Wellington's cinematic charms

Welcome to Wellywood Wellington - Arabstoday For all those movie buffs who are visiting New Zealand, Wellington is not to be missed for its mix of museums, theatres and cinemas.'Wellywood' is the informal name of Wellington, where you can take a peek into the world of Sir Peter Jackson and Weta Workshop.If you want to find out more about Weta Workshop — the conceptual design and physical manufacturing facility which has been involved in famous movies such asThe Lord of the Rings trilogy, Avatar, and King Kong — head to the suburb of Miramar in Wellington to visit the mini-museum The Weta Cave. The company is named after an insect that is unique to New Zealand, an insect the company describes as 'a very cool prickly little monster'.Entry is free and gives an insight into what Weta does. There are props and displays from some of the movies and other projects the company has worked on, as well as information about the artists who worked on these.In addition, the shop at The Weta Cave also has a range of Weta-related movie and TV merchandise available for purchase by the fan, including limited edition sculptures which have been hand-crafted by the Weta artists.There is no access to the actual workshop at Weta, due to confidentiality surrounding the projects it works on. However, visitors to the Weta Cave theaterette can watch a behind-the-scenes DVD about the work that Weta carries out, and also watch interviews with Weta co-founders Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, Tania Rodger and Jamie Selkirk.Also in the Wellington suburb of Miramar is the Roxy Cinema, a unique cinema which offers movie goers a taste of the glamour of the 1930s.Some of the people involved in Weta Workshop were among the team who saved this cinema. Originally called The Capitol, it had a long history screening movies in Miramar. Built in 1928 to show silent films, it was converted to show talking movies in 1932, and showed its last movie in 1964.After almost a decade of hard work, the cinema reopened in April 2011 with Weta Workshop-designed interiors inspired by the décor of the 1930s. The complex includes two state-of-the-art purpose-built 3D digital cinemas, the fully-licensed CoCo Restaurant, and two cocktail bars.Since reopening, the Roxy Cinema has been entertaining visitors with a range of classic movies and latest releases, where guests can settle back in leather seats and imagine they are watching cinema in the movie-obsessed 1930s.And if all that movie-watching hasn't tired you out, take time to check out the stunning Wellington Harbour with the city nestled around it. Or wander through New Zealand's national museum — Te Papa Tongarewa. Not to mention the city's nightlife with bars, live music and incredible cuisine.Getting there Air New Zealand flies direct to Wellington from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, and if you live outside of these cities, our partnership with Virgin Australia means that we can get you from any of 30 other Aussie airports to Wellington, with a minimum of fuss.