Wellington Cable Car & Botanic Garden
Wellington Cable Car
The red cable car has run since 1902. It climbs 120 meters in five minutes from the Lambton Quay shopping district to the top of Kelburn Hill, where you'll find a lookout, a cable car museum, and a planetarium. You can walk back down through the botanic garden.
The Wellington Cable Car, technically a funicular, has operated since 1902. It connects the city center at Lambton Quay with the hillside residential suburb of Kelburn. The line is 612 meters long, climbs 120 meters, and takes about 5 minutes. Along the way it passes through three tunnels (one with a light installation) and over three bridges. Its red cars are Wellington's most photographed symbol.
At the top, the lookout faces the harbor, the downtown high-rises, and the distant Victoria hill. It is the easiest place in the city to get a panoramic view. The Cable Car Museum is free and displays the original 1902 car and the winding house. Space Place at the Carter Observatory charges about NZ$15 and has a planetarium and talks on the southern hemisphere sky. The upper entrance to the Wellington Botanic Garden is also here.
The botanic garden covers 25 hectares, was established in 1868, and is free to enter. From the top, you walk downhill: first past the duck pond and cedar groves, then the Lady Norwood Rose Garden (106 flower beds, in bloom from November to March) and the tropical glasshouse. Finally, you leave through the Glenmore Street exit and walk to the Beehive, the Parliament building, and the old Government Buildings, the second-largest wooden building in the world. The whole downhill walk takes about an hour, and it is Wellington's classic half-day route.
A single cable car ticket costs about NZ$6.50, and a return ticket about NZ$12. You can pay with a Snapper card.
Getting there: the lower station is in the lane beside 280 Lambton Quay (Cable Car Lane).
Tips: Tour groups gather in the morning, so arrive before 8 a.m. or after 3 p.m. for fewer people. Cable cars run every 10 minutes. Garden paths have steps, so if you're pushing a stroller, use the main path. The top can be windy, so bring a jacket.
Opening hours
Mon–Fri 07:30–22:00; weekends 08:30–22:00 (every 10 minutes)
Nearby sights
- City Gallery Wellington
- Wellington Museum
- Cuba Street
- The Beehive & Parliament Buildings
- Wellington Waterfront & Oriental Bay
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
- Old St Paul's
- Pukeahu National War Memorial Park