We had a tour scheduled at the Weta Cave Workshop for 11 AM, so we left the hotel at 9 and grabbed breakfast at Pandoro Panetteria, a recommendation from the guidebook. I enjoyed my ham, cheese, and onion omelette, though I was surprised at the raw yellow onion inside, and Katie had tea and a pastry. We then headed to the workshop, which is in a small warehouse on a residential neighborhood corner plot. We had plenty of time before our tour started, so we watched a video about the history of the Weta studios. It was an interesting overview of the company, and I learned a bunch about the projects they've worked on. I knew they'd done work on the LoTR movies, District 9, and a few others, but I didn't realize the scope of their work! I've decided to watch every movie and TV show that they've worked on, at least in part. (I love assigning myself video homework.)
After the video, we were given a small tour of the actual workshop, where our guide explained a lot about how their prosthetics, sculptures, armor, miniatures, and other items are made. We got to see actual movie props as well as private commissions and promotional materials, and our guide gave us lots of insider information on the studio's projects. Unfortunately, since everything they made in the workshop was owned by movie studios, private collectors, or other entities, we weren't allowed to take any pictures. Still, it was a very cool tour, and Katie and I were so glad we went.
Leaving the WCW, Katie and I decided to check out the view from the top of Mount Victoria, so she navigated us up the mountain on the way back to the city center. There were spectacular 360-degree views of the city, as well as informational signs describing various landmarks. After Mt. Vic, we headed to the Botanic Gardens for a nice walk. We were fortunate enough to choose the only entrance with car parking, which was perfect. We started in the rose garden, and followed the sculpture walk, taking one minor detour to the Camellia Garden and the Fragrant Garden towards the west side of the gardens. I took plenty of pictures of the sculptures, which I found most interesting.
We left the Botanic Gardens and dropped off the rental car at the Interislander Ferry terminal, catching a cab to Te Papa, the New Zealand National Museum. We headed upstairs to the Maori exhibits, and spent most of our time (almost two hours) in that section of the museum. There were several different sections of the exhibit, from a video on the history of the haka to replica houses to creation story installations. I've found Maori history and culture to be one of the most fascinating parts of this trip. Before coming here, I knew next to nothing about the Maori peoples, language, and cultures, and now I find myself wanting to learn more. (Note: I said "language", singular, because by and large, the Maori people all speak the same language, with some regional dialect differences. As one of our guides said, "One language, many people.") Before leaving the museum, we scooted downstairs a couple levels to see a large preserved squid, which was several feet long and used to be longer before it shrunk post-mortem. We were yet again impressed at the museum's offerings, as with the Auckland Museum.
Katie and I walked over to Capitol Restaurant, an Italian higher-end restaurant, for dinner. She had the better of the two dishes, a shell pasta with pancetta and parmesan. I had a delicious scallops dish with green beans and tomatoes. We also shared some calamari and a salad, which were delicious. I tried one of the local beers by the Yeasty Boys, their Digital IPA, which was very good. We split a cheese and walnut dessert dish, which was also tasty.
After dinner, we went to a Welsh bar (supposedly the only Welsh bar in the southern hemisphere) called the Welsh Dragon Bar. Katie grabbed a Welsh cider while I picked up a Welsh dark beer. While we enjoyed our drinks, it was pretty quiet in the pub, so after one round we decided to head out. Since I was still a bit hungry, I popped into Mt. Vic Chippery again for a small takeout while Katie headed to the hotel. One of the cooks there makes his own peppers, so after I tried their "hot" sauce (and teased him about it a little) we chatted about growing peppers and eating hot sauces. He offered to trade me all of the sauces in their store for my jacket, which I (sadly, of course) declined. Also, I now have an open invitation to return to try their "real" hot sauce in the future.
Katie and I finished out the night planning our wine tastings for tomorrow. We've decided to save money on a tour, which makes me the driver for our tastings tomorrow. In exchange, I get to choose a bottle that she'll buy for me to take back to the hotel! I'm looking forward to that part.
Tomorrow, before wine tasting, the Interislander Ferry ride is supposed to be the most beautiful three hours of the trip. I can't wait! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures. Also, I hope to add the first wave of photos to the blog tomorrow! It'll be nice to share some of what we've seen.
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