Wellington Region - New Zealand - page 647

Weta Cave MUSEUM
( www.wetanz.com ; cnr Camperdown Rd & Weka St, Miramar; 9am-5.30pm) Film buffs
will enjoy the Weta Cave, a fun, mind-boggling minimuseum of the Academy Award--
winning company that brought The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, The Adventures of
Tintin and The Hobbit to life. Learn how the company does it on the 45-minute 'Window
into Workshop' guided tour (starting every half-hour, $20). The Weta Cave is 9km east
of the city centre, a pleasant waterside bike ride or 20 minutes on the Miramar bus.
New Zealand Film Archive CINEMA
OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP
( film info line 04-499 3456; www.filmarchive.org.nz ; cnr Taranaki & Ghuznee Sts; movies $8;
9am-5pm Mon-Fri, evening screenings 7pm Wed-Sat) The Film Archive is a veritable
vortex of NZ moving images, into which you could well get sucked for days on end. Its
library holds more than 30,000 titles spanning feature films, documentaries, short films,
home movies, newsreels, TV programs and advertisements. There are regular screenings
in the cinema ($8), as well as a viewing library (free) where you can ferret out and watch
films until you're square-eyed. Groovy on-site cafe.
Dowse Art Museum GALLERY
( www.dowse.org.nz ; 45 Laings Rd, Lower Hutt; 10am-5pm; ) Fifteen minutes' drive
or via regular buses from downtown Wellington, the Dowse is worth visiting for its ar-
chitecture alone. It's also a friendly, accessible art museum showcasing NZ art, craft and
design, with a nice cafe to boot.
Petone Settlers Museum MUSEUM
( www.petonesettlers.org.nz ; The Esplanade, Petone; 10am-4pm Wed-Sun) On the shell-
strewn Petone foreshore, 10 minutes' drive from downtown Wellington or reachable by
regular bus services, the art-deco Petone Settlers Museum recalls local migration and set-
tlement in its charming Tatou Tatou exhibition.