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History of Wellington

Wellington, our capital city and home of Zealandia wildlife sanctuary is culturally rich. Explore the Māori myth behind Poneke and its landmarks, — like the Beehive, Te Papa, harbour and cable car, as well as historical events. SCIS no. 1836276

All items

Images
Oriental Parade
Oriental Parade,Wellington
cibachrome 417 x 613 mm - Brian Brake is New Zealand's most celebrated photo-journalist and his images have been published in such prestigious journals as National Geographic, Paris-Match and Life...
Images
German prisoners of war
German prisoners of war on Somes Island in Wellington Harbour
German prisoners of war, captured by the French in Tahiti. Taken on Somes Island by an unidentified photographer. Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s).
Stories
Wellington wind
Wellington wind
Stories
Old Wellington
Old Wellington
Images
Wellington
Wellington
A poster of Wellington at dusk.
Images
1960s Willis Street
1960s Willis Street
Elevated view of Willis Street, Wellington, looking towards the Hotel St George, taken ca early 1960s by Gladys M Goodall Inscriptions: Verso - top left - Willis Street, looking towards Hotel St G...
Images
Wellington motorway
Wellington motorway
Wellington motorway construction in 1969.
Images
Interior of Suzy's Coffee Bar, Willis Street, Wellington
Interior of Suzy's Coffee Bar, Willis Street, Wellington
Photograph taken by Duncan Winder. Source of descriptive information - Duncan Winder register, Photographic Archive, Alexander Turnbull Library. Quantity: 1 colour original negative(s). Physical...
Images
The Terrace in 1970
The Terrace in 1970
The Terrace is one of Wellington’s oldest and most notable streets.
Images
Rugby sevens cartoon
Rugby sevens cartoon
The Wellington Sevens tournament was more about costumes, drinking and having fun than rugby.
Images
Commuters at Wellington Railway Station
Commuters at Wellington Railway Station
Commuters at Wellington Railway Station having just arrived on units. Photographed by an Evening Post staff photographer 10 January 1978. This photograph illustrated an article on the overcrowding...
Images
Zealandia sanctuary
Zealandia sanctuary
Zealandia (formerly the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary) in Wellington is New Zealand’s only city-based wildlife sanctuary, and was the first of its kind to open in the world. It occupies the valley of t...
Images
Wellington Harbour
Wellington Harbour
oil on canvas 406 x 508 mm - unsigned Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of the artist, 1967
Images
Easter service, Mount Victoria
Easter service, Mount Victoria
Crowd on Mount Victoria, Wellington attending an open air Easter service. Photographed by Sydney Charles Smith some time in the 1930s Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s). Physical Description: ...
Images
Crowd on VE day
Crowd on VE day
VE Day, Wellington, May 1945. A crowd fills Parliament grounds and Lambton Quay. Photograph taken from Government Buildings by John Pascoe. Original caption reads: "The crowd extended from the Parl...
Images
Queens Wharf in 1885
Queens Wharf in 1885
Overlooking Queens Wharf in Wellington, circa 1885. The vessels at the wharf are the `Ionic', `Otaki', `Canterbury', `Wairarapa' and the `Manawatu. The `Hina' is at the lower left. The `Queen of th...
Images
Wellington commuters, 2011
Wellington commuters, 2011
Commuters on their way to work on a wet and blustery Wellington day are part of a tidal flow of people into the city, and  will flow out again at the end of the day. For many years New Zealand town...
Books
The 1855 Wellington earthquake
In this letter to a friend, Wellington merchant and Jewish congregation leader Abraham Hort gives a graphic description of the massive earthquake that struck Wairarapa and Wellington in January 185...
Videos
Hurricanes’ parade
Hurricanes’ parade
The Hurricanes paraded through Wellington today to celebrate their win of the Super Rugby final.
Videos
Wellington 1950s
Wellington 1950s
Footage around Wellington from the early 1950s.
Images
New Zealand centennial exhibition
New Zealand centennial exhibition
Shows aerial view of exhibition grounds with beach at top left. At right is detail of tower building. Quantity: 1 colour photo-mechanical print(s). Physical Description: Photolithograph, 212 x 2...
Images
Victoria University
Victoria University
Postcard of Victoria University College, Wellington.
Images
Postcard. Wellington from the Terrace. G & G series, no. 116. Printed in Berlin. [1904-1914].
