Last updated October 2026
Rongotai is a suburb on the Rongotai isthmus in southeast Wellington, the flat narrow strip of land that connects the Miramar Peninsula to the rest of the city between Evans Bay to the north and Lyall Bay to the south.
Wellington Airport occupies much of the western part of the suburb, so the area is primarily commercial, industrial and aviation-related rather than residential.
The isthmus formed when the Haowhenua earthquake around 1460 AD raised the seabed and joined what had been an island (the Miramar Peninsula) to the mainland. Rongotai lies about 5.5 km southeast of the Wellington CBD and is well connected by bus routes.
Official Suburb Facts
- Population (2023 Census)
- About 1,090, down 1% since 2018
- Land area
- 1.51 km²
- Location
- 5.1 km south-east of central Wellington
- Council
- Wellington City Council
- Neighbouring suburbs
- Lyall Bay, Miramar, Kilbirnie, Strathmore Park, Moa Point
- Ward or local board
- Motukairangi/Eastern General Ward (Wellington City Council)
- Nearby landmarks
- Wellington Airport, Rongotai isthmus, Evans Bay, Lyall Bay
Who Lives in Rongotai
About 1,090 residents in 370 households. From the 2023 Census, with the New Zealand figure alongside for comparison.
Schools in Rongotai
One school sits inside the Rongotai boundary.
Also zoned for Rongotai
Show all 5 zoned schools
Zones change, so confirm with the school before relying on one.
Bin Day in Rongotai
Wellington City Council sets collection days street by street. Look up your address to get your day and which bins go out.
Find your bin day and what goes in each binStreets in Rongotai
17 streets are in Rongotai. Search any street in Wellington to see which suburb it is in.
Show all 17 streets in Rongotai
- B
- Bridge Street
- C
- Cairns Street
- Cobham Drive
- Cochrane Street
- Coutts Street
- G
- Gaudin Street
- George Bolt Street
- J
- Jean Batten Street
- K
- Kingsford Smith Street
- L
- Lonsdale Crescent
- M
- Mamari Street
- McGregor Street
- Moa Point Road
- R
- Rongotai Road
- S
- State Highway 1
- Stewart Duff Drive
- T
- Tirangi Road
A long road is listed in each suburb it runs through.
Safety and Hazards
Higher than the Wellington average for the number of people who live here. Busy beaches, town centres and nightlife draw lots of visitors, which lifts the figure. Another 351 reports were at shops and businesses.
Buses from Rongotai
7 bus stops inside the suburb.
Typical weekday daytime frequency.
Weather and Rent at a Glance
Weather is city-wide; rent is for this suburb.
In Rongotai
Places and businesses inside the official Rongotai boundary.
Places
About Rongotai
Rongotai occupies the low-lying Rongotai isthmus that links the hilly Miramar Peninsula to the rest of Wellington.
Rongotai occupies the low-lying Rongotai isthmus that links the hilly Miramar Peninsula to the rest of Wellington. Before the Haowhenua earthquake the peninsula was an island in Wellington Harbour. The earthquake raised the land and created the flat strip now occupied by the suburb and the airport.
The flat terrain made the isthmus a natural site for an airfield. Wellington Airport, formally located in Rongotai, opened as Rongotai Aerodrome in 1929 and has expanded over the decades to become New Zealand’s third-busiest airport after Auckland and Christchurch.
Most land around the airport is used for aviation, logistics and commercial activities. Residential pockets exist mainly on the western side toward Kilbirnie. The suburb’s exposed position between Wellington Harbour and Cook Strait produces strong, gusty winds that affect both the airport and the surrounding area.
Rongotai serves as a functional gateway for travellers arriving or departing via the airport rather than a destination in its own right.
Geography and History
The Rongotai isthmus has a distinctive geological origin.
The Rongotai isthmus has a distinctive geological origin. Geological and Māori oral records describe the Haowhenua earthquake of around 1460 AD as the event that uplifted the seabed and joined the former island of Miramar to the mainland, creating the peninsula configuration seen today. Te Ara and other historical sources document this change in shoreline.
European settlement later used the flat land for an aerodrome. The original Rongotai Aerodrome opened in 1929 and grew into the modern international airport that now dominates the western side of the suburb. Successive expansions have shaped land use, with much of the surrounding area given over to commercial, logistics and aviation-related activities.
