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What hidden tales lie buried beneath?
Pirate Grave, Portland
The museum, designed to look like a manuscript.
Etihad Museum
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Base of the Column of Arcadius
Abington Friends Meeting House.
Abington Friends Meeting House
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The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
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The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
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The Codex Gigas (the Devil’s Bible) open to the portrait of the devil.
Codex Gigas: Who Drew the Devil in This Massive Medieval Bible?
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USDA and Washington State agriculture officials tagged this Asian giant hornet. Sept. 10, 2021.
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The exterior of the Hall of Records.
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Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
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All New Zealand Wellington

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Wellington

27 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Wellington, New Zealand

Updated January 22, 2025

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Unusual Attractions in Wellington

Wellington, New Zealand

Colossal Squid

The world's only complete colossal squid specimen is on display at the Te Papa Museum.
Troll & Hobbit Door

Wellington, New Zealand

Weta Cave

Inside this faux cave, visitors can learn how some of their favorite fantasy characters were created.
Mrs Chippy, resting on Harry McNeish’s grave.

Wellington, New Zealand

Mrs. Chippy Monument

A bronze kitty adorns the grave of the polar explorer who brought the original feline to the Antarctic.
Wrights Hill Fortress

Wellington, New Zealand

Wrights Hill Fortress

Anyone wanting to know what a dwarven mine sounds like need only visit the tunnels of this New Zealand artillery compound.
Wellington Cable Car.

Wellington, New Zealand

Wellington Cable Car

New Zealand's only running funicular railway.
Quasi, seen at his former home on top of the Christchurch Art Gallery Building.

Wellington, New Zealand

Quasi

The 16-foot sculpture of a hand looks out from his perch on top of an art gallery.
The MONIAC at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s Museum and Education Centre

Wellington, New Zealand

Moniac Machine

A strange machine made to evaluate the world economy using water and lots of tubes.
The clock when closed. The top opens to reveal an animated scene.

Wellington, New Zealand

Old Bank Arcade Animated Musical Clock

A charmingly old-fashioned reminder of the historic building's former life.
See All 27 Things To Do in Wellington

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Wellington

Permanently Closed

Wellington, New Zealand

Hiakai

This fine-dining restaurant features native New Zealand ingredients and Māori cooking.
In partnership with KAYAK

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Wild New Zealand: Exploring the North & South Islands

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Explore Wellington, New Zealand

A
27
Animals 4
Botanical Gardens 3
Public Art 3
Sculptures 3
Fountains 2
Monuments 2
Memorials 2
Houses 2
Literature 2
Architectural Oddities 2
Archaeology 2
Banks 2

Wellington Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. tattarattat
    14
  2. cathynz
    1
  3. Gavin
    1
  4. Rob T
    1
  5. sandwichgirl
    1
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Places Edited

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    9
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    4
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    3
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    2
  5. linkogecko
    2

Places Visited

  1. DawnC
    25
  2. Explorer 1
    25
  3. Explorer2
    25
  4. Esbuahcampur
    21
  5. Ursa
    20
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Visit a place in Wellington.

Recent Wellington Activity

  • selfcallednowhere

    wants to go to Quasi

    6 days ago
  • assuncaoandrew

    has been to Wellington Cable Car

    5 days ago
  • elmcauliffe

    wants to go to Moniac Machine

    4 days ago
  • elmcauliffe

    wants to go to Lobster Loos

    4 days ago
  • elmcauliffe

    wants to go to The Castle on Hawkin's Hill

    4 days ago

Stories About Wellington

This dessert from Hiakai features pears poached in manono tree bark with horopito (pepper tree) ice cream and almond “soil” made of toasted almonds and crushed biscuits.

Feast on This Guide to Modern Māori Cooking

A groundbreaking book celebrates New Zealand's indigenous cuisine.
by Reina Gattuso
January 28, 2021
During a 2012 restitution ceremony at Quai Branly museum in Paris, black fabric and silver fern leaves cover 20 preserved Maori heads.

Trapped in Museums for Centuries, Maori Ancestors Are Coming Home

New Zealand’s repatriation program brings human remains back and lays them to rest.
by Ye Charlotte Ming
January 14, 2021

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