Wellington Odd Museums, Haunted Corners & Underground Curiosities
Updated: Oct 12
Wellington gets wonderfully strange once you dig beneath the surface. Explore giant squid, spooky bunkers, cemetery cats and hidden oddities across New Zealand’s quirkiest city. Wellington has always leaned slightly strange.
Beneath the polished waterfront and government buildings:
giant squid lurk
cemetery cats have memorials
underground tunnels hide beneath hills
extraordinary golf course wrapped around fantasy
abandoned bunkers decay beside the harbour
This is the Wellington most visitors miss entirely.
1. The Giant Squid Swap
Skip:
Rushing through Te Papa
Swap for:
Finding the colossal squid
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa houses one of Wellington’s strangest icons: a 495-kilogram colossal squid.
2. The Attic Swap
Skip:
Treating museums like formal spaces
Swap for:
Exploring Wellington Museum’s attic
The attic feels:
steampunk
surreal
nostalgic
slightly unsettling
Bird cages, old trunks and imagined machines blur together strangely.
3. The Cemetery Cat Swap
Skip:
Only visiting Wellington’s obvious landmarks
Swap for:
Finding Mrs Chippy’s memorial
At Karori Cemetery sits one of New Zealand’s oddest memorials: a bronze statue honouring a cat from Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition.
4. The Bunker Swap
Skip:
Ignoring Wellington’s military remnants
Swap for:
Exploring the city’s abandoned wartime atmosphere
From:
Wrights Hill Fortress
Fort Ballance
Fort Buckley
Moa Point
Wellington’s hills are filled with hidden wartime stories.
5. The Sculpture Garden Swap
Skip:
Only visiting formal galleries
Swap for:
Exploring Wellington’s strangest backyard art world
Hidden in the hills above the harbour, Carlucci Land feels somewhere between:
folk art
political satire
scrap-metal dreamscape
eccentric roadside attraction
Created by artist Carl Gifford, the garden mixes:
giant sculptures
surreal figures
social commentary
unexpected humour
handmade oddities scattered across the hillside
Nothing feels polished. That’s exactly why it works.
Weird Wellington Moment
Fog drifting across the sculpture garden somehow makes everything even stranger.
6. The Bucket Fountain Swap
Skip:
Walking past Cuba Street too quickly
Swap for:
Waiting for the Bucket Fountain to splash unsuspecting pedestrians randomly
bucket Fountain is one of Wellington’s most gloriously divisive landmarks.
technically, it’s a fountain.
emotionally, it’s a chaotic public performance art.
brightly coloured buckets tip unpredictably, occasionally drenching pedestrians while tourists stand nearby trying to work out whether this is intentional.
locals fiercely defend it. Visitors remain slightly confused.
Weird Wellington Moment
Watching people cautiously circle the fountain, trying not to get splashed, is half the entertainment.
Explore our Wellington series further:
Discover hidden corners, slower city travel, coastal escapes and the wonderfully strange atmosphere that makes New Zealand’s capital unlike anywhere else.
🔗 Extend the Perspective
Wellington becomes far more interesting once you stop looking for polished perfection.
The best parts are often:
strange
hidden
slightly spooky
wonderfully eccentric
That’s what makes Wellington Weird.
Where to stay
Browse places to stay in Wellington on Booking.com.
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FAQs
Can you see the colossal squid at Te Papa?
Yes. Te Papa's colossal squid, which weighs around 495 kg, is part of the museum's nature exhibition. Displays do change, so check Te Papa's website before you go.
Where is Mrs Chippy's memorial?
It is at Karori Cemetery, on the grave of Harry McNish, the carpenter on Shackleton's Endurance expedition who brought the cat aboard. The bronze statue of Mrs Chippy sits on top of the headstone.
Is Carlucci Land open to the public?
Yes. Carlucci Land is at 281 Happy Valley Road, Ōwhiro Bay, about 10 minutes' drive from central Wellington, and its junkyard-style mini golf course opens seven days, including evenings.
Can you visit Wellington's old forts and bunkers?
Many sites, such as Fort Ballance on the Miramar Peninsula, are outdoors and easy to wander. The tunnels at Wrights Hill Fortress only open on selected days, so check before you go.
How long do you need to explore weird Wellington?
One full day covers Te Papa, the Wellington Museum attic, Karori Cemetery and Carlucci Land. Allow a second day if you want to add the coastal forts and bunkers.
