It's a city that's famously blustery, hilly, and wet—but a common refrain among Wellingtonians is that you can’t beat Wellington on a good day. And they have a point: New Zealand’s compact capital is a picturesque city, curled around a sparkling harbor notched into the very bottom of the North Island. Emerald hills rise around the center, and bright, weatherboard villas spill down their steep slopes to meet the waterfront.