This panorama was taken on a sunny day in front of the Beehive and Parliament Buildings in Wellington. The tiered architecture of the Beehive is very striking and unusual, both standing out from, yet complimentary to, the more traditional, older, buildings.

New Zealand Parliament - Wellington visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'New Zealand Parliament' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Wellington Region.

The New Zealand Parliament Buildings stand in the heart of Wellington, on the northern end of Lambton Quay. As the name suggests, this is where the New Zealand parliament sits. The entire complex contains Parliament House, the Executive Wing, the Parliamentary Library and Bowen House. The buildings are quite new, as previous buildings were destroyed in a fire in 1907.

One of the most striking architectural elements of the Parliament Buildings is the 'Beehive'. This contains the Executive Wing, and was designed by Sir Basil Spence, a British Architect, in 1964. It was completed in 1981. Since it's construction, the Beehive has become a popular icon of Wellington. The circular 10 storey structure is 72m high, with the Cabinet Offices occupying the top floors.

The Parliament Buildings have become something of a tourist attraction. There are free, professionally guided, tours of the complex, which take place on most days. Visitors are shown around the thee main buildings while the parliamentary processes and history are explained. These tours take about an hour to complete and begin on the hour. More information is available from the New Zealand Parliament website.

Behind the Parliament Buildings is Sclupture Square which contains 3 interesting abstract sculptures. It is well worth visiting.

New Zealand Parliament Buildings
Molesworth Street
Wellington 6160
New Zealand

Molesworth Street is a short walk from the harbour front down Bunny Street.