The prevailing northerly winds have been the reason that most dive sites can be found in the southern, more sheltered bays, of Wellington. Especially Island Bay, Owhiro, Mana Island and Kapiti Island offer some excellent and world renowned dive sites. This far south you can find colonies of resident fur seals, penguins and even sea lions. As a diver, consider yourself extremely lucky if you encounter one while diving. The visibilities often hover between 5 and 15 meter near shore up to 30 meters while diving on one of the offshore islands in front of the coast. Temperatures swing between 10 and 18 degrees.

The capital Wellington houses more than 300.000 inhabitants and is after Auckland the second biggest city in New Zealand. Wellington is bordered by golden beaches of the Kapiti Coast to the north and the Rimutaka Range in the east. It is the most southern capital in the world and separates New Zealand's north island from its South Island by a narrow passage called Cook Strait. Wellington itself is a great town with a phenomenal harbor. Visit Queens Wharf with all its picturesque wooden houses or walk to Oriental Bay which is one of the best places to take a swim. You can also catch the cable car up to the Botanic Garden or walk to the top of Mount Victoria and enjoy the panoramas of Cook Strait and Wellington. There is some excellent nightlife with plenty of classic bars and pubs to choose from. Also dining in the Courtenay or Cuba quarters are some of most visitor's highlights. In the region you can visit Kaitoke Regional Park, Rimutaka Forest Park, Karori Wildlife Sanctuary and Red Rocks Reserve. Whatever you do, enjoy this nice town and try to visit one of the remote islands for some excellent scuba diving.