In this guide · 4 sections
Wellington's cruising scene is small. The city's size and its weather see to that. Outdoor options might exist on paper, but wind and rain often make them useless. The saunas are the most consistent bet.
Indoor
Wellington's gay saunas are few. Check the Wellington gay saunas guide for what's open. There aren't enough of them for a real circuit, just a few places that serve local needs.
Outdoor
Wellington's parks and reserves have reputations. But the wind and rain here, most of the year, make outdoor activity less reliable than in warmer cities. Aro Valley and the Town Belt—that green strip along the hills above the inner suburbs—have sections known for this. The Town Belt is a big forested area; you can get to it from several spots in the city and suburbs.
Summer (December to February) is the only real outdoor season. Outside those months, the wind and cold make spending much time outside miserable. Wellington's outdoor cruising is more seasonal and weather-dependent than in Auckland or Australia.
Standard public space cautions apply.
The venues
Practical notes
Wellington's weather dictates outdoor activity. A park that's nice on a warm summer evening can be cold, dark, and very windy on a Tuesday in July. Indoor options cut the weather out completely. If you're visiting outside summer, stick to indoors.
Auckland, a short flight north, has more developed indoor and outdoor cruising if you want more options.
For the full picture, see the Gay Wellington Guide.