Thorndon is Wellington's oldest suburb, immediately north of the central business district. Home to Parliament, the Beehive, the Supreme Court and most of the major government offices.

What is Old St Paul's?

Old St Paul's on Mulgrave Street is a Category 1 listed colonial timber church consecrated in 1866. One of the country's best-preserved heritage churches, open to the public.

What is Premier House?

Premier House on Tinakori Road is the official residence of the Prime Minister of New Zealand. Originally built in 1843 and extensively rebuilt since, it sits in central Thorndon.

How do I get from Wellington CBD to Thorndon?

Thorndon is walking distance from Lambton Quay (5 to 10 minutes). By car, around 5 minutes via Bowen Street or Featherston Street.

What is the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace?

The Katherine Mansfield Birthplace at 25 Tinakori Road is a heritage museum at the writer's birthplace (1888). Open to the public with guided tours.

Which schools are in zone for Thorndon?

Children living in Thorndon are in zone for St Oran's College, Onslow College, Wellington Girls' College, Wellington High School and Com Ed Centre, Wellington College, Thorndon School, Hutt International Boys' School. Living in a school's home zone gives a guaranteed right to enrol.

How do I check my school zone in Thorndon?

Use the School Zone Checker on this page — enter your address to check your school zone and see which schools you have a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Thorndon, Wellington | Schools, Lifestyle & Local Guide

Living in Thorndon

Thorndon is Wellington's oldest European-settled suburb, just north of the central city, where the New Zealand Company set up its administrative headquarters in 1840. It's where the country's government is still headquartered today: Parliament Buildings, the Beehive, the Supreme Court, and most of the major ministerial offices are within a few blocks of each other on Bowen Street and Molesworth Street.

The heritage is dense. Old St Paul's on Mulgrave Street (consecrated 1866) is one of the country's best-preserved colonial timber churches, Category 1 listed and open to the public. Premier House on Tinakori Road is the Prime Minister's official residence. The Katherine Mansfield Birthplace, where the writer was born in 1888, is a small heritage museum on Tinakori Road.

Tinakori Road, running along the western edge, is the main retail strip: cafés, small restaurants, antique shops, a few specialist food stores. Thorndon Quay handles the boats. The Inter-Island ferry terminal sits at the northern end.

Thorndon is mostly Victorian and Edwardian heritage on narrow streets, with a strong community of public servants, journalists and the diplomatic corps. Walking distance to Lambton Quay. Worth a slow afternoon.

Is Thorndon a good place to live?

Thorndon is home to roughly 3,912 people. On Suburb's overall livability scale, Thorndon scores 69 out of 100, with a safety score of 64/100 and 52% green space.

Schools: Thorndon has 39 schools in or near the suburb, spanning early-childhood through to secondary education. See the Schools tab below for the full list.

Housing: The estimated median value is around $1.17M, and weekly rent typically sits around $590.

Lifestyle: Thorndon has cafés, shops and things to do nearby. The current temperature is 8.5°C. See the Weather tab for monthly averages.

Whether Thorndon is right for you depends on what you’re looking for. Use the data and community tips below to decide if it suits your lifestyle, family and budget.

Map

Livability Breakdown

Safety64
Amenities100
Schools93
Housing Affordability32
Green space100
Community56
Transport40

Property & Economics

Est. Median Value: $1.17M
Median Weekly Rent: $590/wk
Median HH Income: $124K/yr
Pop. Growth (5yr): -4.9%
Data Year: 2023

Key Financial Indicators (NZD)

† Est. Median Value is suburb.co.nz's own estimate, modelled from available public data. We aim for accuracy, but where data is limited, estimates may be imprecise.

