Incredible moments you can only have in Wellington

When it comes to rain I'm a wimp. I've arrived, umbrella aloft, at Zealandia, a sprawling Wellington eco-sanctuary, only to learn brollies won't be allowed on a drizzly night tour.

Guide Ash Muralidhar matter-of-factly hands out rain jackets and leads us into the darkness through a double-gated entry, designed to thwart mammalian predators. "Whatever the forest shows us is what we get to see," she says. By the dim red glow of her torch, it shows us a constellation of glow worms and a tiny peripatus (a "living fossil" also known as a velvet worm) clinging to a tree. Rain seeps into my boots but I'm eventually rewarded with a little spotted kiwi pecking at a patch of open grass. I'm entranced, wet feet forgotten.

The experience is perfect training as Wellington's living up to its wild and windy reputation. Like other weather-battered cities such as Seattle and Vancouver, locals aren't fazed. Outing by outing, I grow more Wellingtonian, skipping the umbrella and braving the elements.

For there's much to discover, particularly when the marquee World of WearableArt (WOW) event is on. The annual spectacular outgrew its origins in Nelson, just across the Cook Strait at the top of the South Island. This more-than-a-fashion-show extravaganza blends eye-popping designs with circus, high-octane music and a dazzling set.

The whole town comes to the party, with boutiques offering deals and restaurants such as InterContinental Wellington's GPO serving pre-show menus with delicious fare. Some visitors come solely to see the show. If you come across a bunch of girlfriends here during this time, as I did when I headed back to the Naumi Hotel post-show, it's extremely likely they just wowed themselves at WOW.

So how do you make the most of Wellington whatever the weather? Fine Art Tours NZ guide, Louis Tait, leads me to Wellington Chocolate Factory on Eva Street. Here you can wrap your hands around a warm cup of piping-hot chocolate and shop for everyday and gift chocolate bars that include vegan-friendly Pacific dark chocolate, with cocoa beans sourced from Vanuatu, and oat-milk chocolate.

The space, which is less "factory" than you might imagine although you can see the ethically sourced beans being ground into chocolate through a glass window, also offers Chocolatier for a Day courses.

Tait is also an actor so no surprise the Embassy Theatre is among the cultural highlights he shows off (the tour's tailored to my interests). This stunning 1924 Art Deco cinema, home to one of New Zealand's biggest screens, hosted the premieres of Sir Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey.

No visit to the city sometimes nicknamed Wellywood would be complete without paying homage to its global influence on cinema. The Weta Workshop, in suburban Miramar, is a perfect wet-weather option (but popular so book early) that gives enormous insight into the world of special effects. During the 90-minute Weta Workshop Experience tour, which includes as many movie props as you'd ever want to meet, you also see artisans at work who have helped bring countless movies to life.

The Weta Cave (the gift shop) sells collectibles, some bearing eye-watering price tags (an 18-carat gold One Ring, either as a movie replica without inscriptions or with Elvish inscriptions as originally envisioned by Weta artists, costs NZ$7299 or $6783). That didn't deter one visitor who reportedly bought one so he could fling it from a chartered helicopter over "Mount Doom" (an active volcano within Tongariro National Park 300 kilometres north).

Earthquake-prone Wellington might be subject to unusual forces - Tait shows me one theatre's visible earthquake-strengthening, for instance - yet its entrepreneurial spirit is unshakeable. You find it at Chaat Street by Vaibhav Vishen - a boundary-pushing haute Indian street food concept. Some 500 metres further along Willis Street is Willis Lane, a new subterranean food and entertainment precinct incorporating Holey Moley mini-golf and Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq's bowling alley and arcade games (both familiar to Australians), and Duck Island, a Kiwi brand famous for fairy-bread ice-cream.

On Tory Street, I feast on a colourful Syrian share platter at Damascus, the bricks-and-mortar evolution of what was once a pop-up at a suburban bowling club.

At the other end of the scale is Takina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre, which opened mid-2023. The building's design is partly inspired by Wellington's diverse winds but double-entry doors also keep them at bay. The excellent lobby cafe and bar, which serves the likes of 12-hour lamb ragu pasta and chicken katsu salads, is named Zephyr in the hope you never feel anything stronger here than a gentle breeze.

Read more on Explore:

Getting there: Qantas and Air New Zealand fly to Wellington from Sydney and Melbourne, Air New Zealand flies from Brisbane, Jetstar flies from the Gold Coast, see qantas.com; airnewzealand.com

Staying there: The 116-room Naumi Hotel Wellington provides all-you-can-eat lollies at reception and a fun vibe, rooms from about $NZ224 ($208) a night, see naumihotels.com

Where to eat: Head to Wellington Chocolate Factory for everything chocolate. Arrive hungry at Damascus, which also pours Syrian and Lebanese wines. GPO's recent WOW menu included dill-crusted Akaroa salmon, butterfish medallions and raspberry creme brulee with coconut crumble. Zephyr Cafe and Bar serves up breakfast, lunch and an Australasian wine list. See wcf.co.nz; damascusnz.com; gpo.co.nz; zephyrcafe.co.nz

Things to do: Zealandia, a 225ha urban sanctuary, protects 40 species of native birds, and other fauna and flora. Takina is hosting Marvel: Earth's Mightiest Exhibition, an exploration of the Marvel Universe, until April 28. The Weta Workshop Experience tour costs $NZ50 adult, $NZ26 child (online tickets). Fine Art Tours NZ offers tailored tours in Wellington and three other New Zealand cities. See visitzealandia.com; takina.co.nz; wetanz.com; finearttours.nz

Coming up: The next World of WearableArt (WOW) spectacular unfolds at Wellington's TSB Arena from September 25-October 13, see worldofwearableart.com

Explore more: newzealand.com; wellingtonnz.com

The writer was a guest of Tourism New Zealand.