Are you looking for something to do in Wellington and the day is gloomy? Well, I am here to help with 18 fun things you can do
Often on rainy days, all I want to do is just want to stay indoors, watch Netflix and do little else. But when there are a lot of rainy days (which there can be in Wellington) I really need to get out of the house and find something fun to do. When the weather isn’t great this can often lead to whiling away some time sitting in cafes, but sometimes I prefer to look for something to do that saves money. Thats why I have compiled this list of things you can do in Wellington on a rainy day that are all completely FREE!
Whether you like puppies, pool or politics, there is something for everyone. Plus, you can also do these things, even if its not raining, so here goes…
Free Things to do in Wellington on a Rainy Day
1. Go to Te Papa
Where: Te Papa, 55 Cable St, Te Aro, Wellington 6011
Te Papa is the crown jewel of Wellington. I could spend a whole day wandering around the exhibitions and and not be bored. It is hard to believe it is free. Wander around the exhibits and see everything from the giant squid to the shaky earthquake house to the art collection. My personal favorite thing to see is the movie My Place on the second floor, following a few New Zealanders as they discuss their connection with the land. It is beautiful, warm, cosy and free: great for a rainy day!
2. Wander the Cuba Street Galleries
Where: Cuba Street, Te Aro
Cuba Street is a little independent gallery mecca, you can wander through Suite, Peter Mcleavey, Enjoy, Matchbox Studios, Thistle Hall and the many others, to discover the artistic delights that Wellington has to offer.
As I personally sometimes volunteer at Enjoy, and I would say it is a must for any art lover. An independent, non commercial space showcasing emerging artists local and international. Enjoy have a new exhibition every month and it always cutting edge and interesting. It doesn’t take too long so go ahead and pop in and have look.
3. Take a free tour of Parliament
Where: Molesworth St, Pipitea, Wellington 6011
Is politics/buildings/histgory your thing? Public tours of Parliament run between 10am and 4pm daily and they are of varying lengths. The tour will take you through various points of interest within the building such as the Debating Chamber, the Grand Hall and the Banquet Hall. There is also an Art Tour on specific days too, for those interested.
Bookings may be advisable in the busy peak times, so check out the information HERE
4. Visit the Library
Where: 65 Victoria Street, Te Aro
As the Wellington City Library is right in the center of town, it is a really great place to spend a few hours sheltering. You can browse the books or movies, and sometimes there are talks and free movie showings too. Even if you just need a half hour shelter from the rain, you can sit on the floor and drool over the massive cook book collection. Highly recommended!
5. Take a look at The Cable Car Museum
Where: 1A Upland Rd, Kelburn, Wellington 6012
If its raining, take the cable car up to the Cable Car Museum at the top of the Botanical Gardens. The museum tells all about the history of Wellington’s most famous form of transport and its also free! Plus, the view of Wellington from here on a gloomy day can be pretty spectacular.
6. Check out the Petone Settler Museum
Where: Petone, Lower Hutt 5012
This one requires a bit of a drive out of Wellington centre to Petone, but it is well worth it to learn some more about the history of the area and in a pretty cool spot on Petone Beach. Especially if the weather is bad, feel that wind howling and roaring and imagine what it was like for the people arriving way back then.
7. Visit the Weta Cave
Where: 1 Weka St, Miramar, Wellington 6022
Tours of the Weta Workshop are not free, BUT if you are around Mirimar, you can easily check out the Weta Cave store for all things Lord of the Rings and more. There are life-size models and artifacts and you can take some selfies if that floats your boat.
8. Try City Gallery and/or their events
Where: 101 Wakefield St, Wellington, 6011
City Gallery is Wellington’s biggest public gallery and often has free exhibitions and events you can attend, day and night. Apart from their ongoing art programme, they have a series of late night openings on the first Thursday of every month, which are really fun and best of all FREE. Check out the calendar here: City Gallery Events.
9. See a Free Lunchtime Concert
A variety of Wellington venues offer free lunchtime concerts in a range of musical of genres. Turn up and listen to some quality local musicians for FREE. Highlights are:
The Historic St Pauls Church events, Every Tuesday throughout winter.