Wellington Airport
Wellington International Airport lies on the Rongotai isthmus and handles domestic flights to all major New Ze...
Wellington International Airport lies on the Rongotai isthmus and handles domestic flights to all major New Zealand cities plus some international services to eastern Australia. It is New Zealand’s third-busiest airport by passenger numbers and aircraft movements. The airport occupies a compact 110-hectare site with a single 1,815-metre runway.
The airport’s position between Wellington Harbour and Cook Strait exposes it to strong, gusty winds, especially north-westerlies and southerlies funnelled through the strait. These conditions create challenging landings and take-offs and give the airport a reputation for turbulence, although crosswinds are rarely extreme enough to close the runway.
Near Rongotai
Just outside Rongotai, within 5 km of its centre, nearest first.
Places
Show 2 more places
Businesses
Where to Learn More
Wikipedia – Wellington Airport: Detailed page on the airport’s history, operations and location in Rongotai.
Te Ara – Eastern Suburbs Wellington: Historical context for Rongotai and surrounding eastern suburbs.
Wikipedia – Haowhenua earthquake: Summary of the geological event that formed the Rongotai isthmus.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Rongotai?
About 1,090 people lived in Rongotai at the 2023 Census, down 1% since 2018. See Who Lives in Rongotai
Which schools are zoned for Rongotai?
The zones of Evans Bay Intermediate, St Oran's College, Wellington East Girls' College and Wellington High School and Com Ed Centre cover all of Rongotai. Lyall Bay School has a zone covering part of it. Zones change, so check an address with the school. See Schools in Rongotai
What buses run from Rongotai?
Airport Express (Wellington to Airport), about every 15 min; route 3, about every 20 min; route 14, a few trips a day. There are 7 stops in the suburb. See Buses from Rongotai
Is Rongotai in a tsunami or flood zone?
All of Rongotai is inside the tsunami evacuation zone, and about 20% of its land is in the council's mapped flood areas. A long or strong earthquake means move to high ground or inland straight away. Check a street on the council flood map before you buy. See Safety and Hazards
Which suburbs are next to Rongotai?
How far is Rongotai from central Wellington?
About 5 km south-east of central Wellington, measured in a straight line.
What is the Rongotai isthmus?
The flat strip of land connecting the Miramar Peninsula to the rest of Wellington, formed by uplift during the Haowhenua earthquake around 1460 AD.
What is the Haowhenua earthquake?
An earthquake around 1460 AD that raised the seabed and joined the Miramar Peninsula, previously an island, to the Wellington mainland.
Is Wellington Airport in Rongotai?
Yes. Wellington International Airport is located on the Rongotai isthmus and is New Zealand's third-busiest airport.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Explore Wellington only lists suburbs officially recognised by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), and Rongotai is one of them. Suburb boundary: LINZ, CC BY 4.0.
Sources and data notes 7
- Official Suburb Facts: Boundary, area and neighbours: LINZ, CC BY 4.0. Population: Stats NZ 2023 Census usually resident population, CC BY 4.0, summed from the statistical areas inside the boundary.
- Who Lives in Rongotai: Stats NZ 2023 Census, CC BY 4.0. Figures are summed from the census areas inside the official Rongotai boundary. Percentages are of the people or homes that answered each question; a figure is left out when fewer than 100 answered.
- Schools in Rongotai: Ministry of Education school directory and enrolment zones (CC BY 4.0 and CC BY 3.0 NZ), October 2026.
- Streets in Rongotai: LINZ NZ Addresses road data, CC BY 4.0.
- Safety and Hazards: NZ Police victimisation data, CC BY 4.0, September 2025 to August 2026 (crimes inside homes are only published for burglary); Greater Wellington tsunami evacuation zones; Wellington City District Plan 2024 flood hazard overlays; Greater Wellington 1% AEP flood hazard extents; Porirua flood hazard layers (Wellington Water).
- Buses from Rongotai: Metlink timetable data, CC BY 4.0.
- Weather and Rent at a Glance: NIWA climate averages 1991-2020 (via Figure.NZ); Tenancy Services rental bond data (new bonds in the suburb’s Stats NZ areas), July 2025 to June 2026, CC BY 3.0 NZ.