Westpac Stadium (Wellington)

Wellington Regional Stadium, also known as the Westpac Stadium is located in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand.

Westpac Stadium (Wellington)

Capacity: 34,000

Wellington Regional Stadium, also known as the Westpac Stadium is located in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Primarily due to its silver-coloured outer walls and shape, this stadium is also called as the “Cake Tin”.

Westpac Stadium was constructed to replace Athletic Park, which was deemed inadequate for hosting international events due to its poor condition as well as location. Another reason for building this ground was to offer a venue for ODI cricket matches that could house more spectators, as the city's other venue Basin Reserve lost international matches.

The stadium is also home to Super 12 rugby's Hurricanes and the National Provincial Championship's Wellington Lions.

Since opening in 2000, the Westpac stadium has hosted rugby union, rugby league, cricket, soccer and even Australian rules football matches. The stadium has a total capacity to house 34,500, most of them undercover. However, with 64 corporate boxes and a superbox, the venue's total capacity is extended to almost 36,000. Interestingly, temporary seating can raise that capacity to around 40,000.

The Westpac stadium comprises of a single level of yellow seats around the whole venue with corporate boxes beneath the stadium roof. With floodlights, two video screens and plenty of space under the stands, this ground is undoubtedly one of the best venues in New Zealand.

The first cricket match to be played at this stadium was between Wellington and Northern Districts in the Shell Cup. However, the first international match played on the ground was a rain-hit ODI between New Zealand and West Indies.