Kaikoura was the last of our destinations we were visiting for the first time. We crossed the cook straight and headed back into Wellington for a couple of nights to catch up with James who we had left in Wellington on the way down south. James had been doing some farm work north of Wellington to earn some money before continuing on the Kiwi Bus.

Kathy, James, Sam and I headed to the Weta Workshop for a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how Weta create some of the props and models used in some of the recent films, including Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and Avatar, and learnt about the processes they use to make all the cool stuff! We entered a room filled with costumes, props, armour, weapons and all kinds of prosthetic heads and limbs. We were allowed to hold and touch the items but photography was prohibited! It was surprising how light or heavy some of the items were. The staff were very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and took the time to answer any questions we had and shared some of their own experiences. I would definitely recommend a visit to the studios if you are a film fan.