Mount Victoria
The horseshoe harbour from above, and the woods where Peter Jackson filmed the hobbits fleeing.
Duration
1 hr – 2 hrs
Difficulty
●●○○○
Best time
At sunset
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
Mount Victoria rises one hundred and ninety-six metres above the city and gives the one view that shows Wellington's geography: a horseshoe harbour, a drowned crater, ringed by hills that climb straight up.
The woods on the northern slope were a location for the first Lord of the Rings film — the scene where the hobbits hide from a black rider under the roots of a tree was shot there, minutes from the city centre, and the spot is marked on the trails.
Getting there
Thirty to forty minutes' climb on foot from Courtenay Place, or ten minutes by car to the summit lookout.
What to bring
- Walking shoes
- Headlamp
- Windbreaker
Rules on site
Wellington's wind is legendary and it blows unobstructed at the top: bring a windproof layer even in fine weather. The wooded trails are unlit — come down before dark.