The first view of the North Island.
Wellington from the sea.We caught up with a friend and just wandered for a while.
Then headed to the Weta Workshop. The place was amazing. There’s no photography for much of the tour.
There are three trolls outside, Gollum and Lurtz in the foyer.
There are plenty of other Middle Earth characters along with characters from the many other films Weta have worked on. The tour covers several rooms dealing with different aspects of the special affects - modelling, costumes, armoury. Each room had a presentation either by a video or an artist, and then the chance to view examples up close.
The next day we did more of a tour. Starting with a trip up the cable car (funicular)
Then a short bus ride to Zealandia. This is a 560-acre sanctuary for flightless birds protected by a predator-proof fence, centred on one of Wellington’s old reservoirs, about 5km from the centre of town. Even without the birdlife, it would have been a great walk.
Then back into the centre via the botanic gardens.
We then meandered to Te Papa Museum.
One gallery was based on Gallipoli - and the stories of New Zealand soldiers during the campaign, very effective multimedia, and amazing oversized figures from Weta.
The natural history element was different to anywhere else I’ve been due to combining Maori beliefs with science.
Wellington Airport had a Smaug model, and Gandalf riding a giant eagle flying over the waiting area.
