By Air in Wellington & the Wairarapa

By Air

Wellington International Airport (WLG) lies about 8 km (5 mi) from the city. The airport is small and easy to negotiate.

The domestic carriers serving Wellington are Air New Zealand, Origin Pacific, and Sounds Air. The international carriers are Air New Zealand and Qantas, but here international means "over to Australia"; other overseas flights go through Auckland's airport. There are generally a half dozen flights to Australia daily. Air New Zealand, between its Link and national services, connects Wellington to more than 20 other New Zealand cities daily for very reasonable fares. Origin Pacific has flights from Wellington to all major New Zealand cities daily. Sounds Air flies between Wellington and Picton several times a day.

Co-operative Shuttle operates a 10-seater bus between the airport and any address in the city ($15 for one person, $20 for two). The bus meets all incoming flights; tickets are available from the driver. To take the shuttle to the airport you'll definitely need to make a reservation; if you're coming from the airport into town, you can usually catch one without advance arrangements. The Stagecoach Flyer runs between the airport and Upper Hutt Railway Station via Wellington city center. These shuttles run from the airport every 40 minutes from 6:20 AM to 8:20 PM weekdays and from 6:50 AM to 8:50 PM weekends; the cost is $9 for one day's unlimited travel. Taxis are always available at the airport; a taxi ride to central Wellington costs about $25.

Airport

Wellington International Airport (Stewart Duff Dr., Rongotai. 04/385-5123).

Carriers

Air New Zealand (0800/737-000. www.airnewzealand.co.nz). Origin Pacific (0800/302-302. www.originpacific.co.nz). Qantas (0800/808-767. www.qantas.com.au). Sounds Air Ltd (0800/505-005. www.soundsair.com).

Transfers

Co-operative Shuttle (04/387-8787). Stagecoach Flyer (04/801-7000).