Wellington & Martinborough Hotels & Resorts

Depart from Wellington and drive through the picturesque Hutt Valley and the Rimutaka Range to Martinborough for this full-day guided tour of the famous wine region. With a wide choice of wineries, there is a selection of award winning wines to sample, including the Pinot Noirs that the region is known for. Stop for lunch at Poppies winery and enjoy a superb platter of local delicacies matched with their fine wines. Continues on to a further 2 or 3 wineries or head to the lovingly restored colonial town of Greytown, where you can browse the main street taking in the craft and antique shops or stop for a coffee, before heading back over the hill to Wellington.

• Duration: full day
• Start time: 9.30am
• Departs daily
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

Wētā Workshop has been creating physical effects, props and creatures for film and TV since the late 1980s, and chances are you’ve already seen their work without realising it. From The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit to Avatar and Black Panther Wakanda Forever, this Wellington-based studio has helped bring some of cinema’s biggest worlds to life.

Step behind the scenes at Wētā Workshop’s creative home base and get a close-up look at how things are made. This isn’t about green screens and computers. It’s about sculpting, moulding, painting and problem-solving, the hands-on craft that turns ideas into objects actors can interact with.

Your guide walks you through the workshop’s story, from its early beginnings to the award-winning operation it is today, explaining how different departments work together to create props, costumes and creatures. Along the way, you’ll see and handle pieces from across the workshop, including weapons, armour, prosthetics and detailed models, with the stories behind how they were made.

• Start time: 9am 
• Duration: 1½ hours
• Daily departures
• Operates year round
• Group experience