Wellington Movie Tours: Geeking in Middle Earth.
I like to think I am cool and hip, but deep down inside I am an über geek. Especially when it comes to anything medieval, fantasy, and of course, Lord Of The Rings. Todays review is an all inclusive pass into the Lord Of The Rings movie tour I went on, the embarrassing reenactments I jumped at the opportunity to be in, and my visit to the Weta Cave.
Of course you get scooped up in one of those standard tour buses, but the man behind the wheel is the real key to this tour. Ted, our driver, is the founder and owner Wellington Movie Tours. He also happens to be the brother of a designer at Weta Workshops, which means he has stepped foot inside of Minis Tirith and other movie sets. Sick!
The entire time you are driving around Wellington and the surrounding areas, Ted treats you to behind the scenes footage, interviews and hilarious videos of the actors. There is never a dull moment between locations. Since Ted has been exposed to the industry so much, you get heaps of information and commentary as you drive from the Shire to Gondor that would be hard to find anywhere else.
Living the experience is the real fun of the trip. While we were stopped off for a quick bite in Rivendale located in Kaitoke Regional Park (I can’t believe I am saying that). I got to live my dream of pretending to be Orlando Bloom as Legolas! Alright, that’s a lie, I have never had the desire to be Orlando Bloom… but I can still throw on some elf ears and a blonde wig to recreate the iconic poster right? Ladies, who is the better looking Legolas?
Some, well actually most of the group, didn’t volunteer much when Ted pulled out the props. It’s a shame really. If you are paying money to explore the locations where Peter Jackson shot the epic Lord Of The Rings trilogy, and something that helped revolutionize the New Zealand movie industry, why not get into it?!
Each stop, Ted brings with him photos of the exact scene that was shot there, and takes the time to show you the angles at which they were filmed. Have a stroll by the Tower of Orthanc. Lay in the river bed where Aragon washed ashore. Recreate the scene where the hobbits are hiding from the Ring Wraith beside the road. Don’t be shy, it’s all in good, dorky fun! Having Clarence the Camel, the mascot from Nomads Fat Camel backpackers Hostel along helped as an icebreaker though, everyone seemed to dive right in to the scenes he decided to star in.
Towards the end of the tour, Ted takes you amongst the warehouses and studios of Weta workshops. Sure, I’ve taken some studio tours around Universal and the likes, but they never seem to honestly know what they are talking about, or seem to enjoy it. You don’t actually get to go in the studios, but learning about each building, the history of Weta and how much the company has evolved is awesome.
In the Weta cave you can chillax with Gollum, marvel at the handmade props and sculptures by the same artists that worked on the films, and find literature from every video project they have worked on. My eyes were locked on the behind the scenes movie we check out in the Cave. It was fascinating exploring every branch of the workshop, watching the artists’ creations come to life, and seeing how the company grew from an apartment reeking of plaster and silicone, to the World’s foremost special FX company.
Sure, you can go to the Weta cave free if you want. But going on the whole trip and having Ted there with his passion and knowledge of the Lord Of The Rings Films, and the New Zealand film industry, is a no brainer now. The tour was more like a really good friend aching to take us to some place secret he couldn’t wait to share with all of his other friends.
I booked my trip at Nomads Capital backpackers hostel Wellington and I highly recommend it. Clarence has now left my side and returned to his home in Auckland at Nomads Fat Camel backpackers Hostel but I know we’ll meet again my friend!
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