Island Bay, Wellington: A Local's Guide

Island Bay is where Wellington ends and Antarctica starts. Okay, not quite, but stand on the beach on a southerly day, look out past Taputeranga Island and the next thing is 4,000 kilometres of open ocean. That rawness is a big part of the suburb's charm. So is the century-old Italian fishing community, the village strip along The Parade, a marine reserve teeming with fish, and a social calendar that still revolves around the annual Blessing of the Boats. Island Bay is unlike anywhere else in Wellington City, and locals will tell you that with some pride.

The Vibe

Island Bay has a proper village feel that survived the expansion of the city around it. The Parade, the main north-south street, runs for about a kilometre from the northern end down to the beach, with a strong cluster of cafes, bakeries, an Italian deli, a bookshop, a brewery and a handful of little shops on either side. It is flat, walkable and lined with cabbage trees and kowhai.

The beach at the southern end is the soul of the suburb. On a still morning it is glassy and almost tropical-looking with Taputeranga Island in the middle of the bay. On a southerly it turns into a whitewash boil. Both are great, just bring the right jacket.

A Quick History

The bay takes its name from Taputeranga Island, the small rocky island about 200 metres offshore that was an important fishing base for Ngati Ira and Taranaki whanui. From the late 1800s, Italian fishing families from the coastal villages of Stromboli, Massalubrense and Sorrento settled in Island Bay, bringing small wooden boats and a style of inshore fishing that defined the suburb for most of the twentieth century.

You can still see this heritage everywhere. The colourful fishing boats moored in the bay, the annual Blessing of the Boats in March, the Italian surnames on letterboxes, the deli on The Parade and the Feast Festival that celebrates the suburb's food culture every March are all part of the ongoing Italian-Wellington story. Newer waves of migration, especially from the Philippines and the Pacific, have broadened the suburb's community without displacing its older character.

Beach & Marine Reserve

In 2008, the Taputeranga Marine Reserve was established around the bay, protecting 855 hectares of coastline from Princess Bay through to Sirens Rocks. Fishing is prohibited inside the reserve, and after more than fifteen years of protection, the marine life has bounced back in a big way.

The result is genuinely world-class snorkelling a twenty-minute bus ride from the CBD. On a calm day you can see blue cod, butterfish, spotties, the occasional large snapper, sea tulips, reef stars and acres of kelp forest. There is a self-guided snorkel trail with underwater information boards at the eastern end of the beach. Wetsuits are essential most of the year. Island Bay dive shop hires everything you need.

Surfers also love the bay. It is more of an intermediate break than a beginner spot, but on the right swell you will see a dozen locals out enjoying a south-coast wave. Shorland Park, the grassy reserve behind the beach, is the community's living room, with a playground, skate park and shared spaces for summer events.

Things to Do in Island Bay

Walkers are spoiled. From Island Bay you can pick up the South Coast coastal path and walk east through Houghton Bay and Lyall Bay, or head west along Owhiro Road towards the Red Rocks seal colony. The Red Rocks walk is a flat, wide, four-hour return stroll along the coast, best done on a still winter day when the fur seals are hauled out.

The Island Bay Festival in February fills Shorland Park with music and food, and the Blessing of the Boats in March is a truly lovely afternoon: fishing boats decorated with flags, a church service, a long lunch and a procession down to the water. Check our Wellington events page for this season's dates.

For a bigger city-wide list, head to our things to do in Wellington guide.

Food & Drink

Island Bay's food scene is a proper village-strip one, not a trend one. Mediterranean Foods on The Parade is the suburb's Italian deli and a Wellington institution: pasta, salami, gelato, cheese and sandwiches so big you need both hands. The Bait House is the beachside cafe and serves as the unofficial meeting point for cold-water swimmers.

For coffee, Mojo Island Bay, Beach Babylon and the long-running Sprig & Fern cover most tastes. Garage Project's cellar-door energy is channelled locally by ParrotDog's occasional Island Bay nights, and for dinner try the pub-style bistros on The Parade or head back towards Newtown. Cross-reference our Wellington restaurants, Wellington cafes and Wellington bars pages.

Living in Island Bay

Island Bay housing is a mix of 1920s and 1930s weatherboard bungalows, mid-century family homes and a small number of apartments and townhouses near The Parade. It has traditionally been more affordable than the northern inner suburbs, though the beach and the village have steadily pushed prices up over the last decade. Families, retirees, surfers and an artsy contingent of Wellington lifers all call it home.

Transport is simple. The Metlink number 1 bus starts at the Island Bay terminus and runs straight up through Newtown to the CBD and the Railway Station, coming every few minutes most of the day. Driving in takes about fifteen minutes off-peak, longer in rush hour. Schools in zone include Island Bay School, St Francis de Sales and Wellington High.

The active Island Bay Residents Association has been a loud voice on everything from the coastal cycleway to local planning and is a good window into the suburb's community life.

One Last Thing

Island Bay is the Wellington suburb that still feels like an island village. It has the wildest coastline of any city suburb, a marine reserve that you can snorkel before work, a shopping strip with more personality than most towns and a community that genuinely shows up for itself. Pair it with a walk to Red Rocks or a lunch at Mediterranean Foods and you have one of the best half-day trips in the city. Before you go, check the Wellington weather, glance at the Wellington events calendar and throw your togs in the bag just in case.

Know an Island Bay spot we have missed? Flick it to us at [email protected] and we will add it to the next update. Steve and Kirstie, WellyBuzz.