City guide

Porirua, NZ

Porirua is a city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand and is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Porirua' is a corruption of 'Pari-rua', meaning "the tide sweeping up both reaches".

Type CityPopulation 62,400

Why go

  • City in the North Island of New Zealand.

History

Porirua is a city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand and is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Porirua' is a corruption of 'Pari-rua', meaning "the tide sweeping up both reaches". It almost completely surrounds Porirua Harbour at the southern end of the Kāpiti Coast. As of 2023, Porirua has a population of 62,400 people, and is a diverse city with 26.5% of the population identifying as Pasifika and 23.0% of the population identifying as Māori.

Restaurants & places to go

Polish, International, Restaurant · Polish Restaurant Opening hours: We-Fr 17:00+; Sa-Su 12:00-14:00,17:00+ Features: outdoor seating · 3 Beach Road, Porirua,… · topor.co.nz
Indoor
Pizza, Fast Food · Opening hours: Su-We 10:30-23:00, Th 10:30-24:00, Fr-Sa 10:30-25:00 Features: takeaway, delivery · dominos.co.nz
Indoor
Chicken, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Sa 10:00-23:00 Features: takeaway · 14 Hagley Street, Porirua · kfc.co.nz
Indoor
Pizza, Fast Food · Opening hours: 11:00-22:00 Features: takeaway, delivery, vegan options, step-free access · 4 Serlby Place · wellingtonpizzaexpress.com
Indoor
Indian, Wine, Restaurant · Opening hours: 11:30-15:30;17:00+ Features: takeaway · 19 Hartham Place North · curryvillage.co.nz
Indoor
Chinese, Fish And Chips, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo 13:00-22:00; Tu-Su 10:30-22:00 · 23 Fantame Street · newstartakeawayonline.com
Indoor
Indian, Restaurant · Opening hours: Mo-Su 17:00-20:00+; We-Su 11:00-14:30 Features: takeaway, delivery, vegan options, step-free access · 8 Steyne Avenue,… · tajrestaurants.com
Indoor
Pizza, Cafe · Opening hours: Su-Th 06:00-19:00; Fr,Sa 06:00-20:00 Features: outdoor seating, takeaway, vegan options, step-free access · 2 Steyne Avenue,… · thebigsalami.co.nz
Indoor

85 more places in the Ultimate edition. See the Ultimate edition →

Airports

Wellington International Airport (WLG) 21 km to the centre
Wellington, WGN, NZ — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 6 airlines (Air New Zealand, Virgin Australia, China Eastern Airlines, Emirates…) · direct flights to 21 destinations incl. Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, Brisbane, Christchurch… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 6 airlines, 21 direct destinations

Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.

Indoor
Paraparaumu Airport (PPQ) 29 km to the centre
WGN, NZ — Indoor waiting areas, but some gates board by bus or on foot across the apron — plan for the weather on the day. ✈ 1 airline (Air New Zealand) · direct flights to 2 destinations incl. Auckland, Christchurch (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 1 airline, 2 direct destinations

Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.

Indoor | Outdoor

Getting there by ferry

Matiu / Somes Island
Ferry terminal · 13 km from the centre
Outdoor
Interislander Ferry Check-in
Ferry terminal · 14 km from the centre · Interislander
Outdoor
interislander
Ferry terminal · 15 km from the centre
Outdoor
Wellington Interislander Terminal
Ferry terminal · 15 km from the centre
Outdoor
Bluebridge Ferry Terminal
Ferry terminal · 16 km from the centre
Outdoor
Days Bay Wharf
Ferry terminal · 17 km from the centre · East by West Ferries
Outdoor
Wellington - Picton (Interislander)
Ferry route · Interislander
Outdoor
The Interislander
Ferry route · KiwiRail
Outdoor
Wellington - Picton (Bluebridge)
Ferry route · Bluebridge
Outdoor
Bluebridge
Ferry route · Strait Shipping
Outdoor

Where things are

Full geo-intelligence in Better Mapping →
Local search powered by Geoverts and geo-intelligence by Better Mapping base map © OSM

Photographs

When to go

Tourist season
October – March

The warmer, longer-day half of the southern-hemisphere year.

Shoulder season
April – May, September

Milder and quieter, with better value.

Worth avoiding
June – August

The southern winter — check local conditions before travelling.

Getting there & around

Getting there. We do not yet hold airport or rail details for Porirua, NZ — check the official tourism sources below for the best routes in. By water: 6 ferry terminals within 20 km (nearest: Matiu / Somes Island, 13 km); routes include Wellington - Picton (Interislander), The Interislander, Wellington - Picton (Bluebridge).

Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Porirua, NZ. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.

Local transit

Bus · Wellington · Schedules & GTFS data (official feed)

Trains & rail

Coaches & shuttles

Intercity coach
Intercity coach

Private aviation

On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.

Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.
FBO, charter, management · Managed fleet · FBO network and management across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Praetor, Bombardier Challenger & Global, Gulfstream · Fractional ownership and jet cards in North America and Europe.
Charter, management · Large-cabin & VIP airliners · Geneva-based operator known for large-cabin and VIP airliner charters.
Charter, management, FBO, MRO · Managed fleet worldwide · General Dynamics company: charter, completions and FBOs in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US.