Nearby Suburbs

Browse all suburbs in Wellington City →

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Thorndon?: Thorndon is Wellington's oldest suburb, immediately north of the central business district. Home to Parliament, the Beehive, the Supreme Court and most of the major government offices.
What is Old St Paul's?: Old St Paul's on Mulgrave Street is a Category 1 listed colonial timber church consecrated in 1866. One of the country's best-preserved heritage churches, open to the public.
What is Premier House?: Premier House on Tinakori Road is the official residence of the Prime Minister of New Zealand. Originally built in 1843 and extensively rebuilt since, it sits in central Thorndon.
How do I get from Wellington CBD to Thorndon?: Thorndon is walking distance from Lambton Quay (5 to 10 minutes). By car, around 5 minutes via Bowen Street or Featherston Street.
What is the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace?: The Katherine Mansfield Birthplace at 25 Tinakori Road is a heritage museum at the writer's birthplace (1888). Open to the public with guided tours.

Schools & Enrolment Zones in Thorndon

Schools in zone for Thorndon

Children living in Thorndon have a guaranteed right to enrol at these schools, based on Ministry of Education home zones.

St Oran's College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · roll 504 · decile 10
Onslow College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1190 · decile 10
Wellington Girls' College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1427 · decile 8
Wellington High School and Com Ed Centre
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1639 · decile 9
Wellington College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1941 · decile 10
Thorndon School
Full Primary · roll 270 · decile 8
Hutt International Boys' School
Secondary (Year 7-15) · roll 653 · decile 10

Check your school zone

School Zone Checker

Enter your address to check your school zone in Thorndon. School enrolment zones (home zones) decide which schools your child has a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Address matching is approximate and based on OpenStreetMap geocoding — confirm an exact result near a zone boundary directly with the school.

Other nearby schools

Schools close to Thorndon that you may be able to enrol at under open enrolment or by application (outside your home zone).

Queen Margaret College
Composite · roll 755 · decile 9 · 0.4 km away
Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu
Correspondence School · roll 8517 · 0.5 km away
St Mary's College (Wellington)
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 562 · decile 8 · 0.7 km away
Sacred Heart Cathedral School
Full Primary · roll 228 · decile 8 · 0.7 km away
Wadestown School
Full Primary · roll 243 · decile 9 · 1.1 km away
Clifton Terrace Model School
Full Primary · roll 71 · decile 8 · 1.5 km away
Crofton Downs Primary School
Contributing · roll 154 · decile 10 · 1.6 km away
Te Ara
Activity Centre · 1.6 km away
Ōtari School
Full Primary · roll 193 · decile 9 · 1.8 km away
Altum Academy
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 1.8 km away
Northland School
Full Primary · roll 214 · decile 7 · 1.9 km away
Kelburn Normal School
Full Primary · roll 270 · decile 10 · 2.3 km away
Ngaio School
Contributing · roll 271 · decile 10 · 2.3 km away
Central Regional Health School
Specialist School · roll 23 · 2.5 km away
St Benedict's School (Khandallah)
Full Primary · roll 209 · decile 10 · 2.5 km away
Te Aro School
Full Primary · roll 210 · decile 4 · 2.7 km away
Roseneath School
Full Primary · roll 73 · decile 9 · 2.9 km away
Cashmere Avenue School
Contributing · roll 302 · decile 10 · 3.0 km away
Clyde Quay School
Full Primary · roll 213 · decile 10 · 3.0 km away
Khandallah School
Contributing · roll 276 · decile 10 · 3.1 km away
Mt Cook School (Wellington)
Full Primary · roll 287 · decile 6 · 3.1 km away
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School
Composite · roll 394 · decile 10 · 3.2 km away
Karori Normal School
Full Primary · roll 590 · decile 9 · 3.3 km away
St Mark's Church School (Mt Victoria)
Full Primary · roll 136 · decile 10 · 3.5 km away
Wellington East Girls' College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1014 · decile 8 · 3.7 km away
Hataitai School
Full Primary · roll 214 · decile 10 · 3.7 km away
St Teresa's School (Karori)
Full Primary · roll 125 · decile 10 · 4.0 km away
Brooklyn School (Wellington)
Full Primary · roll 368 · decile 8 · 4.1 km away
Kilbirnie School
Contributing · roll 204 · decile 10 · 4.5 km away
Newtown School
Contributing · roll 310 · decile 4 · 4.6 km away
St Annes School (Newtown)
Full Primary · roll 215 · decile 5 · 4.6 km away
Raroa Normal Intermediate
Intermediate · roll 525 · decile 9 · 4.7 km away