Postcard. Wellington from the Terrace. G & G series, no. 116. Printed in Berlin. [1904-1914].
Shows a view looking north over Wellington Harbour with red-roofed houses in the foreground. Quantity: 1 colour art print(s) on postcard. Physical Description: Collotype on postcard 89 x 140 mm. ...
Audio
Controversial wind farm at Makara
Controversial wind farm at Makara
The Prime Minister has opened a controversial wind farm at Makara, in the Wellington Region.
Images
Beatles fans at a Wellington concert
Beatles fans at a Wellington concert
Beatles fans scream during one of the concerts at the Wellington Town Hall.
Images
1945 air raid shelter
World War Two air raid shelter
A reminder of Wellington’s reaction to the threat of invasion by Japan during World War Two.
Images
Absolutely Positively Wellington
Absolutely Positively Wellington
Banner on the Beehive with the slogan "Absolutely Positively Wellington." Photographed by Evening Post staff photographer Mark Coote on the 3rd of January 1992. Quantity: 1 colour original negati...
Audio
150 capital years for Wellington
The grey marble facade of Parliament in Wellington is having a makeover this weekend in celebration of a major anniversary for the capital city.
Articles
Tana Umaga
Tana Umaga
The former All Black Tana Umaga was born in Wainuiomata to Samoan parents. He originally played rugby league but switched to union in his late teens. He first played for Wellington in 1994, becomin...
Images
Troopship ‘Aquitania’
Troopship ‘Aquitania’
The ‘Aquitania’ in Wellington Harbour.
Images
Wellington
Wellington
A painting of early Wellington.
Articles
Wellington nightclubs in the 1980s
If you’ve had a night out in Wellington at any time over the course of the past two decades, chances are you’ve spent a few hours taking in the sights and sounds of Courtenay Place. It’s essentiall...
Articles
Te Āti Awa of Wellington
Te Āti Awa of Wellington
During the 1820s and 1830s, members of Te Āti Awa and other tribes left their ancestral home in Taranaki and travelled south in four great migrations, finally reaching the Kāpiti Coast and Wellingt...
Websites
WWW
Weta workshop
Information about Weta studio educational tours.
Videos
Wellington's cable car
A ride on Wellington’s historical cable car from Lambton Quay to Kelburn.
Audio
Wellington poem
A poem inspired by the Wellington wind.
Videos
History of the Hurricanes
The history and timeline of the Wellington Hurricanes.
Articles
Māori history of the greater Wellington region
Māori history of Wellington, "Te Upoko o Te Ika a Maui" or the head of the fish of Maui.
Images
Ngāti Pōneke performers
Ngāti Pōneke performers
In the early 1900s, there were few Māori living in Wellington. Numbers increased after the First World War as Māori began moving to the city from the country. This led to the formation of the multi...
Images
Early Wellington sections for sale
Early Wellington sections for sale
Before the first settlers arrived in Wellington, sections were sold in London by ballot through The New Zealand Company. This image of three cadastral maps shows the properties with their boundarie...
Images
The Terrace, Wellington
The Terrace, Wellington
The Terrace is a very well-known Wellington street. This image was taken in 1927 from the recently built Druid's building at the back of Lambton Quay. It is now known as Woodward House. In the phot...
Images
Wellington city
Wellington city
View of Wellington taken from Mt Victoria.
Images
1960s Kelburn cable car
1960s Kelburn cable car
The Kelburn Cable Car, Wellington, photographed in the early 1960s by Gladys Goodall of Christchurch. Inscriptions: Verso - top left - Kelburn Cable Car, Wellington, N.Z. This is the last tram lef...
Images
1848 earthquake damage
1848 earthquake damage
These 1948 sketches by Robert Park have been used to illustrate which buildings and building materials suffered the most damage during the Wellington or wider Wairarapa earthquake. The buildings fr...
Images
Centennial Exhibition poster
Centennial Exhibition poster
Rising out of the sandy wastelands of Lyall Bay, the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition became New Zealand’s biggest and most popular 20th century attraction. When it closed its doors in May 1940, o...
Images
Troll at the Weta Cave
Troll at the Weta Cave
The monumental success of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy owed a great deal to the model- making and special effects from Weta Workshop. Starting from a shoestring budget in the spar...
Images
Wellington electric train unit
Wellington electric train unit
