Wellington City

You can’t beat Wellington on a good day, as everyone here will remind you, carefully not mentioning the wind on the other 200. The capital packs more cafes, craft beer and decent coffee per head than anywhere, all crammed onto hills around a harbour, with Te Papa, the cable car and Cuba Street holding it together.

It’s compact, walkable and properly characterful, a city of villagey suburbs clinging to slopes with harbour views that almost make the southerly worth it. The trade-off is the housing: small sections, steep streets and prices that have never been gentle. But for culture, community and life without a car, it’s hard to top.

There are 106 suburbs across the city. This page puts them together so you can compare properly: who lives where, what you’ll pay, how the schools sit, and which spots are an easy walk to town versus a hill climb.

Coffee, culture and a harbour worth the wind. Pick a suburb and have a proper look.