Wētā Workshop
This is the workshop behind props and effects for The Lord of the Rings and Avatar. Guided tours show real armor, weapons, and creature models, and you can watch craftspeople at work. The Wētā Cave shop sells official collectibles.
Wētā Workshop was founded in 1987 by Richard Taylor and Peter Jackson. Located on the Miramar Peninsula east of Wellington's city center, it has made armor, weapons, creatures, makeup effects, and miniatures for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, Avatar, King Kong, Blade Runner 2049, and many other films. It has won five Oscars, and Miramar is nicknamed “Wellywood” because of it.
Visits are by guided tour. The Wētā Workshop Experience lasts about 90 minutes and costs about NZ$55. It takes you into a real production workshop to see Gandalf and orc armor from The Lord of the Rings, elven weapons, the firearms from District 9, and props from Thor. Craftspeople demonstrate sculpting, casting, and hair implanting, and the guides explain the process from concept design to finished piece. Some areas do not allow photography. Wētā Workshop Unleashed is in Auckland, not here. You can also add the Miniatures Stage and a workshop related to Thor.
The Wētā Cave shop at the entrance is open to the public for free. It has life-size sculptures of Gollum and a cave troll for photos, and it sells official Lord of the Rings collectible statues, replica swords, and merchandise. A free 20-minute behind-the-scenes film is also shown.
Nearby, the Roxy Cinema, an Art Deco theater restored by Jackson's team, and the cafés of Miramar are worth a visit. Mount Victoria, a Lord of the Rings filming location, is also on the way back.
Getting there: Bus 2 from the city center takes about 25 minutes to Miramar Shops, followed by a 5-minute walk. A taxi costs about NZ$20. Many visitors book a half-day tour (about NZ$100–150) that includes Lord of the Rings filming locations around the city.
Tips: Tours must be booked online. The standard tour is for ages 6 and up. Photography and filming are not allowed inside the workshop. Shop collectibles are expensive but can be shipped worldwide. Wētā FX, the digital effects studio elsewhere on the Miramar Peninsula, is not open to the public.
Opening hours
09:00–17:30 (guided tours by reserved session)
Nearby sights
- Mount Victoria Lookout
- Lyall Bay
- Embassy Theatre
- Wellington Zoo
- Harbourside Market
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
- Pukeahu National War Memorial Park
- Wellington Waterfront & Oriental Bay