Introduction
The capital and chief commercial center of New Zealand is Wellington. Located on the southern tip of North Island, it lies on the shores and hills surrounding Port Nicholson, an almost landlocked bay that is said to be one of the world's finest harbors. Mount Victoria rises 643 feet (196 meters) near the center of the city.
Places of interest
Notable sites in Wellington include the National Art Gallery, the Dominion Museum, the Parliament buildings, the town hall, the central library, and the Victoria University of Wellington, founded in 1899. An Anglican cathedral, the War Memorial Carillon, and a zoo are also popular tourist attractions. The 19th-century Old Government Building is said to be one of the world's largest wooden structures. Wellington is home to the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. It also has some fine theaters and hosts an international arts festival.
Economy
Wellington has a large variety of industries, rail yards, shipyards, and petroleum-storage depots. It is also the end point of the natural gas pipeline from the Kapuni field, located in the western part of North Island. Factories in the city produce clothing, footwear, transportation equipment, machinery, metal products, textiles, printed materials, processed foods, chemicals, soap, and rubber goods. The city exports frozen meats, newsprint, dairy products, wool, and hides. The capital also is a center of banking and finance and houses the central offices of the government.
History
A Polynesian explorer named Kupe is credited with the discovery of the site in the 10th century. Many years later, in 1839, a officials from the New Zealand Company arrived in the area. The British company was set up to establish a colony on New Zealand, and the officials selected a site near what is now Wellington for the company's first settlement. The site chosen at the mouth of the Hutt River proved unsuitable, and a move was made to Lambton Harbor on the west shore. In 1840 the settlement was named after Britain's first duke of Wellington in recognition of aid given by him. In 1865 Wellington replaced Auckland as the capital of New Zealand. Population (1997 estimate), 164,600.
