Brewtown is a one-stop hub of craft beer, delicious food and entertainment. Along with four breweries and a boutique distillery, you’ll find a huge entertainment centre. Here you can play mini-golf, go ice skating, or challenge your friends to a game of ten-pin bowling. There’s something here for all ages. If you want to pump up the adrenalin, there’s also cart racing, an escape room experience, axe-throwing and more.
Nestled in the Hutt Valley’s beautiful Akatarawa Valley, Staglands Wildlife Reserve offers a rare opportunity to interact with the local fauna on its own terms. Here, 10 hectares of bush, farmland and wetlands have been sensitively cultivated into an idyllic home for some of New Zealand’s endangered species. This natural and genuine experience blends tourism, conservation, and education into a great experience for all.
This contemporary art institution focuses on collecting and exhibiting studio craft, including ceramics, textiles, weaving, photography, and graphics. The museum has carved out a niche in the applied arts world and now has one of the largest collections of its kind in New Zealand with more than 3,500 objects. It’s considered a pioneer in the presentation of art forms underrepresented and underappreciated in the mainstream art world.
Explore the mighty waters of the Te Awa Kairangi Hutt River with Wellington Rafting.
With multiple outdoor experiences on offer, you can choose from a gentle paddle on the river or thrilling white water adventures. Each experience takes you deep into the heart of the Hutt Valley wilderness. You’ll get close to nature and see idyllic scenery.
Made up of a skilled group of guides and adventure-seekers, the Wellington Rafting team has years of experience. So, you’re always in safe hands. They’ll guide you through exciting white water while you take in riverside scenery and untouched native bush.
A vibrant arts centre in the middle of Upper Hutt, Whirinaki Whare Taonga is a cultural, history, and entertainment hub. This expansive space is home to five galleries, a huge recreation hall, and an on-site café.
The galleries are always full with a changing programme of exhibitions. In the theatre, live performances, music, film, and dance keep Whirinaki Whare Taonga buzzing all year round. You can see everything from a local photographic exposé to contemporary dance.
The huge recreation hall is home to many sporting and cultural events and is available for hire.
Set in five hectares of magical gardens, Aston Norwood is home to boutique accommodation, a quaint café, and garden centre.
Best known for its cherry blossom trees, every spring Aston Norwood bursts into life as ‘Blossom Valley’. Thousands of visitors flock here to stroll through the gardens under a canopy of candy-floss pink cherry trees.
With fresh scenery every season, you can visit Aston Norwood all year round. The idyllic gardens offer a peaceful spot to unpack a picnic, or you can enjoy high tea in the café overlooking the grounds.
Wildfinder helps you with the equipment and information you need to explore the Hutt Valley’s great outdoors. Located in Eastbourne and Kaitoke, Wildfinder is stationed at the starting point of some of the region’s most popular trails. You can hire bikes and accessories, book shuttle transportation, and get all the advice you need for a day of adventuring.
A third location in Days Bay hires out kayaks and paddleboards so you can explore on the water. If you want to create a memorable multi-day experience, the friendly team can help.
Tucked under the bush-clad Belmont Hills, Percy Scenic Reserve offers a peaceful escape from the bustle of the city. There’s lots to discover in this expansive reserve. Surrounded by native bush and a stream, several manicured lawns make the perfect place to stop for a picnic. The duck pond will provide entertainment for the kids. From here, you can explore a dark cave full of giant wētā, spot eels in the creek, or relax by the duck pond and be serenaded by cheeky tūī and kererū. A series of short bush trails will take you to a secluded park and a beautiful waterfall.
The Petone Settlers Museum tells the stories of the people who have made Petone their home. Inside, you’ll find small exhibitions that focus on different historical and cultural aspects of settlement in the area. Knowledgeable hosts share Petone’s early settler stories. Learn about the impacts of industrialisation, cultural change, and Petone’s journey to becoming a thriving suburb.
The museum is housed in one of New Zealand’s most significant memorial buildings. It commemorates the place where New Zealand’s first European settlers came ashore in 1840. Before becoming a museum, it served as a bathing pavilion for Petone beach-goers.