Explore Thorndon

Things to do(9)

Flow Fitness Thorndon

Magyar Millennium Park

Hungarian Garden

Wellington Bridge Club

Katherine Mansfield Park, Thorndon

Katherine Mansfield Memorial Park

Wellington Chess Club

Thorndon Tennis & Squash Club

Katherine Mansfield Play Area

Parks & green spaces(5)

Magyar Millennium Park

Hungarian Garden

Katherine Mansfield Park, Thorndon

Katherine Mansfield Memorial Park

Katherine Mansfield Play Area

Healthcare(1)

Month	High (°C)	Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm/day)	Sunshine (hrs/day)
☀️ Jan	20.5	14.61	1.68	11.22
☀️ Feb	19.73	14.71	2.21	10.77
🍂 Mar	17.83	12.68	1.9	10.12
🍂 Apr	16.66	11.67	4.58	7.85
🍂 May	14.56	9.77	3.83	6.96
❄️ Jun	13.2	8.2	2.59	6.59
❄️ Jul	12.05	7.35	2.68	6.18
❄️ Aug	11.69	7.29	3.15	7.75
🌸 Sep	13.73	9.23	3.2	8.62
🌸 Oct	14.75	9.68	2.74	10.04
🌸 Nov	16.01	11.24	1.72	10.73
☀️ Dec	18.2	13.39	2.71	10.71

Living in Thorndon

Is Thorndon a good place to live?

Map

Livability Breakdown

Property & Economics

Key Financial Indicators (NZD)

Nearby Suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools & Enrolment Zones in Thorndon

Schools in zone for Thorndon

St Oran's College

Onslow College

Wellington Girls' College

Wellington High School and Com Ed Centre

Wellington College

Thorndon School

Hutt International Boys' School

Check your school zone

School Zone Checker

Other nearby schools

Queen Margaret College

Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu

St Mary's College (Wellington)

Sacred Heart Cathedral School

Wadestown School

Clifton Terrace Model School

Crofton Downs Primary School

Te Ara

Ōtari School

Altum Academy

Northland School

Kelburn Normal School

Ngaio School

Central Regional Health School

St Benedict's School (Khandallah)

Te Aro School

Roseneath School

Cashmere Avenue School

Clyde Quay School

Khandallah School

Mt Cook School (Wellington)

Samuel Marsden Collegiate School

Karori Normal School

St Mark's Church School (Mt Victoria)

Wellington East Girls' College

Hataitai School

St Teresa's School (Karori)

Brooklyn School (Wellington)

Kilbirnie School

Newtown School

St Annes School (Newtown)

Raroa Normal Intermediate

Explore Thorndon

🎯Things to do(9)

Flow Fitness Thorndon

Magyar Millennium Park

Hungarian Garden

Wellington Bridge Club

Katherine Mansfield Park, Thorndon

Katherine Mansfield Memorial Park

Wellington Chess Club

Thorndon Tennis & Squash Club

Katherine Mansfield Play Area

🌳Parks & green spaces(5)

Magyar Millennium Park

Hungarian Garden

Katherine Mansfield Park, Thorndon

Katherine Mansfield Memorial Park

Katherine Mansfield Play Area

🏥Healthcare(1)

Unichem

Eat & Drink in Thorndon

🍽️Places to eat & drink(53)

Mojo Coffee

Wholly Bagels

Goods

Mojo

Cafe Vanilla

Coffee & Toast Eatery

Leafee

Things to do(9)

Parks & green spaces(5)

Healthcare(1)

Places to eat & drink(53)

Tradies & services(10)

Shops(6)

Beauty & fitness(13)