, at Zealandia. It offers many far-flung trails to explore, but for a quick visit, follow the concrete path around the lake, then head to the Upper Dam, and loop back to the start for a bite at the fantastic R\u0101t\u0101 cafe.\u00a0<\/p>\n Botanic Garden to Glenmore Street (opposite)\u00a0<\/p>\n After passing through heritage-listed Karori Tunnel and under the heritage-listed Kelburn Viaduct, the lush, vibrant greenery of the Botanic Gardens comes into view. This stop drops you right opposite the Founders Gate, which is a great spot from which to explore the gardens. Take a wander through the Lady Norwood Rose Garden and grab a coffee at Picnic Cafe. Feed the ducks. If you\u2019re lucky, you might catch a performance at the soundshell. For history nerds, check out the Bolton Street Cemetery, where some of New Zealand\u2019s most important early figures are buried. Trek uphill to explore Space Place and the Cable Car Museum, and catch some of the best views in the city. But honestly, my favourite thing to do is just to wander around, trying to get lost, following the beautiful tangled paths that continually reveal hidden beauty.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the very next stop, you\u2019ll find Tinakori Road Village, a quaint community with well-preserved colonial architecture and excellent spots for antiquing. Walk down to the end of Tinakori Road\u00a0 and you\u2019ll find the Katherine Mansfield House & Garden, surrounded by many of the buildings and landscape features she referenced in her writing.\u00a0<\/p>\n There\u2019s a huge array of stuff to do at this bus stop if you\u2019re interested in politics and history. Tour the Supreme Court. Head over to the Old Government Buildings to see the public displays and visit the old Cabinet Room where leaders of the past made the decisions to send New Zealand into WWI and WWII, passed universal suffrage, and established social security. <\/p>\n Visit parliament grounds (try to spot the trees with scorch marks from the 2022 parliament occupation), book yourself in on a free tour of the buildings, or, if it\u2019s a sitting week, go check out a bit of Question Time \u2013 you might see me in the gallery taking notes for Echo Chamber<\/a>. My top recommendation in the government quarter \u2013 and one that is often overlooked \u2013 is to visit the National Library to see the original copies of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, He Whakaputanga, and the Women\u2019s suffrage petition.\u00a0<\/p>\n This stop drops you off directly outside Unity Books, the best bookshop in Wellington (and probably New Zealand). If you\u2019re in the mood for a shopping spree, peruse the boutiques at Old Bank Arcade, or if you want some fun, head to Willis Lane for arcade games, bowling, mini golf and karaoke. If you\u2019re thirsty, pop into The Malthouse for the biggest range of craft beer in the city. Around the corner, down Mercer Street, you\u2019ll find Te Matapihi Central Library and Te Ng\u0101kau Civic Square<\/a>, which are currently under construction and due to open in March 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n Manners Street at Cuba Street<\/p>\n Cuba Street has it all: food, drink, music, vintage clothes, vibes. Doing justice to this stop would require its own guide \u2013 which, lucky for you, I\u2019ve already written<\/a>. Don\u2019t be afraid to veer off onto some of the side streets and laneways. Head down Eva Street to check out Wellington Chocolate Factory, the award-winning restaurant Supra<\/a>, or Goldings Free Dive, where Stephen Colbert hung out with Lucy Lawless and Bret McKenzie<\/a> on his visit to town. Have a beer on a beanbag in the sun outside Rogue and Vagabond or check out Bowen Galleries on Ghuznee Street.<\/p>\n This is the closest bus stop to Te Papa Tongarewa and the T\u0101kina Exhibition Centre. I\u2019m sure you don\u2019t need me to tell you, but Te Papa is amazing. I\u2019d suggest planning at least a half day for your visit \u2013 or break it up into two shorter visits focused on the museum and the Toi Art. Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War is a can\u2019t-miss.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pirie Street at Bus Tunnel\u00a0<\/p>\n The Pirie Street Play Area is the best entrance to the Town Belt if you want to reach the Mt Victoria Lookout without taking a route that is too long or too steep. Along the way, you\u2019ll pass the Hobbit\u2019s Hideaway, a filming location from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring.