Getting to Wellington wasn’t as easy for us as taking the planned ferry over the Cook Straits. The day we would leave for Wellington the biggest earthquake in years hit the Shaky Isles and devastated large parts of the infrastructure on the southern island as well as shaking up Wellington quite heavy. Ferries were cancelled and we were stuck. Swift action led us to book a flight for the next day into Wellington, rearrange the car hire and fix hotels. A day later then planned and through heavy turbulence we arrived on the northern isle, in the city of Wellington.
The Weta Cave is a shop associated with the Weta Workshop, the special effects company behind large productions such as Lord of the Rings and other Peter Jackson movies. Some props and a large selection of crafted miniatures were there to gawk at & the experience comes highly recommended. In a deserted zoo (it was just us and 4 other tourists, must be because of the quakes) we finally had an encounter with the large land bird, the Kiwi. It was funny that being alone in the zoo made you feel more like you’re the animal everyone else is watching as all our movements were closely regarded by the animals present. Just before leaving Wellington we had a chance to visit Te Papa, where an excellent special exhibit of New Zealand’s role in various wars was housed.
