Wellington Waterfront to Miramar
The route between the Wellington Waterfront and the Miramar wharf follows the award-winning Tahitai separated walking and shared paths, taking you along a number of lovely bays. This is one of Wellington’s most scenic and accessible urban walks and rides, suitable for all ages and abilities. Cobham Drive is the last section before Miramar wharf and has a number of interesting wind sculptures.
Distance: 10Km
🚶 Average walking time: 1½–2 hours
🚲 Average cycling time: 30 – 45 minutes
Surface: sealed paths
Route Map
This route can be started at the Wellington waterfront or from the Miramar Wharf (or started from or ended at the Wellington Airport using the feeder route described further below).
Typical starting point is Queens Wharf (directions)
10 kilometres distance
🚶 1½ to 2 hours to walk. Shared and separated paths
🚲 Up to 45 minutes to bike. Shared and separated path
⛰ No hills
🚌 Easy bus access
☕ Various cafes
🚻 Good toilet and water facilities
Various swimming beaches
Route Sections
(To be completed)
You can start or finish this 2km section at any point. The Wellington Waterfront Walk is very popular so just follow the crowds. It is a shared pathway so people on bikes and scooters need to slow down and give priority to walkers and be mindful of kids and dogs in particular.
This route along the waterfront is also known as Ara Moana (the path of the water). And part of it is also the Wellington Writer’s Walk, which has a number of sculptures.
2 kilometers
🚶 30 minutes to walk. Shared path
🚲 10 minutes to bike. Shared path.
⛰ No hills
🚌 Easy bus access
☕ Various cafes
🚻 Good toilet and water facilities
Te Papa
New Zealand’s national museum offers a huge range of things to see and experience. A must do
Wellington Museum
The museum has four floors covering the history of Wellington
NZ Portrait Gallery
The New Zealand Portrait Gallery / Te Pūkenga Whakaata tell the stories of New Zealanders through the art of portraiture.
NZ Academy of Fine Arts
Right next to the Wellington Museum, this gallery has a display of NZ artwork from contemporary artists
Māori Arts Gallery
A Māori-owned, family-run small business proud to promote both traditional and contemporary Māori arts
Te Wharewaka o Pōneke
“The waka house of Wellington” is an award-winning building and houses a beautifully carved single hull waka (Māori canoe).
Ngā Kina sculpture
These Kina seashell forms relate to the mounds of the old Kumutoto Pa (Māori village) that was located here
Whairepo lagoon
A man-made lagoon popular with rowers but also stingrays that can be seen gliding through the water
Solace in the wind sculpture
Also known as the Naked Man, depicting a figure leaning into the sea and the city’s strong winds
Wellington sign
Be the “i” in Wellington. A popular place to have your photo taken at this colourful sculpture
A range of different tours provide a wonderful indigenous Māori cultural experience for visitors to Te Whanganui-ā-Tara (Wellington)
A free, self-guided typographical tour featuring 23 sculptural quotations from famous New Zealand authors embedded along the waterfront
Black Dorris cafe
24 Lady Elizabeth Lane
Google reviews: 4.4 stars
Price per person: $20-30
Hours: 7am-3:30 (not Sunday)
Shipwreck cafe
39 Jervois Quay
Google reviews: 4.7 stars
Price per person: $20-30
Hours: 10am-4pm (not Sunday)
Raglan Roast
Chaffers Dock, 22 Herd Street
Google reviews: 4.6 stars
Price per person: $1-10
Hours: 8am-5pm
| Bus | The Wellington central bus station is a short walk from the north end of the harbour front (by the Bluebridge Ferry terminal). Cross to the railway station and use the underpass from within the station to get to the bus station. There are bus stops at the corner of Cable Street and Oriental Parade; a short walk from Herd Street. |
| Train | The Wellington railway station is a short walk from the north end of the harbour front (by the Bluebridge Ferry terminal). |
| Ferry | You can catch the East by West ferry to Eastbourne from Queens Wharf. |
This section of the Wellington Waterfront to Miramar Wharf route follows the beautiful scenic Tahitai path from Oriental Bay to Evans Bay. Tahitai is the Māori name for “one tide, one journey”. Bring your swimming gear if the weather is nice as there’s some lovely beaches along the way.
6 kilometers
🚶 1-1½ hour to walk. Separated footpath
🚲 25 minutes to bike. Separated bi-directional cycle path.
Various swimming beaches
⛰ No hills
🚌 Easy bus access
☕ Various cafes
🚻 Good toilet and water facilities
Oriental Bay Beach
A very popular beach, close to the city. The golden sand gets shipped in from Golden Bay each summer.
Balaena Bay Beach
Large sandy beach and shelter make this a popular beach. The shallow water makes it safe for kids
Hataitai Beach
A small but sheltered picturesque gravel beach that gently grades into sandy Evans Bay.
Beach Babylon cafe
232 Oriental Parade, Oriental Bay
Google reviews: 4.3 stars
Price per person: $20-30
Hours: 8am – 8pm
Uncle Leo’s French Bakery
305 Evans Bay Parade, Hataitai
Google reviews: 4.9 stars
Price per person: $20-30
Hours: 8am-3pm
Greta Cafe
32 Evans Bay Parade, Hataitai
Google reviews: 4.7 stars
Price per person: $20-30
Hours: 7:30am-4pm
Bus
To get to the start of this, the #14 or #24 bus can drop you off at stop 7514 at the beginning of Oriental Parade.
To get back to the city get the #24 bus at stop 6552 at the end of Evans Bay Parade, just before Cobham Drive.
This short section follows Cobham Drive from Evans Bay to Miramar Wharf. Check out the wind sculptures along the way. And keep your eyes open for dolphins and orcas in the bay.
1½ kilometers
🚶 15 to 20 minutes to walk. Separated footpath
🚲 Up to 10 minutes to bike. Separated bi-directional cycle path.
⛰ No hills
🚌 Easy bus access
☕ No cafes
🚻 No and water facilities
Zephyrometer
The dynamic mast-like structure graphically marks out the strength and direction of the prevailing wind with an elegant swaying motion.
Artist: Phil Price
Akau Tangi
Migrating into or out of the sea this sculpture has windsock and birdlike associations. The cones light with wind power, swivel with wind direction and spin with wind speed.
Artist: Phil Dadson
Tower of Light
Tower of Light is a machine that uses the wind speed and converts that into light using very simple technology. The stronger the wind speed the more neon rings are lit.
Artist: Andrew Drummond
Bus
#24 bus gets you to stop 6552 at the end of the Evans Bay Parade, just before Cobham Drive
#4, #2, and #18 buses get you from stop 7080 along Miramar Avenue, close to Miramar Wharf, back to the city
This map shows the walking and cycling route between Wellington Airport and Cobham Drive, where it connects with the Great Harbour Way. You’ll have the excitement of crossing the airport runway, but luckily using the underpass.
2½ kilometers
🚶 30 to 40 minutes to walk. Separated footpath
🚲 Up to 15 minutes to bike. Shared path underneath the airport runway. On road cycling after that.