By 1938 Wellington was established as the business hub of the country and the city leaders moved there to strengthen this position. By improving the road and rail services and much of the city’s in...
Images
Aerial view of Wellington harbour
Aerial view of Wellington harbour
This painting presents an aerial view of the town of Wellington from south of Wellington Heads. In the left centre foreground one looks down onto Miramar Peninsula and Burnham Lake. The site of Wel...
Images
The Wahine shipwreck
The Wahine shipwreck
It was Cyclone Giselle that contributed to the tragic sinking of the ‘Wahine’ in Wellington harbour with the loss of 54 lives. The second most severe storm to hit New Zealand last century, Giselle ...
Images
The Beatles in Wellington
The Beatles in Wellington
The screaming started as soon as the Beatles touched down at Wellington airport in 1964 and didn’t stop until they left 68 hours later. During that time it was reported that the high pitched scream...
Images
Soldiers in Wellington
World War One soldiers in Wellington
This image was taken at the Wellington railway station. It is an image that was replicated throughout the country as young men gathered to travel north or south, often with very little notice. The ...
Articles
Building and grounds
The history of the Parliament buildings and grounds.
Websites
WWW
Katherine Mansfield’s house & garden
Katherine Mansfield's father, Harold Beauchamp, built a house for his family in Thorndon.
Videos
Wellington
NZ on Screen’s selection of Wellington related films.
Articles
Plans for Matiu Island in Wellington Harbour
Peter Jackson's hi-tech tourism plans for Wellington's Matiu Island.
Images
Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa | The New Zealand Wars in Wellington
Map of sites from the 1846 war in Wellington.
Websites
WWW
Pukeau National War Memorial Park
Information about Pukeau National War Memorial Park.
Articles
Mt. Kaukau
Raroa Intermediate has researched the local area of Mt. Kaukau.
Articles
The 1913 strike in Wellington
This strike was caused by the dispute between Wellington shipwrights and the Union Steamship Company.
Videos
You can't beat Wellington (on a good day.)
A popular song about Wellington.
Images
Anti-Vietnam War protests
Images of anti-Vietnam War protests in Wellington.
Articles
Wellington beggars
Wellington beggars tell of the etiquette and dangers of life on the streets.
Images
Wellington statistics
Facts and figures relating to Wellington.
Articles
Matiu/Somes Island in Wellington Harbour
Information about Matiu/Somes Island.
Articles
Wellington café culture
Wellington's café culture is an integral part of its identity as a city today.
Websites
WWW
Wellington Museum
Wellington Museum shares the fascinating stories of the Wellington region.
Articles
Wellington’s Central Park
Wellington’s Central Park is one of Wellington’s oldest public green spaces.
Articles
Wellington fault
A fault line runs through the centre of Wellington city.
Articles
Wellington earthquake
The 1855 earthquake along the Wairarapa Fault shook Wellington causing tidal waves.
Images
Historic Wellington
Photographs showing Wellington’s past.
Websites
WWW
Te Papa
Te Papa is our national museum that houses the major collections of Aotearoa.
Videos
Wellington’s taniwha
The origin of Wellington Harbour, and the two taniwha who created it.
Audio
Fat Freddy's Drop - 'Bays'
Fat Freddy's Drop - 'Bays'
For their fourth studio album, Bays, Fat Freddy's Drop have ditched their usual live and improvised songwriting process in favour of an exclusively studio-created affair. Ahead of the live debut of...
Articles
Capital city
Capital city
New Zealand has had three capital cities – first at Russell, in the Bay of Islands, in 1840, then, just a year later, at Auckland. Since 1865 the more centrally located Wellington has been the coun...
Guides & factsheets
He Tohu
He Tohu the 3 documents that shaped New Zealand, He Whakaputanga, The Treaty of Waitangi and the Women's Suffrage Petition.
Articles
Cuba Street
The culture and popularity of a street called Cuba.
Images
Wellington writer’s walk
23 sculptural quotations about Wellington from some of New Zealand’s best known writers.
Images
US Marines at Oriental Bay
US Marines at Oriental Bay
Marines stop for a breather near Oriental Bay after a route march around Wellington
Images
Wellington City
Wellington City
Websites
WWW
Wellington Botanic garden
The history of the Wellington Botanic Garden goes back to the beginning of Wellington.
Websites
WWW
Pukeahu National War Memorial Park
Information about Pukeahu National War Memorial Park.
