scenic viewpoint
Mount Victoria Lookout, Wellington
196 m summit lookout reached by a sealed road above central Wellington, giving a panorama of the harbour and Cook Strait.
0 km · about 5 min drive
OceaniaNew ZealandWellington Region
Oriental Bay
Wellington Region, New Zealand · Oceania
About Oriental Bay
Oriental Bay is worth a stop: right by Mount Victoria Lookout, Wellington.
Oriental Bay is in Wellington Region, New Zealand, with about 1,500 people. You drive on the left here.
Oriental Bay is a bay and suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Known for being both a popular beach and an opulent centre of affluence in the city, it is located close to the central business district on Wellington Harbour.
It has the closest beach to the central city and is thus a popularRead more
destination for locals, who swarm here especially in the warmer months (December to March). Painted ladies and other historic houses, such as those in distinctly Wellingtonian streamline moderne style, are prominent alongside and up into the hills that face the bay. Situated against the northern slope of Mount Victoria, the suburb lies 1.5 kilometres (0.93 miles) southeast of the city centre, at the start of a coastal route which continues around into Evans Bay. Oriental Bay was originally named Duppa Bay, after its sole original resident George Duppa, but in 1843 he renamed it after the Oriental, one of the first ships to bring settlers to Wellington. Originally described as a remote "dreary-looking spot" of rocks lying between cliffs and the sea used primarily for quarantining foreigners, it has undergone considerable changes since the early stages of European settlement.
Many landmarks were built during the 20th century, including grand streamlined moderne houses like the Olympus Building and the Anscombe Apartments, and the modernist Freyberg Pool built in the 1960s. However, the beach's greatest renovation came in 2004, when 22,000 tonnes of sand was shipped from Golden Bay to rebuild the beach, which had become worn down over many years.
The Carter Fountain is a distinctive feature in the bay, as is a wooden pontoon which is often covered in swimmers. A small section of the bay that lies beside Freyberg Pool is known as Freyberg Beach, after Lord Freyberg.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Oriental Bay?
Within an hour or so of Oriental Bay: Mount Victoria Lookout, Wellington (0 km), Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (1 km), Weta Workshop, Miramar, Wellington (3 km), Putangirua Pinnacles (Paths of the Dead) (40 km).
Are there any good drives near Oriental Bay?
The nearest famous roads are Queen Charlotte Drive.
Where is Oriental Bay?
Oriental Bay is in Wellington Region, New Zealand.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 1,450
- Continent
- Oceania
- Country
- New Zealand
- Region
- Wellington Region
- Timezone
- Pacific/Auckland
- Coordinates
- -41.2917, 174.7938
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in New Zealand
Many rural bridges are single-lane. Give way as signed.
Full driving guide for New ZealandTags
Worth the detour from Oriental Bay
5 notable places within an hour's drive.
museum
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
New Zealand's bold national museum, renowned for its interactive exhibits, Maori taonga, and a colossal squid specimen.
1 km · about 5 min drive
film location
Weta Workshop, Miramar, Wellington
The effects house behind Middle-earth; its Wellington workshop tour displays original props, weapons and creature designs.
3 km · about 5 min drive
film location
Putangirua Pinnacles (Paths of the Dead)
The eroded badland spires on the Wairarapa coast are the Dimholt Road approach to the Paths of the Dead in Return of the King.
40 km · about 45 min drive
museum
Southward Car Museum
One of the Southern Hemisphere's largest collections with over 400 vehicles spanning a century of motoring.
49 km · about 55 min drive
Driving roads near Oriental Bay
- Right hereMount Victoria Lookout, Wellington196 m summit lookout reached by a sealed road above central Wellington, giving a panorama of the harbour and Cook Strait.
- 72 kmQueen Charlotte DriveWinding 35 km sealed road between Picton and Havelock hugging the Marlborough Sounds, with numerous bays and lookout pull-offs.
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