This is the capitol of New Zealand and a city rich in local culture and film. At the beautiful harbor, the Te Papa museum houses national historic artifacts, while nearby in the mountain boroughs, film studios abound which had flourished during the making of the Lord of Rings series and now continue on with the Hobbit. My visit in November 2012 coincided with the global premiere of the latter film and so the city was lined with red carpets and a big sign at the airport read “Welcome to the Middle of Middle Earth”.

Since the area is full of hills, it’s easy to catch great views and overlooks, and there are also many picturesque government buildings. Mind the weather though as it surely lives up to its nick name “Windy Welly”.