My 11 Favorite Experiences In Wellington, New Zealand On A Budget

Written By: Gail Clifford | Published By: Travel Awaits | August 09, 2022

https://www.travelawaits.com/2795959/best-things-to-do-wellington-new-zealand-on-a-budget/

When I asked a New Zealander at the beginning of our trip what to do when we reached Wellington, he said, “you’ll spend a lot of money.” Challenge accepted. What can we do in one of New Zealand’s most expensive cities without breaking the bank? We searched websites and social media to find inexpensive, incredible experiences. Make sure to include a trip up Mount Victoria when you have car access and a few hours.

1. Tour The Beehive And New Zealand’s Parliamentary Complex

Wellington is the seat of New Zealand’s government with a distinctively shaped complex that includes a beehive-shaped building. Known locally as “the Beehive,” that section contains the executive branch of government.

Book online via email before your trip or as late as before the building opens at 9 a.m.

The Introduction to Parliament tour lasts an hour, offered on the hour every hour between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. We scored tickets for the 10 a.m. tour and walked over from our apartment. Free and free.

Pro Tip: It is the nicest and shortest to walk along the waterfront. The curve in the bay makes the journey shorter than traveling the outlying city roads.

We arrived at the right side of the “beehive” as you face Parliament, entered the visitor center, walked through metal detectors, and left all our belongings at bag claim. No visitor photography is allowed inside the building.

Pro Tip: Be sure to arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled tour for the security screening process.

We watched a short video welcoming us to Parliament and thanking us for our interest in their democracy.

Our tour guide, Janet, walked us past the visitors’ information desk, and into the beehive itself to share the history of this large, semi-circular banquet hall with elevators in the center. The concept of the building may have been drawn on a napkin in the 1960s or built from matchboxes. Both are now Kiwi urban legends, and the origin is no longer known.

Next, we visited Parliament, in the main, sandstone-colored building. Partially demolished in a 1907 fire because it was made of wood, they rebuilt the building using stone. Through the main entrance, up two flights of stairs, we entered the Gallery. New Zealand’s House of Representatives is the sole chamber. They’ve done away with the House of Lords due to redundancy. Parliament is in session Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. 33 weeks a year. It’s free to enter and observe their legislative process.  

Continuing down the hall to the library (my favorite place in the building), we admired former librarians’ pictures and an awesome art piece created from book bindings. Whatever can’t be answered online for the members of parliament can be found by the librarian.

From the library, we entered the old House of Lord chambers and were regaled with stories and photos of Queen Elizabeth’s visits to open parliament. In her absence, the Governor General, originally a Brit but a New Zealander since the 1960s, sits in Her Majesty’s stead.

Then, we visited the Great Hall, the original entrance restored after the fire, and an art-filled atrium, before proceeding to the earthquake protection area where we saw a video about how the building was retrofitted with New Zealand-developed earthquake protection.

2. Visit Parliament In Session

Once you’ve toured the building, if Parliament meets that afternoon, you’ll be given the option to return to watch Parliament in action. If you can, please do. Their political parties were forced to make “side deals” to retain the majority. The subject of discussion on our visit was foreign students. That includes Americans. We learned that international student education is a $4 billion endeavor for New Zealand, making it the fourth largest contributor to the economy. Listening to and learning their perspectives was fascinating.