The New Zealand School of Music, Friday lunchtime concerts
10. Get involved at The Island Bay Marine Education Centre (Sundays)
Where: 212 The Esplanade, Island Bay, Wellington
Every Sunday the Island Bay Marine Centre holds a free open day between 10 and 3. Guests can come and check out whats been going on at the Aquarium and have a look at the marine life. This one is particularly good for kids, and big kids!
11. Visit the SPCA in Newtown
Where: 140 Alexandra Road, Newtown, Wellington 6021, New Zealand
Based in Newtown the SPCA is the Wellington animal rescue and rehab center and holds their adoption and veterinary center. SPCA is open daily between 10am and 4pm. You can go to visit the puppies and kittens and see whether you could adopt or foster one.
12. Go to a Pub Quiz
More of a night time activity, but definitely one for a rainy evening. You can go to numerous quizzes in Wellington, and many of them are to quite a high standard with video and special quiz sheets! The following are my tried and tested recommendations. Of course you need to buy a drink or 2, but at least the quiz is free!
The Greenman- Mondays from 7
The Southern Cross – Music Quiz – Tuesdays from 7
The Residence – Wednesdays from 7
13. Listen to some local music at Sofar Sounds
I talked about Sofar Sounds in my post August in Wellington Highlights as it is one of my favorite social enterprises in the world. It happens all over the globe, but also here in Wellington, and it is FREE (By donation).
Sofar Sounds is intimate secret gigs in the living rooms of the world with between 3 and 4 great artists playing each time. They are super super awesome, so see if there is one happening while you are in Wellington: Sofar Sounds Wellington.
14. Play pool at The Grand (Mondays)
Where: 69 Courtenay Place, Wellington 6011
On Mondays, pool at The Grand on Courtney Place is free, so you can go and play until your hearts content! You’ll probably end up buying a beer or two, but hey, the pool is free!
15. Watch a film at Nga Taonga Sound & Vision Film Archive
Where: 84 Taranaki St, Te Aro, Wellington 6011 (Near Cuba Street)
Nga Taonga Sound and Vision are a charitable trust who collect, share and care for New Zealand’s audio visual archives. Part of their work is to provide a public programme of film showings for all new Zealanders and much of this programme is free (click the title to see what is on). Head down for a free movie viewing and a true experience of New Zealand cinematic landscape.
16. Get some history at Wellington Museum
Where: 3 Jervois Quay (Waterfront)
Go spend some time in the Wellington Museum which tells the stories of the Wellington region. All housed within the beautiful 1892 heritage building designed by leading architect Frederick de Jersey Clere. Right on the waterfront and completely FREE this is well worth a stop over to experience the history of Windy Welly!
17. See some new faces at New Zealand Portrait Gallery
Where: 11 Customhouse Quay, Wellington, 6011 (Waterfront)
Home to a growing collection of portraits, the New Zealand Portrait Gallery includes painting, sculpture, caricature, photography and new media. Situated on the waterfront, it is well worth making this part of a gallery crawl.
18. Soak up more culture at New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts
Where: 1 Queens Wharf, Wellington, NZ (Waterfront)
Another cultural stop on your Waterfront walk, The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts is one of my favorite galleries in Wellington. They house regular exhibitions featuring new work from established and emerging artists throughout New Zealand are held in the Academy’s architectural award-winning galleries. A lot of the work is for sale, by emerging artists and of a really high quality.
If you love art, this comes highly recommended for your rainy day in Wellington!
So there you have it. I hope this gives you some good ideas for things you can do to get out there even when the weather isn’t great, or just some things you can do in Wellington generally.
A lot of them you can do in one day and they are all worth it, so choose what interests you and enjoy!!
If you have any more tips for free things to do that I have missd, do comment below. And coming soon… Free things to do in Wellington on a Sunny day, so watch out for that too!
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Thanks so much for reading and come back soon!
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Josie x
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