LEARN FROM REAL INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS - After my 90 minute tour of Weta Workshop Unleashed, I had booked in to do the Intro To Special Effects workshop. As a Makeup Artist, I have done special effects and it is one of my favourite areas of makeup, however there are always new techniques to learn. I was very lucky to have been in a class of only two people, me and one other girl. My instructor, whose name slips my mind was amazing and showed us a really good way of making scars, a technique which involved steps that I had not used before but I certainly will be now. We started off by making molds of 3 different kinds of scars with plasticine.

Amazing experience - Annie was a wonderful guide through an awesome hands on experience! You move through multiple parts of the studio and can touch and learn how they make all of the artist pieces and replicas

Fun experience! - Case was really fun and a great teacher. My family of five all really enjoyed doing this. It was especially special as we were the only ones signed up so we had a private class.

A Mind-Blowing Introduction to Movie-Making! - My Uncle and I 'signed up to be interns' at the Weta Workshop Unleashed in Auckland City during our recent holiday and we were totally blown away! Kiki(Sarah) gave us the introduction tour of the premises and facilities, starting in the store room where she asked us to count the boxes on all the shelves. Important Hint: All visitors to this attraction are treated as job applicants or interns, and are required to complete some basic tasks before being allowed into the premises proper. Without divulging too many secrets, we were shown around the various departments which worked on the visual effects for fantasy, science fiction and horror movies. From practical effects, production design, set designing, prop designing, costume designing, prop building, animatronics, computer generated Imagery(CGI) to rubber masks and make-up techniques, it was a totally mind-blowing experience to see how all these aspects are combined to make a feature-length movie! During the tour, you will also get the opportunity to take lots of ultra-cool photos on the movie sets that the studio has built. The Weta Workshop company has worked on over 100 movies and TV series, including big-budget blockbusters like the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, King Kong, Avatar and District 9, among others! If you are a movie buff, you definitely should visit this attraction if you visit Auckland. I wish to give a HUGE shout out to my supervisor of that day: Kiki, also known as Sarah, for being a SUPER FABULOUS guide and host! I had to use the washroom in the middle of the tour, and she called another staff member to bring me out to the public washrooms outside of the studio, and waited for me to return before proceeding with the tour with all the other interns! She was entertaining, funny, warm and friendly all-round! There is another important point that I wish to highlight: On the day of my tour, I missed the opportunity to take some photos on a fantasy movie's throne prop with the studio's camera. Since I bought the full photo package after the completion of my tour, I went back to the Weta Workshop unleashed souvenir shop called the Weta Cave, and asked them if I could get some of the mentioned photos. The awesome staff there obliged, a lady brought me into the studio and back to the throne room and I got the photos that I wanted, without any extra cost too!!! I forgot this extremely kind lady's name, but I wish to highlight her kindness and generosity. Kudos to Kiki and this kind lady, and also to all the awesome staff members of the Weta Workshop Unleashed, please keep up your good work!

Fun but felt rushed - We're huge LOTR fans and hope this would be a highlight of our trip It was fun, but felt a bit rushed. Instructor was friendly and helpful. Didn't receive a certificate at the end as promised.