Wellington is well known for windy weather, and has a maritime climate. But they say
you can't beat Wellington on a good day. Prepare for it to be windy, with a chance of rain, but also you're advised to have sun protection! In December, the average temperature high is 19°C (66°F) and low is 13°C (55°F).
Getting here
The nearest airport is
Wellington International airport. This is the only airport in Wellington, and has both domestic and international flights. There are direct flights from Nadi, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Gold Coast. Otherwise, a connecting flight can be found via Auckland or Christchurch. The main airlines with domestic flights are
Air NZ and
Jetstar, but they do codeshare with other providers.
From the airport, one can catch a taxi, shuttle, app-based transport, or bus.
See here for the full range of options. The airport express bus runs every 10-20 minutes depending on the time of day. If catching this bus, the nearest stop to university (and Cumberland house) is "Manners Street at Willis Street". Payment is accepted by cash, or contactless debit or credit card. A slightly cheaper fare applies using a
Snapper card (more details below).
More details are also
available here.
Travelling from overseas
Most Australian citizens don’t need a visa to enter (unless you have a criminal record or if you've been deported from any country).
Otherwise, you'll need an
NZeTA (if from
one of these countries), or a
visa.
Getting around
Wellington is a very walkable city, so long as you don't mind going up and down a few hills. The bus network is part of
Metlink, so timetables and routes can be found at their website. Alternatively, you can plan your route using
Google Maps. If planning to travel by bus, you can pay by cash, but it may be cheaper to get a
Snapper card. A Snapper card costs $10, but when used, you get reduced fares. A Snapper card can be purchased
at various locations around Wellington. Once purchased, load it with money (using the app or at
a kiosk or retailer), and use it to tap on and tap off when you use the bus.
At VUW
The conference will be at the
Kelburn campus of VUW. The plenary talks will be in Maclaurin lecture theatre 101 (MCLT101), with parallel sessions in MCLT102 and LBLT118. Registration, and morning and afternoon teas will take place in Maclaurin, just outside MCLT101 and MCLT102. These are annotated on
this map (in red), along with a walking route from Cumberland house (in blue).
Food and drink
For the full range of food and drink options available at the VUW Kelburn campus,
see here. In particular, we recommend the following.
For coffee:
- Swimsuit. Great coffee and some snacks.
- The Lab. Range of drinks and food available.
For food:
- Krishna. $8 lunch available. Vegan. Kirk building, near the overbridge.
- Milk and Honey. This cafe is intended for staff and postgraduate students (and their guests) only. Great views over Wellington. Level 1, Rankine Brown Building
- Nam-D. Vietnamese street food. At the hub.
- Maki Mono. Sushi and some other Japanese cuisine. Level 2, Easterfield Building, 7.30 am – 5 pm.
- Subway. Open 7am - 8pm, Monday - Friday. Ground floor, Easterfield Building, adjacent to the main Kelburn Parade entrance.
Security
If you need security assistance on campus, or in an emergency, you can contact
campus security on 0800 842 8888. In NZ, you can contact emergency services by dialling 111.
Wifi
You can access wifi using eduroam (if your institution supports it), or you can use the
VUWguest wireless network.