Images
Historic Wellington landmarks
These items collected from Wellington's first 100 years showcase how the city has developed.
Images
Wellington by artists
Artistic representations of Wellington.
Images
Landmarks in Wellington
Wellington has some significant landmarks, both natural and man-made.
Articles
WOW event
WOW or World of WearableArt is now a highlight of Wellington’s cultural entertainment scene.
Websites
WWW
The Hurricanes
The history of the Wellington Hurricanes.
Books
Nga Tupuna o Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington Harbour)
The biographies of Maori tupuna (individuals, hapu and iwi) who migrated to Te Whanganui-a-Tara from the Taranaki rohe during the 1820 - 1840 period.
Images
Cook Strait Rail Ferries Wellington - Picton New Zealand
Cook Strait Rail Ferries Wellington - Picton New Zealand
Showing the Cook Strait rail ferries Aranui and Arahunga in Lambton Harbour
Images
City lights, 1960s
City lights, 1960s
This painting of Wellington’s Willis Street in the 1960s evocatively captures the bustle and bright lights of Friday late shopping night, despite the rain and gloom of winter.
Videos
The Beehive
The Beehive
The design and building of the Beehive by Sir Basil Spence.
Articles
History of Wellington
The history of the city including past Mayors of Wellington.
Articles
Ngake and Whātaitai
The taniwha of Wellington Harbour.
Websites
WWW
EPIC
Find more information about the history of Wellington on EPIC. Databases recommended: New Zealand Geographic, Australia New Zealand Reference Centre Plus, New Zealand History Collection. School log...
Images
Oriental Parade
Oriental Parade,Wellington
cibachrome 417 x 613 mm - Brian Brake is New Zealand's most celebrated photo-journalist and his images have been published in such prestigious journals as National Geographic, Paris-Match and Life...
Images
German prisoners of war
German prisoners of war on Somes Island in Wellington Harbour
German prisoners of war, captured by the French in Tahiti. Taken on Somes Island by an unidentified photographer. Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s).
Stories
Wellington wind
Wellington wind
Stories
Old Wellington
Old Wellington
Images
Wellington
Wellington
A poster of Wellington at dusk.
Images
1960s Willis Street
1960s Willis Street
Elevated view of Willis Street, Wellington, looking towards the Hotel St George, taken ca early 1960s by Gladys M Goodall Inscriptions: Verso - top left - Willis Street, looking towards Hotel St G...
Images
Wellington motorway
Wellington motorway
Wellington motorway construction in 1969.
Images
Interior of Suzy's Coffee Bar, Willis Street, Wellington
Interior of Suzy's Coffee Bar, Willis Street, Wellington
Photograph taken by Duncan Winder. Source of descriptive information - Duncan Winder register, Photographic Archive, Alexander Turnbull Library. Quantity: 1 colour original negative(s). Physical...
Images
The Terrace in 1970
The Terrace in 1970
The Terrace is one of Wellington’s oldest and most notable streets.
Images
Rugby sevens cartoon
Rugby sevens cartoon
The Wellington Sevens tournament was more about costumes, drinking and having fun than rugby.
Images
Commuters at Wellington Railway Station
Commuters at Wellington Railway Station
Commuters at Wellington Railway Station having just arrived on units. Photographed by an Evening Post staff photographer 10 January 1978. This photograph illustrated an article on the overcrowding...
Images
Zealandia sanctuary
Zealandia sanctuary
Zealandia (formerly the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary) in Wellington is New Zealand’s only city-based wildlife sanctuary, and was the first of its kind to open in the world. It occupies the valley of t...
Images
Wellington Harbour
Wellington Harbour
oil on canvas 406 x 508 mm - unsigned Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of the artist, 1967
Images
Easter service, Mount Victoria
Easter service, Mount Victoria
Crowd on Mount Victoria, Wellington attending an open air Easter service. Photographed by Sydney Charles Smith some time in the 1930s Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s). Physical Description: ...
Images
Crowd on VE day
Crowd on VE day
VE Day, Wellington, May 1945. A crowd fills Parliament grounds and Lambton Quay. Photograph taken from Government Buildings by John Pascoe. Original caption reads: "The crowd extended from the Parl...
Images
Queens Wharf in 1885
Queens Wharf in 1885
Overlooking Queens Wharf in Wellington, circa 1885. The vessels at the wharf are the `Ionic', `Otaki', `Canterbury', `Wairarapa' and the `Manawatu. The `Hina' is at the lower left. The `Queen of th...
