Wētā Workshop Tour: Movie Magic Unveiled
4.7
681 Ratings
Wellington

Immerse yourself in the world of filmmaking magic at Wētā Workshop in Wellington, New Zealand. Explore the creative process behind iconic films like The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies, and discover the secrets of movie effects, costumes, and miniatures.

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Weta Cave - Want to experience the many sides of Wētā Workshop’s creativity? The Wētā Workshop Experience showcases the making of movie effects and props, from armour to weapons, creatures to costumes, make-up to miniatures. Meet your guide at the Wētā Cave store to begin your journey through the movie-magic world of Wētā Workshop!
    Explore props,…
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What's Included
  • Professional guided tour at Wētā Workshop
What's Not Included
  • Guided return transfers
Additional Information

Step behind the scenes
Wētā Workshop has been crafting amazing creations for film and TV since 1987. The talented team has brought beloved characters and stunning special effects to life for iconic blockbusters such as The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Avatar, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Step into Wētā Workshop Experiences and immerse yourself…

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Location
Weta Cave
Weka Street
Your Wētā Workshop Experience will start at the Wētā Cave store located on the corner of Weka Street and Camperdown Road, Miramar, Wellington. Please allow enough time to find a carpark, as spaces are limited.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(681 Ratings)
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H2282twandrewc
Mar 21, 2025
A great experience, even if you are not a Lord of the Rings enthusiast! - This is a great experience. I am a self-confessed Lord of the Rings enthusiast but my wife is not, and she still had a good time. Don’t come here if you are expecting to be able to wonder through the actual workshops taking photographs of props being made. However, the tour which lasts about 90 minutes does give you a really good idea about what WETA does and you do get to see into the workshops and get to pick up some props which were used in the films. So they have the actual Sauron’s armour and the actual Sting sword (some readers of this will have no idea what I’m talking about!). Our guide was called Flynn who was very engaging and a self-confessed nerd. He had a BA in film animation I think. So he knew all about the films and was able to point out various things which were used not only in Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit but in lots of other movies. He had all the information at his fingertips but managed to pass it on with enthusiasm rather than nerdiness! Basically you walk around a series of rooms with artefacts on the walls some of which you can pick up and photograph (so there are some photographic restrictions which are understandable). From time to time videos from the founders for the Studios pop-up and tell you information about the process of model making. They also take you through a number of stages in making masks, weapons etc and Flynn demonstrated the process on real proof. There were also a couple of Model makers who talked about how you can make models at home. All in all it was a great experience. Also it’s suitable for all ages – there was a family with small children who really enjoyed themselves with a treasure hunt theme going through the tour. Definitely recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pamela_b
Mar 20, 2025
Excellent tour - Fantastic tour. We didn't realise how many films and exhibitions WETA workshop was involved in. The detail in each piece is just brilliant. The artists working here are so talented. This place is well worth a visit.
Review provided by Viator
Nanaml1164xa
Mar 18, 2025
Good stuff - Worth the money. The bus driver to and out of the location was awesome and the tour itself was interesting. It didn't dive into much details but as a general glimpse of the studio's work this was great!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andreas_s
Mar 18, 2025
Amazing modeling works - Tour of the studio with background on the development of Weta. Very interesting and informative. Tour guide was great.
Review provided by Viator
Traveloz
Mar 17, 2025
Very informative and interesting tour - We booked the last tour of the day but Emma was very enthusiastic, informative, friendly and entertaining. We enjoyed the areas we could see and were impressed with what can be done with tin foil. It was a great opportunity to see costumes, weapons and have an insight into what it takes to make a film. Parking was easy on street nearby. It was also suggested we take a look at the Roxy cinema. A lovely art deco building with Gandulf and Thunderbirds on display (at this time)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ron_k
Mar 17, 2025
Movie Making Insights - Great look into movie making for costumes and props. We found our time there most interesting. Well worth the time.
Review provided by Viator
M6291ihjohnp
Mar 16, 2025
Weta Workshop Wellington - It was a great experience. Logan the tour guide was friendly and informative and made the tour fun and interesting. We arrived early and were able to get on an earlier tour which was appreciated.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Explorer34383521456
Mar 16, 2025
Friendly and accommodating! - We had a lovely time with our tour guide Mia who seemed genuinly excited to share the tour with us, and shared some lovely stories with us aside from the tour speeches she had to give. Really made us feel welcome. Getting to handle so many props and meet some exceptionally talented artists that were so keen to share their crafts with the tour was a favorite for us! They were also so accommodating with providing a wheel chair for us while we were on the tour, we just called ahead to ask if one was available during our booking and they were happy to provide it. So simple and really made my partner able to enjoy the tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jbrophy9
Mar 21, 2025
Highly recommend - Guide was amazing. Videos were interesting. Was good being able to hold some of the swords and chain mail. The tin foil demonstration was probably the best bit - just would have liked longer to create. Would have liked more hands on but other than that was amazing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Puakomermaid
Mar 20, 2025
Not a behind the scenes studio tour - Disappointing as we saw no craftsmen except for a man fashioning models from aluminum foil There were a few props you could handle. Insight of crafting was from a video. Location is inconvenient and I felt like I wasted a half day. Least fav thing we did. My time was better spent at TePapa, Zoolandia, Beehive tour of capitol, Wellington Museum, Botanical Gardens.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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From $34
From $34
up to 15 guests
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Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).
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