Wender·Vista
Wellington
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileNew Zealand
at the bottom of New Zealand's North Island, on Cook Strait

Wellington

— — the harbour the wind cannot leave alone.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“Wellington wraps itself around a deep harbour at the southern tip of the North Island, where Cook Strait funnels weather up out of the Southern Ocean. The hills come straight to the water, the cable car climbs out of Lambton Quay, and the cafes know how to make a flat white. The wind has opinions. — from the studio

from the studio
Wellington
— bring it home

Wellington, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Wellington

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, set at the southern end of the North Island around the deep natural harbour the Māori call Te Whanganui-a-Tara. The city proper holds about 215,000 people, and the wider Wellington region around 440,000. It became the capital in 1865, replacing Auckland because of its central position relative to both main islands. The hills rise steeply from the waterfront, so the suburbs are reached by switchback roads, funicular tracks, and one of the busiest urban ferry runs in the country.

— informed by Wikipedia — Wellington
— the air

Wellington has the reputation of being the windiest major city in the world, and the data backs it up — average annual wind speed sits around 27 km/h, with gusts over 60 km/h on more than 170 days a year. The geography is the cause. Cook Strait acts as a venturi between the two islands, and the Southern Alps push frontal systems straight at the harbour mouth. The light off the water is correspondingly sharp; on a clear southerly the South Island's Kaikōura range shows up across the strait.

— the visit

Te Papa Tongarewa, the national museum, sits on the waterfront and is free to enter, with one of the strongest collections of Māori and Pacific material in the country. The Wellington Cable Car climbs from Lambton Quay to the Botanic Garden in about five minutes and has run on the same alignment since 1902. Cuba Street holds the city's longest run of cafes and small bookshops. Summer is December through February, with long evenings; winter is mild but wet, with the wind sharpest in spring.

— informed by Te Papa — about
— where
New Zealand · Wellington, North Island
— position
-41.2866° S · 174.7756° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km S
Te Papa Tongarewa
national museum
at the lake
Wellington Cable Car
funicular
2 km E
Mount Victoria Lookout
viewpoint
N
Wellington
Te Papa Tongarewa
Wellington Cable Car
Mount Victoria Lookout
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Wellington — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Wellington replaced Auckland as the capital in 1865 because its position at the bottom of the North Island sits roughly midway between the two main islands, making it more reachable for South Island representatives.

Among major cities, yes. Average annual wind speed runs near 27 km/h, with gusts above 60 km/h on more than 170 days a year. Cook Strait funnels weather straight into the harbour.

Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum, on the Wellington waterfront. Admission is free, and its Māori and Pacific collections are among the most significant in the southern hemisphere.

The cable car opened in 1902 and has climbed the same line from Lambton Quay up to Kelburn ever since, though the cars and motor have been rebuilt. The ride takes about five minutes.

Te Whanganui-a-Tara, meaning the great harbour of Tara, after a chief whose people settled the area in pre-European times. The full city name in te reo Māori is Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

Late November through March for the long evenings and the warmest, driest weather. Spring brings the strongest winds, and the southerly storms in winter can ground flights for a day.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. It carries well for Kiwis abroad and for anyone who studied at Vic or lived in the city. The harbour and hills together read as Wellington rather than as a generic coastal scene.

It sits comfortably in coastal-modern, mid-century, and warm-Scandinavian rooms. The deep harbour blues and green hill tones pair with oak, brushed steel, and natural wool.

Yes. The piece reads as a working harbour rather than a beach scene, which is the direction coastal-modern has moved — less driftwood, more honest port colour. A Medium over a console works.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large or a 4-tile Mural reads cleanly from across the room. For a console table, a Medium centred at eye level is the steady choice.

Yes. Order it in the Dura Satin or Matte finish for wet rooms and backsplashes. Both are scratch-resistant and the colour stays in the surface.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it does not lift with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. Reid Wender curates the atlas and no images are licensed in from outside.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.