This popular agricultural theme park features live sheep shows where you can watch sheep shearing demonstrations, sheep auctions and sheep dog trials. There’s also the opportunity to milk a cow on stage. The whole show is pretty touristy and doesn’t appeal much to backpackers, but the Agrodome complex is also home to several more backpacker-focused activities that include bungy jumping, jet boating, swoop ride and zorbing.
Agrodome
Wellington railway station
Wellington railway station has trains to Auckland, Masterton and Palmerston North and it is also the terminus for Wellington’s suburban rail network.
Long-distance trains using this station include the Capital Connection, Northern Explorer and Wairarapa Connection. The Northern Explorer has three services a week to Auckland with stops in Paraparaumu, Palmerston North, Ohakune, National Park, Otorohanga and Hamilton. The Capital Connection is a daily service to Palmerston North and the Wairarapa Connection operates five services a day to Masterton (six on Fridays, but only two services on Saturday and Sundays).
Suburban services are much more frequent with trains on most lines running every half hour. The most popular services for most visitors to Wellington is the Kapiti line for destinations on the Kapiti Coast including Plimmerton, Paekakariki and Paraparaumu.
Station facilities include a relatively expensive New World supermarket. Local buses stop at the bus station on Lambton Quay at the western edge of the station and long-distance InterCity coaches stop outside platform 9. ManaBus coaches to Auckland stop on Bunny Street across the road from the park at the front of the station.
In 2009 Wellington railway station was used as a location for filming an advertisement for The Trainline.
Wellington railway station is located on Bunny Street at the northeastern edge of the city centre. The closest backpackers hostel is Hotel Waterloo & Backpackers.
Wellington International Airport (WLG)
Wellington International Airport (WLG) is a great airport to fly from – it’s only 6km from the city centre, it’s newly renovated and it is small enough to make checking in a breeze. It is New Zealand’s third-busiest airport, after Auckland and Christchurch, and has flights to most destinations in New Zealand plus international flights to Australia, Fiji and Singapore.
Air Chathams fly to the Chatham Islands; Air New Zealand fly to Auckland, Blenheim, Christchurch, Dunedin, Gisborne, Hamilton, Invercargill, Melbourne, Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Queenstown, Rotorua, Sydney, Tauranga and Timaru; Fiji Airways fly to Nadi; Golden Bay Air fly to Karamea and Takaka; Jetstar fly to Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Gold Coast, Nelson and Queenstown; Qantas fly to Melbourne and Sydney; Singapore Airlines fly to Melbourne and Singapore; Sounds Air fly to Blenheim, Nelson, Picton, Taupo and Westport and Virgin Australia fly to Brisbane.
Many backpackers fly to the South Island from Wellington as an alternative to taking the ferry. There are a couple of options including Air Zealand flights to Blenheim or Nelson and Sounds Air flights from Wellington to Blenheim, Nelson or Picton.
For a small airport, Wellington International Airport has a good choice of places to eat and drink while waiting for your flight, although the best spot (assuming you don’t have access to the business class lounges) is the upstairs seating above Mojo Coffee. Not many people spot the stairs to the left of the coffee bar that lead to an oasis of calm in an otherwise busy airport terminal.
Bus route 91 (the Airport Flyer) runs between the airport and Wellington city centre every 20 minutes. This is a semi-express service that is more expensive that other Wellington bus routes with a $9 one-way fare between the airport and the city centre. A cheaper option ($5) involves taking bus 11 (or night bus N2) to the corner of Broadway and Hobart Street, around an eight-minute walk from the airport terminal.
Taihape InterCity coach stop
InterCity Coachlines coaches stop in Taihape on their Auckland–Wellington and Tauranga–Wellington routes.
The bus and coach stop is opposite the BP service station on Kuku Street.
Palmerston North bus and coach stop
InterCity Coachlines stop in Palmerston North on their Auckland–Wellington, Gisborne–Wellington, Napier–Wellington, New Plymouth–Wellington, Palmerston North–Auckland, Tauranga–Wellington and Whanganui–Wellington routes. ManaBus coaches also stop here en route between Auckland and Wellington.
This gives Palmerston North direct coach connections with Auckland, Gisborne, Hamilton, Hastings, Napier, Ohakune, National Park, New Plymouth, Rotorua, Taupo, Wanganui and Wellington.
InterCity services (except overnight services on the Auckland–Wellington route) stop outside the i-SITE Visitor Information Centre in The Square carpark.
ManaBus and InterCity overnight services between Auckland and Wellington stop outside the courthouse on Main Street, just a short walk from the daytime coach stop.
Palmerston North Airport (PMR)
Palmerston North Airport (PMR) has domestic flights to Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, Nelson and Wellington.
The airport is only 5km northeast of the city centre. The local Feilding–Palmerston North bus stops at the airport, stopping every 30–40 minutes, and Super Shuttle run minibuses meeting all flights.
Wanganui InterCity coach stop
InterCity Coachlines has direct bus and coach services to Auckland, Hamilton, National Park, New Plymouth, Ohakune, Palmerston North, Waitomo Caves and Wellington.
InterCity coaches stop at the Travel Centre at 156 Ridgway Street, south of Wanganui town centre.
Ohakune InterCity coach stop
InterCity Coachlines stop in Ohakune en route between Auckland and Palmerston North with direct coach services connecting Ohakune with Auckland, Hamilton, National Park, Palmerston North and Waitomo Caves.
InterCity coaches stop at the bus and coach stop outside the Hello World travel agency at 27 Clyde Street.
National Park Village InterCity coach stop
InterCity Coachlines stop in National Park Village en route between Auckland and Palmerston North. This service means that National Park has direct coach connections to Auckland, Hamilton, Ohakune, Palmerston North and Waitomo Caves.
Coaches stop at the bus and coach stop outside the Station Cafe next to National Park railway station.
Hawera bus and coach stop
InterCity Coachlines stop in Hawera en route between Wellington and New Plymouth with direct coach services to New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Paraparaumu, Stratford, Wanganui and Wellington.
Hawera is also served by the Connector bus, which goes to New Plymouth (via Stratford) several times per day.
Buses and coaches stop on High Street outside the i-SITE Visitor Information Centre.