Wellington (WLG): the AX Airport Express, 16 minutes to the station
The AX is the only route calling at the terminal. It runs 05:20 to 22:25 and takes a median 16 minutes to Wellington Station.
- The AX Airport Express is the only bus that stops at the terminal itself.
- It takes a median 16 minutes to Wellington Station, the main railway station at the north end of the city.
- It runs 05:20 to 22:25 from the airport.
- On the way it stops at Courtenay Place, which is where most of the city's bars and restaurants are and closer to many hotels than the station.
- Other routes pass nearby but not at the door. Route 2 calls at the Airport Retail Park, a walk away, and continues to Karori through the city.
- Wellington is a small, dense city: 16 minutes really is the whole trip, not the first leg of one.
- There is no train to the airport, and the terrain, a runway wedged between two hills and the sea, is why.
The AX, and only the AX
- Metlink's AX Airport Express is the one route that serves the terminal door. In Metlink's own timetable data no other route calls at the Wellington International Airport stop.
- It takes a median 16 minutes to Wellington Station and is remarkably consistent, 15 to 16 minutes across the whole day, because the route is short and mostly on the waterfront.
- Hours are 05:20 to 22:25 from the airport.
Where to get off
- Courtenay Place if you are staying in the entertainment quarter or the eastern end of the centre. This is the stop most visitors want.
- Wellington Station if you are connecting to a train, or staying in Thorndon or the northern end of Lambton Quay.
- The city is walkable end to end in half an hour, so getting off at either is fine for most central hotels.
The near-misses
- Route 2 calls at the Airport Retail Park, which is close to but not at the terminal, and runs through the city to Karori. It is an option if the AX has just gone, but the walk with luggage is unpleasant in Wellington wind.
- Route 3 also runs in the area, between Rongotai and Wellington Station.
The airport
- Wellington's single runway sits on a narrow isthmus between Lyall Bay and Evans Bay, with hills at both ends. It is short by international standards, which limits which aircraft can use it.
- The approach is famously rough. Wellington's wind is not a rumour, and diversions to Palmerston North or Auckland happen.
- The terminal is about 6 km from the city centre, which is why the bus ride is so short.
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