Live cameras in Wellington, New Zealand

Wellington is New Zealand's capital, set around a deep natural harbor at the southern tip of the North Island. In te reo Māori the harbor is Te Whanganui-a-Tara, the great harbor of Tara. The urban area is home to about 210,000 people, and the wider region to more than twice that. Steep hills crowd the shoreline, so houses climb the slopes and the city center sits on a narrow strip of flat land, much of it reclaimed from the sea. Parliament with its round Beehive building, the national museum Te Papa on the waterfront, and the Interislander and Bluebridge ferries that cross Cook Strait to Picton all make it the working heart of the country.

The cameras listed for Wellington belong to NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, which publishes still images from the state highway network that refresh every few minutes. State Highway 1 enters the city through the Ngauranga Gorge, runs along the motorway past the port and threads under the hillside in the Terrace Tunnel before crossing to the Mount Victoria Tunnel and on toward the airport. State Highway 2 branches off at Ngauranga and follows the harbor edge north to the Hutt Valley. Views show tunnel portals, motorway curves and, in places, glimpses of the water.

When to look

The city runs on New Zealand Standard Time, twelve hours ahead of UTC, and on daylight time from the last Sunday in September to the first Sunday in April. Wellington is often called the windiest city in the world by average wind speed, and northwesterly gales or southerly storms can be seen in rain sweeping across the motorway. Summer evenings stay light until almost nine, while midwinter sunset comes before five. Weekday traffic peaks on the motorway into the city in the morning and out in the late afternoon.

Each spring, around late September and October, the World of WearableArt show brings visitors from around the world, and the harbor suburbs of Eastbourne and Petone make easy side trips.

Sources: Wellington - Wikipedia · NZTA Journey Planner traffic cameras · Daylight saving - New Zealand Government.