From Weta to Penang

We woke up earlier today and had porridge again but this time with milk. Someone had only used half of their carton so it was super tasty, nearly like being at home but the oats weren't as big. We got up early today because we wanted to go to Weta cave which isn't actually a cave, it's the studio where they do special effects for many huge blockbusters, including Lord of the Rings. We had to catch a bus there as it was a little out of town and we had no car. Most of the buses in Wellington are electronic and run along these wires like trams, but they still look like buses. It's fantastic really but I think this might make them pricier. We were told yesterday that it would cost us $3.80 each way but in fact it was $9.50 for a day pass or $5 each way. I wasn't impressed. I know it's not much extra but for us every cent counts. The bus driver was a little short with us as well which put me in a bad mood.

We jumped off the bus in a town called Miramar (isn't there a film company called that?) but unfortunately we were a tad premature. We could have waited for another bus but that might have taken a while so we decided to walk in the direction we knew it was in. We passed a group of school children who were obviously going the same way so that made us feel better. It actually only took about fifteen minutes before we reached the offices where you could see them working. We walked round the corner to the gift shop and were met by some huge troll figures standing outside. This place wasn't like Warner Bros. studio in London as it mainly does special effects but the gift shop had a mini museum (about 2 metres by 1 metre) of props that had been made here and had been used in huge films like Lord of the Rings, Narnia, King Kong, Ironman and many more. The gift shop also showed a half an hour film every half an hour in a little mini movie theatre. This was free to watch and explained what exactly they do at Weta and the amazing films they have been a part of. Not a bad little trip considering it didn't cost us a thing (except the bus fair)! 

There was the option to pay an extra $25 for a tour inside the studio so they could show you how they make little figurines and such but we didn't think it was worth it (plus we're poor). Instead we walked back to the bus stop and caught a bus back into town. However, when we passed PaknSave (the cheapest supermarket in New Zealand) we decided to jump off the bus as our day pass allowed us to do that. We went in and bought a fresh baked pie each as well as other bits we needed. We ate our pie on a bench in the little shopping street in this outer suburb of Wellington. We shared a steak and onion pie and a lamb curry pie between us which were pretty tasty. 

Back on another bus we got off just outside the hostel. We decided to have a small second lunch of left over risotto at the hostel which is always better the day after. With enough food down us we headed into town to catch the cable car up the hill. It was pretty cool. It's been used since the early 20th century and still even people that live up the hill but work in the city use it to get home because it's the quickest way. I didn't understand this as it wasn't very quick and I didn't feel it went very far but I still enjoyed it. When we got off the cable car we went into the little cable car museum and looked around but quickly got bored so went to the botanic gardens. This was right next to the museum so we had a nice stroll through the 'bush' before seeing the herb garden and rose garden which didn't have any roses flowering at the moment so was a little dull. We walked back through town, passing all the lively bars; it was late afternoon on a Friday after all. 

Back at the hostel we got changed and walked round town looking a little more presentable. We passed a night market on Cuba street that was selling some nice food from stalls but we felt it was a little overpriced for the amount you got so we moved on. Eventually, we headed to our chosen restaurant called Little Penang which funnily enough served Malaysian food. I chose a Kapitan curry which was pretty delicious and tasted more Thai whereas Matt's curry was more Indian. We also got roti and rice to go with it and all for a very reasonable price. I felt a little under the weather after the meal so we headed back to the hostel earlier than planned although it was gone half 9 when we got there. Maybe a good night sleep is all I need.