Greetings from the southernmost city on the North Island of New Zealand.
Welcome to actual and cultural capital of the country: creative, vivacious and cozy Wellington
The name “city”, perhaps, suits Wellington the most among other places in New Zealand.
It is home to over 400 000 people, and it is the second most populous city in the country –
only Auckland is more populated.
Wellington concentrates almost all administrative and business resources of New Zealand,
however, boasts a distinct atmosphere.
Even the parliament building looks unusual –
it is called the beehive for its shape and importance,
as all major decisions in the country are made here.
That’s where you find most of business offices of biggest banks, financial and high-tech companies.
As a job in such companies means decent income,
it is Wellington residents who can boast highest average salaries,
while housing costs compare favorably with Auckland,
which makes Wellington attractive place not only in New Zealand, but also in the whole Australian Pacific region.
The average housing price in Wellington is 610 000 NZD.
The median salary is 50 000 NZD.
The average salary is 80 000 NZD a year.
Good salary rates, affordable housing and career opportunities
let Wellington keep leading positions
among other cities with highest quality of life in the world.
Lonely Planet magazine declared the city
“The coolest little capital of the world”,
and it is hard to disagree!
In addition to specialists, making a career in politics, finance and IT,
Wellington has a great quantity of creative people.
For example, Peter Jackson creates his masterpieces here,
turning our small capital into one of the main cinematography centers in the world.
James Cameron, who filmed Avatar in Wellington, settled down in the city,
and now almost no Hollywood blockbuster can be shot without Weta Digital Studio visual effects.
Weta also draws and creates new characters for the plenty of greatest directors in the world.
As a cultural capital, the city trains and welcomes with open arms musicians, artists, dancers and actors.
There are many festivals, concerts, movie and theatre premieres.
Sport also plays an important part in the city life.
Here you can find professional rugby and cricket teams and others.
Moreover, Wellington Phoenix FC, that completes in Australian A-league
and basically represents the whole New Zealand, is based here.
Wellington is particularly proud of its libraries and museums.
The biggest museum Te Papa is situated in the city center.
It is a multistory building with different expositions and free entry.
Residents and visitors of the city may see historical, natural and cultural installations,
some of which don’t have equal in the world.
For example, at the time of this shooting,
there was a historical exposition dedicated to New Zealand participation in the WWI –
unbelievable realistic three-dimensional exhibits, created by Weta Digital Studio.
Creative young people always have things to do in the city.
Cuba Street is behind me.
It is one of the main streets for strolls, shopping and pastime.
Wellington offers an abundance of bars and restaurants.
There are a lot of places of completely different styles for various individuals, preferences and tastes.
Above all, Wellington residents consider the city a culinary capital of New Zealand.
And it is hard to disagree with it!
You can find delicious and interesting dishes almost everywhere.
Family and easygoing individuals also can find something that they love to do.
Besides lots of small and very cozy parks,
you may have a nice time in peace with yourself in the Wellington Botanic Garden,
covering 25 hectares of land.
Families and tourists love visiting a local zoo,
that provides good life conditions for each animal spices,
so they look active and happy.
Tourists like Wellington for many kinds of entertainments as well.
There are historical buildings, churches, libraries and other attractions with cute architecture,
so it feels like vivacious and interesting city.
Those, who prefer outdoor adventures and hiking,
may choose any of beautiful routes
to enjoy an abundance of colors and beauty of the New Zealand nature.
Cinephiles can take a tour and visit filming location of their favorite and famous movies.
Many go to the South Island on the ferry, that in itself is a four-hour adventure,
especially on the way to bays on the other side of the city.
Between Auckland and Wellington,
there is also a comfortable train with an open-air viewing platform and large panoramic windows.
Ten-hour trip is more touristic and entertaining event, than just a train travel,
as passengers may enjoy the beauty of the North Island on their way to the south.
Wellington has several major education providers,
offering not only a high-quality education, but also a real student life, development and creative work.
There is Victoria University behind me –
one of the leading New Zealand universities, offering a hundred of different specializations.
In addition, Massey University has a Wellington campus, specializing in art programs.
This is truly an educative place, that makes you to create!
Governmental institutes Weltec and Whitireia with their main campuses in Wellington’s suburbs
offer a quality, applied and practical education in technical, creative, exact science and humanities.
There are also more specialized education providers and courses in cinematography, dance, design and cookery.
Those, who need to improve their English,
may study in excellent language schools of first category, as Campbell and NZLC.
Perhaps, the main disadvantage of Wellington is its climate.
It is the windiest city in New Zealand with relatively low average temperatures,
when compared to the North Island in general.
However, this doesn’t prevent residents from having the time for beaches, surfing and other water sports.
Wellington is also situated in high seismic activity area, so there are more risks of earthquakes.
After the 1855 earthquake, the government made regulations for constructions,
so since then all buildings are made according to the strict rules.
Since earthquakes in Christchurch in 2010 and 2011,
Wellington implemented new standards for earthquake-resistant buildings.
All this helped to prevent significant deaths for many years,
and today the earthquake problem is taken into consideration in the construction.
And for last, we would like to show you a unique place, that is an hour away from the city.
This is an automobile museum with 6000 square meter exhibition hall,
housing a collection of over 400 vehicles from 19 century till the present time.
We offer you to enjoy these engineering masterpieces together with us!
My name is Natalia. Thanks for watching! See you next time!