Wellington Wrap Up

Been doing a lot so will wrap up Wellington here to try and catch up the posts. BTW, I’m posting more quickly on Instagram if any of you are using that (Eileen102).

I totally geeked out at the WETA studios, where we went on the Studio tour and learned a lot about the creation/creative process. No photography allowed until the end because of rights, etc. but very worth the time. We got to meet Warren Beaton, the genius behind creating stuff, and were able to take photos here. 

These are, from the WTA Cave (gift shop and tour starting point)

It’s a good thing I am traveling light or I would have blown the wad on this item, only $3500 NZD

Next tourism was the Wellington cable car to the Botanical gardens followed by a walk around Wellington Harbour

Public art amid the gardens

Muddy, Arlene, and Serah had a crafternoon at the Gardens. Arlene shared her artist{s journal with Maddy and made a convert of Maddy!

The hill’s you’re eyeing in these next photos did not exist in 1839. They were created by the 1840 earthquake in Wellington, which also changed the shoreline.  In the bottom photo, I’m standing at that 1840 shoreline marker, and just raised the camera to take a shot of the current harbour - which s just behind the building with the red tiled roof. 

A last trip to Te Papa to visit the Maori culture exhibit (no photographs for most of it, but check out the exhibit info).  There was a contemporary marae where photos were permitted o here{s a pic of the explanation of the marae/meeting house 

We left Wellington early Sunday morning for a relaxing train on the Great Northern Explorer to Hamilton.   You travel along the rugged SW coast into the central plains, and get fantastic photo ops 

Next leg: Hobbiton and a tea estate tour.