The Big Carrot and the Weta Cave

Morning in Ohakune was another beautiful one with cloudless, blue skies. With weather like this, we’ve been trying to figure out what the different areas of New Zealand are like during the rest of the year. However, since we’re here now, we’re just basking in the warmth. Or, at least I am!

We packed up our bags, said goodbye to the Rimu Park Lodge and headed into town to grab some coffee for Jacob and some groceries to tie us over for snacks and lunch. We’re getting spirulina smoothies to try to help make up for some of the fruits and veggies we’ve been lacking. They look weird, being all green but they’re quite good. I also picked up some feijoas and an apple called apple lemonade because I was curious to try it. After all that, we were ready to leave town and head south towards Wellington. Before leaving Ohakune proper, we stopped by the giant carrot on the roadside to snap some pictures. Apparently, it’s one of NZ’s most hugged large items, and I couldn’t leave without being a part of that.

The drive south was mostly uneventful as we passed through many small towns along the way. The scenery isn’t quite as interesting since most of it is flatter farmland with more sheep than anyone would care to try and count. So, we didn’t really end up taking a lot of pictures. Unfortunately we did run into an hour of traffic north of Otaki that inexplicably cleared once we passed that small town. Maybe the beaches there are super awesome or something but with the one land road and passing lanes closed, it seemed to take forever.

Right before Wellington, we drove along some beautiful coast line with azure waters that you’d expect to see on any warmer island beaches. It mostly seemed like island living until you got into Wellington, which just doesn’t have the same kind of character as the rest of the North Island. Though, it was nice to see the city in bright sunshine this time around. We arrived just before 4pm and headed straight through the city to the Weta Cave in the Miramar section. The Weta Cave was inspiring, as always, especially since it’s literally a stone’s throw from the workshop. Jacob joked that I should just climb under the walls and start working at a desk. Surely no one would notice, right? One section of the Cave is filled with lots of statues of movie characters and various props, while the rest is mostly merchandise. There’s also 25 long minute movie that explains how Weta started and what they’re all about. We both managed to leave there without breaking the bank!



After reluctantly leaving Weta, we decided on somewhere to spend the night and chose to stay at the exact same hotel and pub that I stayed at last time, Shepherd’s Arm. It’s just so close to the ferry where we’d be headed to early in the next morning, which just makes it the best option. Plus the rooms are right over the pub, so that makes for some an easy dining option. Speaking of dinner, Jacob had another round of fish and chips, which the fish being a blue cod this time. Whatever the white sauce is that’s served with the dish, it’s quite delicious. I had a small lamb shank served on a bed of mashed potatoes and gravy with vegetables. We both report that our meals were quite good!