Images
Wellington commuters, 2011
Wellington commuters, 2011
Commuters on their way to work on a wet and blustery Wellington day are part of a tidal flow of people into the city, and  will flow out again at the end of the day. For many years New Zealand town...
Books
The 1855 Wellington earthquake
In this letter to a friend, Wellington merchant and Jewish congregation leader Abraham Hort gives a graphic description of the massive earthquake that struck Wairarapa and Wellington in January 185...
Videos
Hurricanes’ parade
Hurricanes’ parade
The Hurricanes paraded through Wellington today to celebrate their win of the Super Rugby final.
Videos
Wellington 1950s
Wellington 1950s
Footage around Wellington from the early 1950s.
Images
New Zealand centennial exhibition
New Zealand centennial exhibition
Shows aerial view of exhibition grounds with beach at top left. At right is detail of tower building. Quantity: 1 colour photo-mechanical print(s). Physical Description: Photolithograph, 212 x 2...
Images
Victoria University
Victoria University
Postcard of Victoria University College, Wellington.
Images
Postcard. Wellington from the Terrace. G & G series, no. 116. Printed in Berlin. [1904-1914].
Postcard. Wellington from the Terrace. G & G series, no. 116. Printed in Berlin. [1904-1914].
Shows a view looking north over Wellington Harbour with red-roofed houses in the foreground. Quantity: 1 colour art print(s) on postcard. Physical Description: Collotype on postcard 89 x 140 mm. ...
Audio
Controversial wind farm at Makara
Controversial wind farm at Makara
The Prime Minister has opened a controversial wind farm at Makara, in the Wellington Region.
Images
Beatles fans at a Wellington concert
Beatles fans at a Wellington concert
Beatles fans scream during one of the concerts at the Wellington Town Hall.
Images
1945 air raid shelter
World War Two air raid shelter
A reminder of Wellington’s reaction to the threat of invasion by Japan during World War Two.
Images
Absolutely Positively Wellington
Absolutely Positively Wellington
Banner on the Beehive with the slogan "Absolutely Positively Wellington." Photographed by Evening Post staff photographer Mark Coote on the 3rd of January 1992. Quantity: 1 colour original negati...
Audio
150 capital years for Wellington
The grey marble facade of Parliament in Wellington is having a makeover this weekend in celebration of a major anniversary for the capital city.
Articles
Tana Umaga
Tana Umaga
The former All Black Tana Umaga was born in Wainuiomata to Samoan parents. He originally played rugby league but switched to union in his late teens. He first played for Wellington in 1994, becomin...
Images
Troopship ‘Aquitania’
Troopship ‘Aquitania’
The ‘Aquitania’ in Wellington Harbour.
Images
Wellington
Wellington
A painting of early Wellington.
Articles
Wellington nightclubs in the 1980s
If you’ve had a night out in Wellington at any time over the course of the past two decades, chances are you’ve spent a few hours taking in the sights and sounds of Courtenay Place. It’s essentiall...
Articles
Te Āti Awa of Wellington
Te Āti Awa of Wellington
During the 1820s and 1830s, members of Te Āti Awa and other tribes left their ancestral home in Taranaki and travelled south in four great migrations, finally reaching the Kāpiti Coast and Wellingt...
Websites
WWW
Weta workshop
Information about Weta studio educational tours.
Videos
Wellington's cable car
A ride on Wellington’s historical cable car from Lambton Quay to Kelburn.
Audio
Wellington poem
A poem inspired by the Wellington wind.
Videos
History of the Hurricanes
The history and timeline of the Wellington Hurricanes.
Articles
Māori history of the greater Wellington region
Māori history of Wellington, "Te Upoko o Te Ika a Maui" or the head of the fish of Maui.
Images
Ngāti Pōneke performers
Ngāti Pōneke performers
In the early 1900s, there were few Māori living in Wellington. Numbers increased after the First World War as Māori began moving to the city from the country. This led to the formation of the multi...
Images
Early Wellington sections for sale
Early Wellington sections for sale
Before the first settlers arrived in Wellington, sections were sold in London by ballot through The New Zealand Company. This image of three cadastral maps shows the properties with their boundarie...
Images
The Terrace, Wellington
The Terrace, Wellington
The Terrace is a very well-known Wellington street. This image was taken in 1927 from the recently built Druid's building at the back of Lambton Quay. It is now known as Woodward House. In the phot...
