Weta Workshop, Auckland – Weta Unleashed

One of the suits of armour on display at Weta Unleashed.

The Weta Unleashed tour is in the building across the road from the Sky Tower. This was convenient, as we went straight from the Sky Tower to our tour, across a sky bridge. We looked around the shopping cave first, and took photos of the statues of trolls and orcs lurking in the corridor outside.

Once inside the touring area, our first stop was a ‘reception’ area with animatronic Kevin, an orc. Kevin was the result of Disney wanting a fortune – AND YEARS – to create this sort of robot. Weta decided to do it themselves. And they managed to be quicker and cheaper. I prophesise that Disney will be trying to buy Weta in the near future. My favourite room was the Pinnie Gigs room, where Guinea Pigs were the overarching theme. They were part of the stained class, and there was a board that had sketches of LOTR characters as guinea pigs. My next favourite room was the miniatures room. The details were amazing. If I could work for Weta, this would be my jam.

Of course, I got to play with a sword and helmet and a throne.

This kingdom is MINE.

If you get a chance to go to Auckland, don’t pass up the opportunity to see the Weta Workshop. It is inspiring for writers and Steampunk enthusiasts.

Our First Night In New Zealand

Auckland by night, from the Sky Tower

It seemed to take all day to get from Brisbane to Auckland, since we lost two hours in the trip over. But my husband, Brian, didn’t want to waste time in seeing the sights. So, that night, we had dinner at the Sky Tower.

I wasn’t expecting to see much, with the sky overcast and no moon, but was presently surprised to be wrong. The restaurant revolves slowly, so that you get a view of the entire 360 degrees while dining. The highlights were a lime green crane, the dancing lights on the main bridge, the port with its red eyes all over, and the general fairy lights of the city. And the food was great.

View from the Sky Tower by day.

The next day. we went back to the Sky Tower. Auckland is a beautiful city, with it’s water views. I also did a virtual ride with a roller coaster set on top of the Sky Tower. That was delightful, because it gives you several ‘free fall’ moments while experiencing the ride.

The view through the glass floor of the Sky Tower.

I watched as a toddler wandered over the glass floor with no fear, until he looked down. Then he plopped onto his bottom and wailed. However, his mother was suffering from vertigo (I used to get it when my own children looked to be doing something dangerous) and couldn’t bear to step onto the see-through flooring. She tried to call her little one over to her, and was getting quite distraught. I was about to help when he was rescued by his sister, a girl about four, who had no qualms about bouncing on those see-through panels.

After the Sky Tower, we went to the Weta Workshop! I’ll save that for tomorrow’s blog.

Where we were staying was a place called the Fable, which felt rather posh.

The tea set in our room at the Fable.