Wellington Interesting Facts

Often described as the 'Coolest Capital In the World', we've unearthed some interesting facts that you may not be aware of about this iconic New Zealand city.

1. Wellington, is the southernmost capital in the world.

2. Wellington is packed with over 400 cafes and restaurants which on a per person basis rivals that of New York.

3. Legend has it that 'The Beehive', the city's well-known Parliament Building was in fact designed on the back of a napkin as a joke. The designer never thought for a moment it would be built.

4. Lambton Quay is 100-200 metres from the harbour. It got it's name from being built on reclaimed swamp land following the upheaval of a mass area of land out of the harbour, during a major earthquake in 1855.

5. With the steep streets throughout the city, Wellingtonians are known to be some of the fittest New Zealanders, with 11 percent of  local residents commuting to their workplace on foot.

6. Back in 1840, Colonel William Wakefield, a New Zealand Company representative, had originally planned for the Wellington settlement to be located where the suburb of Petone is situated.  The site for the city shifted when the Hutt River's banks burst and flooded the surrounding area.

7. Wellington was voted the world's13th best city for quality of living in a 2012 Mercer 'International Quality Of Living Survey'.

8. Almost all of Wellington's residents live within three kilometres of the coastline.

9. Zealandia is the first fully-fenced urban eco-sanctuary in the world.

10. Wellington has 50,000 hectares of forests and regional parks.*

11. Wellington replaced Auckland as the capital city of New Zealand in 1865.

12. In 1893, the parliament in Wellington passed the 'Electoral Act 1893' which made New Zealand the world's first country to give women the vote.

13. Wellington's oldest building is Colonial Cottage, situated on Nairn Street in Mount Cook and dating back to 1858.

14. Wellington is the location of the Weta Workshop, Weta Digital and the Miramar film empire which is where the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films were made. Fans can visit the Weta Cave for free and book on a guided tour.

15. The Government Buildings is the largest wooden building in New Zealand and one of the finest in the world.

*Source: WellingtonNZ.com 

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