Images
Wellington city
Wellington city
View of Wellington taken from Mt Victoria.
Images
1960s Kelburn cable car
1960s Kelburn cable car
The Kelburn Cable Car, Wellington, photographed in the early 1960s by Gladys Goodall of Christchurch. Inscriptions: Verso - top left - Kelburn Cable Car, Wellington, N.Z. This is the last tram lef...
Images
1848 earthquake damage
1848 earthquake damage
These 1948 sketches by Robert Park have been used to illustrate which buildings and building materials suffered the most damage during the Wellington or wider Wairarapa earthquake. The buildings fr...
Images
Centennial Exhibition poster
Centennial Exhibition poster
Rising out of the sandy wastelands of Lyall Bay, the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition became New Zealand’s biggest and most popular 20th century attraction. When it closed its doors in May 1940, o...
Images
Troll at the Weta Cave
Troll at the Weta Cave
The monumental success of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy owed a great deal to the model- making and special effects from Weta Workshop. Starting from a shoestring budget in the spar...
Images
Wellington electric train unit
Wellington electric train unit
By 1938 Wellington was established as the business hub of the country and the city leaders moved there to strengthen this position. By improving the road and rail services and much of the city’s in...
Images
Aerial view of Wellington harbour
Aerial view of Wellington harbour
This painting presents an aerial view of the town of Wellington from south of Wellington Heads. In the left centre foreground one looks down onto Miramar Peninsula and Burnham Lake. The site of Wel...
Images
The Wahine shipwreck
The Wahine shipwreck
It was Cyclone Giselle that contributed to the tragic sinking of the ‘Wahine’ in Wellington harbour with the loss of 54 lives. The second most severe storm to hit New Zealand last century, Giselle ...
Images
The Beatles in Wellington
The Beatles in Wellington
The screaming started as soon as the Beatles touched down at Wellington airport in 1964 and didn’t stop until they left 68 hours later. During that time it was reported that the high pitched scream...
Images
Soldiers in Wellington
World War One soldiers in Wellington
This image was taken at the Wellington railway station. It is an image that was replicated throughout the country as young men gathered to travel north or south, often with very little notice. The ...
Articles
Building and grounds
The history of the Parliament buildings and grounds.
Websites
WWW
Katherine Mansfield’s house & garden
Katherine Mansfield's father, Harold Beauchamp, built a house for his family in Thorndon.
Videos
Wellington
NZ on Screen’s selection of Wellington related films.
Articles
Plans for Matiu Island in Wellington Harbour
Peter Jackson's hi-tech tourism plans for Wellington's Matiu Island.
Images
Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa | The New Zealand Wars in Wellington
Map of sites from the 1846 war in Wellington.
Websites
WWW
Pukeau National War Memorial Park
Information about Pukeau National War Memorial Park.
Articles
Mt. Kaukau
Raroa Intermediate has researched the local area of Mt. Kaukau.
Articles
The 1913 strike in Wellington
This strike was caused by the dispute between Wellington shipwrights and the Union Steamship Company.
Videos
You can't beat Wellington (on a good day.)
A popular song about Wellington.
Images
Anti-Vietnam War protests
Images of anti-Vietnam War protests in Wellington.
Articles
Wellington beggars
Wellington beggars tell of the etiquette and dangers of life on the streets.
Images
Wellington statistics
Facts and figures relating to Wellington.
Articles
Matiu/Somes Island in Wellington Harbour
Information about Matiu/Somes Island.
Articles
Wellington café culture
Wellington's café culture is an integral part of its identity as a city today.
Websites
WWW
Wellington Museum
Wellington Museum shares the fascinating stories of the Wellington region.
Articles
Wellington’s Central Park
Wellington’s Central Park is one of Wellington’s oldest public green spaces.
Articles
Wellington fault
A fault line runs through the centre of Wellington city.
Articles
Wellington earthquake
The 1855 earthquake along the Wairarapa Fault shook Wellington causing tidal waves.
Images
Historic Wellington
Photographs showing Wellington’s past.
Websites
WWW
Te Papa
Te Papa is our national museum that houses the major collections of Aotearoa.
Videos
Wellington’s taniwha
