Wadestown

Wadestown is now one of Wellington’s premier suburbs, with some of the city’s finest houses although originally settled in 1840 as a working-class suburb.  In the early days, one of Wellington’s richest merchants, William Barnard Rhodes, farmed there; his family subdivided their Highland Park farm in the 1920s, now the site of many grand houses.

It’s a leafy suburb perched on the city’s western slopes, above Thorndon, so only minutes from the CBD (curiously, until 1907 it was under the control of Hutt Country Council).  The village has excellent shopping, and there’s a strong community spirit with its active residents’ association and annual fair in March.

It’s named after one of Wellington’s earliest citizens, John Wade, who later became a successful barrister in San Francisco.

View from Lennel Road