About our Neighbourhood

Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. It is home to 389,700 residents.

The Wellington urban area is the major population centre of the southern North Island, and is the seat of the Wellington Region – which in addition to the urban area covers the Kapiti Coast and Wairarapa. The urban area includes four cities: Wellington, on the peninsula between Cook Strait and Wellington Harbour, contains the central business district and about half of Wellington's population; Porirua on Porirua Harbour to the north is notable for its large M?ori and Pacific Island communities; Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt are largely suburban areas to the northeast, together known as the Hutt Valley.

There's several reasons why Wellington is of significance to New Zealand, and reasons that it is well known even to non-locals:

  • The Capital, with some noteworthy buildings (such as the Beehive) associated with this
  • Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand; The 'Caketin' sports Stadium on the Waterfroont; the Basin Reserve; The Mount Victoria Tunnel and the Terrace Tunnel
  • Residences built on the side of mountains, and the twisty and steep roads that provide access to these
  • Regarded as the highest-profile Earthquake-prone part of New Zealand, with our capital 'overdue' for a significant Earthquake.
  • Notoriously regarded as 'Windy Wellington', with weather extremes (particularly wind) frequently attention-grabbing. (The wind is persistent and strong enough to drive a Wind Farm to Wellington's west.)

See Wikipedia for lots more information about Wellington and it's surrounds. Much of the above was sourced there.

The Wellington VHF Group draws members from the entire region and beyond, with many members also partaking in their local radio clubs as active participants in the Horowhenua, Kapiti Coast, Porirua, Wellington and Hutt Valley areas.

See also:

Wellington Harbour Webcams - Centreport
Wellington's Weather at the NZ Met Service