The origin of Wellington Harbour, and the two taniwha who created it.
Audio
Fat Freddy's Drop - 'Bays'
Fat Freddy's Drop - 'Bays'
For their fourth studio album, Bays, Fat Freddy's Drop have ditched their usual live and improvised songwriting process in favour of an exclusively studio-created affair. Ahead of the live debut of...
Articles
Capital city
Capital city
New Zealand has had three capital cities – first at Russell, in the Bay of Islands, in 1840, then, just a year later, at Auckland. Since 1865 the more centrally located Wellington has been the coun...
Guides & factsheets
He Tohu
He Tohu the 3 documents that shaped New Zealand, He Whakaputanga, The Treaty of Waitangi and the Women's Suffrage Petition.
Articles
Cuba Street
The culture and popularity of a street called Cuba.
Images
Wellington writer’s walk
23 sculptural quotations about Wellington from some of New Zealand’s best known writers.
Images
US Marines at Oriental Bay
US Marines at Oriental Bay
Marines stop for a breather near Oriental Bay after a route march around Wellington
Images
Wellington City
Wellington City
Websites
WWW
Wellington Botanic garden
The history of the Wellington Botanic Garden goes back to the beginning of Wellington.
Websites
WWW
Pukeahu National War Memorial Park
Information about Pukeahu National War Memorial Park.
Images
Historic Wellington landmarks
These items collected from Wellington's first 100 years showcase how the city has developed.
Images
Wellington by artists
Artistic representations of Wellington.
Images
Landmarks in Wellington
Wellington has some significant landmarks, both natural and man-made.
Articles
WOW event
WOW or World of WearableArt is now a highlight of Wellington’s cultural entertainment scene.
Websites
WWW
The Hurricanes
The history of the Wellington Hurricanes.
Books
Nga Tupuna o Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington Harbour)
The biographies of Maori tupuna (individuals, hapu and iwi) who migrated to Te Whanganui-a-Tara from the Taranaki rohe during the 1820 - 1840 period.
Images
Cook Strait Rail Ferries Wellington - Picton New Zealand
Cook Strait Rail Ferries Wellington - Picton New Zealand
Showing the Cook Strait rail ferries Aranui and Arahunga in Lambton Harbour
Images
City lights, 1960s
City lights, 1960s
This painting of Wellington’s Willis Street in the 1960s evocatively captures the bustle and bright lights of Friday late shopping night, despite the rain and gloom of winter.
Videos
The Beehive
The Beehive
The design and building of the Beehive by Sir Basil Spence.
Articles
History of Wellington
The history of the city including past Mayors of Wellington.
Articles
Ngake and Whātaitai
The taniwha of Wellington Harbour.
Websites
WWW
EPIC
Find more information about the history of Wellington on EPIC. Databases recommended: New Zealand Geographic, Australia New Zealand Reference Centre Plus, New Zealand History Collection. School log...

Other resources

Top results for History of Wellington from AnyQuestions

Places of Wellington
Places of Wellington

There are many places that are significant to Wellington. Use the resources in this section to find out about their...

People of Wellington
People of Wellington

Here are some sources you could look at if you'd like to find out about individual people or groups of people from...

Events of Wellington
Events of Wellington

Lots of things have happened that have had an impact on Wellington. The following resources explore these events and...

Māori Land March 1975
Māori Land March 1975

On 13 September 1975, around 5000 people marched from Te Hāpua in the North Island down to Parliament in Wellington....

Junior Secondary

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New Zealand is an endless playground by an authority of 85 years from 1846-1931
New Zealand is an endless playground by an authority of 85 years from 1846-1931

Thomas McKay Drummond tells of his childhood growing up in Wellington from birth until the family moved to Wairarapa...

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History of Wellington

The history of the city including past Mayors of Wellington.

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History of Wellington
History of Wellington

Wellington, our capital city and home of Zealandia wildlife sanctuary is culturally rich. Explore the Māori myth...

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Places of Wellington
Places of Wellington

There are many places that are significant to Wellington. Use the resources in this section to find out about their...

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