Fun facts about the Wellington Cable Car

A successful opening weekend
When the cable car opened on 22 February 1902, it was an instant hit! Over 4,000 eager passengers took a ride during the opening weekend, helped by the fact that free tickets were offered to people who were interested in buying land in Kelburn.

Blowing off some steam with an electric upgrade
The winding gear of the cable car was powered by steam until 1933 when it was replaced with electricity. This included the removal of the 19-metre smokestack, which had become a Wellington landmark for its smoke plumes that indicated wind direction. Making the cable car electric helped modernise the system, reduced labour and operating costs, and gave the gripmen more control of where the cable car stopped. Today, the cable car's winding gear is powered by a 200kW electric motor, smaller than a Ford Ranger's, and shuttles a million passengers a year — quite the upgrade!

To find out more about the vintage cars and how they were operated, pay a visit to the Cable Car Museum.

A rocky start for the new cable cars
The original grip cars made their final journey in September of 1978, paving the way for a major renovation in preparation for the new line. The upgrades included new cars, track adjustments, and new cables for the cars to travel along.  The stops on the route were realigned to be equal distance from the middle of the track so that the cars stopped at the same place each time. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing — literally! The new cars were lost at sea after being shipped from Switzerland and later found at the port of Sydney, adding a twist to their journey to Wellington. 

Lighting up the tunnels
In 2014, lighting designer Angus Muir, along with Alexandra Heaney, brought the cable car experience into the spotlight. They added lights to the cable car tunnels, to delight passengers during the Power Plant Light Festival. The dazzling display was so popular that it became a permanent feature, expanding to 45,000 LEDs across two tunnels, and now brightens up the cable car trips, thanks to Wellington City Council and Contact Energy.

A kererū friendly cable car
In 2022, the cable car team installed special dotted decals on its terminal windows to protect native birds like the kererū from flying into them. These nearly invisible dots serve as a visual warning to birds, helping to keep them safe and avoid collisions, while blending into the scenery for human visitors