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- Wellington
How walkable is Wellington?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Wellington has a walkability score of 55 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. It is the least walkable of the 3 cities ranked in New Zealand.
What's within walking distance of the centre
1,678 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Wellington. The nearest grocery is about 4 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
Groceries
- Haere Mai/Well Mart, 4 min
- New World Metro, 6 min
Restaurants & bars
- Home Taste Restaurant and Bar, 2 min
- Chaat Street, 2 min
Shopping
- Pharmacy House, 1 min
- Till Man, 2 min
Coffee
- Raglan Roast Coffee, 2 min
- The Hanger, 2 min
Banks
- Michael Hill Manners Street, 4 min
- Westpac, 6 min
Parks
- Woof Woof Ruff, 5 min
- Glover Park, 5 min
Schools
- BestStart Leeds Street, 8 min
- Te Aro School, 8 min
Books & libraries
- Department of Conservation, Information Services, 4 min
- New Zealand Trade & Enterprise Library Services, 5 min
Culture & entertainment
- Te Whanganui-a-Tara Musical Theatre, 5 min
- The Armada Rooms, 6 min
Measured from the centre at -41.2905, 174.7726, the point near Wellington's middle with the most places in walking range. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the centre there are about 79 street intersections per km², and blocks average 100 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Wellington's score of 55 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 89 within 1 km of the centre, 55 from 1 to 3 km out and 45 from 3 to 5 km out. 48 of the 91 points within 5 km fall on water or on land without streets, such as hillsides, forest or farmland, and are left out, so the score describes only the built-up part. 37% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot. Walkability falls off steeply away from the centre, so check a specific address on the map.
- 90+
- 70–89
- 50–69
- 25–49
- 0–24
Each hexagon is the score at a point, 1 km from its neighbours, across the 5 km around central Wellington. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 99 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 89 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 55 | 44% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 45 | 11% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Christchurch, New Zealand | 306 km | 61 |
| Auckland, New Zealand | 494 km | 69 |
Questions about walking in Wellington
Is Wellington a walkable city?
Partly. Wellington has a walkability score of 55 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. Its centre scores 99. The score covers about 80 km² around the busiest point rather than the whole city, and suburbs further out are usually less walkable, so check a specific address on the map. It ranks 3rd of 3 cities in New Zealand and joint 520th of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in New Zealand?
Auckland is the most walkable of the 3 cities ranked in New Zealand, with a score of 69. Wellington ranks 3rd with 55.
How does Wellington compare with nearby cities?
Wellington is less walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 55, against Christchurch (61, 306 km away) and Auckland (69, 494 km away).
Which part of Wellington is most walkable?
Wellington's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 99. Walkability averages 89 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south-east (averaging 69) and falls most to the north (42).
How is Wellington's walkability score calculated?
For Wellington it is the average of 43 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 16 of them score 70 or more. Each point counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and loses up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long, using open map data from Overture Maps (release 2026-09-23.1) and OpenStreetMap. It measures what is within a walk, not what the walk is like: pavements, traffic, safety, hills and heat are not part of the score.
This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. City position and population from GeoNames.
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