totobell

I am from the US and will be traveling the end of March 2025 to Wellington, NZ to take a class for 7 weeks. The class will only encompass 2-3 days per week, so I plan to do sightseeing over the weekends, and I plan to extend my stay a couple weeks beyond the end of class. I have lodging secured in Wellington north of the CBD as my base for my entire stay and will pay extra for accommodations on my long weekends. I do not plan to rent a car at least not for the entire time. If I need one for a long weekend, I may do that but hope to rely on public transportation as much as possible. Around Wellington, it appears that the best way to get around will be by getting the Snapper pass. I see that there is also Rail New Zealand but it seems pretty pricey and may not fit with my long weekend travels. Does anyone have any suggestions for multi-day trips outside of the general Wellington area to explore the North Island? I hope to get to the South Island but that will be with a flight and possible day tours and will be dependent on the weather. I have been to New Zealand years ago, so I do not have FOMO to try to see everything but rather want to travel at a more leisure pace and see what I can. Any other general suggestions about weather, food, and any particulars that would be good to know about living in New Zealand would be greatly appreciated.