\u00a0<\/p>\n For a bit of chill fun \u2013 especially if you\u2019re with kids \u2013 this is a great area for a break. Go for a dip at the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre, zoom around the rollerblading rink at Kilbirnie Recreation Centre, or have some quiet time at Kilbirnie Library. From this stop you\u2019re also within walking distance of The Children\u2019s Bookstore \u2013 which, as the name implies, is entirely dedicated to kids literature.\u00a0<\/p>\n [Important note: After passing through Kilbirnie, the Number 2 branches off into two distinct routes: the Miramar arm and the Seatoun arm. Make sure you know which route you\u2019re on \u2013 it will be displayed on the front or your bus]. <\/p>\n Miramar arm<\/p>\n Miramar Shops: If you want to catch a movie in Wellington, there\u2019s no better spot than The Roxy, owned by Oscar-winning film editor Jamie Selkirk. An art deco cinema complex with an air of old Hollywood glamour, it has been the site of many local premiers and film industry galas, with close ties to the nearby W\u0113t\u0101 Studios. The Roxy also offers tours, which explore the venue and the history of the Miramar film scene. You\u2019re also a hop, skip and jump away from the iconic Chocolate Fish Cafe or a pint from Double Vision Brewing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Darlington Road at Camperdown Road: Here, you\u2019ll find a premier Wellington tourism highlight: W\u0113t\u0101 Workshop, the globally-renowned practical effects studio which worked on The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit trilogies, King Kong, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Avatar and many more. Guided tours take you inside the world of the workshop to meet some of the artists and see their work. If you have the time and budget, I\u2019d suggest trying a Creative Workshop to learn sculpting, leatherwork, or the art of crafting battle wounds using film makeup. And don\u2019t forget to visit the W\u0113t\u0101 Cave to explore the mini museum and buy some collectables. If you\u2019re peckish after all that, grab a bite at The Larder or Pestle & Mortar. <\/p>\n Seatoun Arm<\/p>\n Dundas Street at Monro Street: The coastal path found here takes you around Seatoun Beach and Worser Bay and makes for a lovely walk in the early morning. With the view of East Harbour Regional Park on the other side of the harbour mouth, it\u2019s easy to forget you\u2019re in a city at all, with hardly any man-made objects in sight. For history lovers, there are two important sites here: The Seatoun Wahine Memorial Garden, which marks the site where many survivors of the 1968 maritime disaster made it to shore. The ship\u2019s original anchor and chain, and replicas of its ventilators, are on display in the park.\u00a0<\/p>\n We\u2019ve now reached the end of the Number 2 tour, but I\u2019ll leave you with one final bit of local knowledge. On the Seatoun arm of this route, you\u2019ll find Bus Stop: Broadway at Hobart St\/Hobart St at Broadway. This is the closest bus stop to Wellington Airport, about a 650m walk from the terminal entrance. Taking the number 2 here is the cheapest way to get to or from the airport. It\u2019s a little slower and less convenient, but it\u2019s half the cost of the Airport Express and a tenth of the cost of an Uber into the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"How to have the perfect Wellington holiday on just one bus \u2013 a guided tour by Joel MacManus.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31915,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[30482,30484,111,43,139,69,143,30483],"class_list":["post-31914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-bus","tag-greater-wellington","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-partners","tag-public-transport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31914\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Lower Karori Reservoir in Zealandia. (Photo by: Matthew Lovette via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The Lady Norwood Rose Garden at the Wellington Botanic Gardens. Photo: Matthew Lovette via Getty Images
\nTinakori Road to St Mary Street<\/p>\nTinakori Road Village. Photo: Joel MacManus
\nLambton Quay North\u00a0<\/p>\nThe Beehive, as seen from the window of the 2. Photo: Joel MacManus<\/p>\n
Old Government Buildings on Lambton Quay. Photo: Joel MacManus
\nWillis Street at Willbank Court\u00a0<\/p>\nWellington\u2019s Cuba St is a can\u2019t-miss destination.
\nCourtenay Place at Courtenay Central\u00a0<\/p>\nThe view of Wellington from the Mt Victoria Lookout. Photo: Kristina D.C. Hoeppner
\nWellington Regional Aquatic Centre<\/p>\nThe Roxy Cinema in Miramar as seen from the window of Route 2. Photo: Joel MacManus<\/p>\n
Seatoun Beach\/Kirikiritatangi, the place where Kupe first came ashore in Wellington. (Source: Sara Elgoran)<\/p>\n