What it is
The hill, known as Mt Vic, was originally called Tangi Te Keo in Māori, and the name Matairangi, meaning to examine the sky, is also used. Its slopes are part of the Town Belt, the band of public green space set aside in 1840 when the New Zealand Company laid out Wellington, and are crossed by walking and mountain-bike tracks through pine and native forest.
The lookout was built in 1964 on the site of a former signal station. Below it stands the Byrd Memorial, unveiled in 1962 in honour of the American polar explorer Richard Byrd and shaped like a polar tent. The hill was also used as a location for The Lord of the Rings: the first footage for the trilogy was shot in the woods off Alexandra Road in 1999.
Getting there by bus
Route 20, Mt Victoria - Wellington Station, is the only service that climbs the hill. It stops at Mt Victoria Lookout (stop 7575), less than 50 metres from the viewpoint, and at several stops along Alexandra Road, such as Alexandra Road (near 46) (stop 7571) and Alexandra Road at Upoko Road (stop 6571).
On the way up from the city it also serves Palliser Road at Charles Plimmer Park (stops 6565 and 7565), about 190 metres below the summit, which is a good starting point for walking the last part through the Town Belt.
