The Capital City of Wellington

The city of Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is the second largest urban area in the country. Wellington is located at the southern tip of North Island. Auckland was the original capital city of New Zealand but was switched to Wellington in 1865 when it was decided the city was more suitable a place because of its central location and access to the harbor.

The capital city is named after the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, whose title came from a town in the England’s county of Somerset called Wellington. In the Maori language, Wellington is known as Te Whanganui-A-Tara (“the great harbor of Tara”).

Settlement of Wellington started with the advent of the passengers of the Tory ship that arrived in September 1839. In January 1840, one hundred and fifty more passengers from the Aurora arrived in Wellington. The early settlers built homes along the Hutt River, but due to the flooding and marshy land, the people began moving into the hillier sections of the city.

Wellington is dominated by the Central Business District. The area employs over 62,000 people and has the highest average income of an urban area of New Zealand. The city of Wellington was ranked 12th in a 2006 study of cities having the best quality of living. The capital city accommodates the Parliament and all of the government offices and departments. The majority of foreign diplomatic missions based in New Zealand are found in Wellington. There is a large nightlife that is centered around Courtenay Place, and the cultural and arts scene is plentiful as well. The suburb of Te Aro is the biggest entertainment area in New Zealand. Wellington is the epicenter of the country’s film industry and theater district. It is the home of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the International Festival of the Arts and the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

Wellington is recognized for having a quaint harbor area and appreciated for its hillsides of green and spotted with villas. There are many areas of the city that have been preserved as national parks and forests. However, the harbor lies along an active geological fault line, causing the suburban areas to rise above the city’s center and the Wellington area experiences a high level of seismic activity. There are reports of several earthquakes that happen around the urban area every year. In 1855 an earthquake occurred on the fault line to the north east of the city and was recorded as measuring on the Richter Scale as an 8.2. It is the largest registered earthquake in New Zealand’s history. After this earthquake, buildings were crafted out of lumber. Today the government buildings near Parliament and the Railway Station are the largest wooden buildings in the Southern Hemisphere. Wood framing is still the primary form of house construction today.

Some natives of Wellingtons have hit it big in the film industry. Actors like Russell Crowe, directors Jane Champion and Peter Jackson have all brought attention to Wellington in recent years. In particular, Peter Jackson has established a film empire in the suburban area of Miramar. Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong, have enabled film industry related businesses to operate and thrive in New Zealand. The term “Wellywood” has also been coined to reference the success of the New Zealand film industry.