Hamilton Gardens and Weta Workshop Unleashed

Rather than taking a trip somewhere on the North Island, in the new year we went on an easier-to-do day trip to Hamilton, which is about an hour and a half south of Auckland. I’d heard good things about the Hamilton Gardens but no one really explained that they were much more than the typical botanic gardens experience. They have lots of specialty/themed gardens and are constructing a couple more. I was impressed and would like to take some of my plant-loving friends there.

Fantasy Garden - like an Alice in Wonderland area

 

Fantasy Garden - facilities fit for a giant

 

First time seeing kiwifruit growing

Tudor Garden

Maori food storehouse (for kumara/sweet potatoes, etc.)

India Char Bagh Garden - my favorite with lots of color

Asian garden with bonsai

Chinese Scholars' Contemplation Garden

We also went to the nearby Waikato Museum, which we had almost to ourselves on New Year's Day. It had new information about the history of the Waikato region and a fair amount of artwork as well. The traffic coming back was so light, it was strange.

Otherwise, the other experience we had during the break was go to the Weta Workshop Unleashed experience in downtown Auckland and see some behind-the-scenes views of how they create special effects for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror films. It was interesting to get more insight into the research and work that goes into developing the world and the creatures. A lot is based on the weird things we have in the real world; truth can be stranger than fiction.

The three made-up films used to explain the special effects process
(horror, fantasy, and sci-fi)

 

Miniature fantasy land

This robot is 5 meters tall but can be made to look 15 meters tall
with certain angles and effects.

My holiday break is over, so it's back to working and waiting to see if the vaccine rollout changes the border restrictions. There are so many places still to explore around here and I hope to get to adventure out on some more day trips this year in between all of the writing projects I've got.   

Te Anau and Routeburne Track

To get to Milford Sound, you have to first go south through Te Anau, which is the gateway to the Fiordland and the place to get gas and food beforehand. (Then to get to Queenstown, you still have to go back through Te Anau.)



We took a leisurely drive from Dunedin to Te Anau and spent the night there. But because it stays light out so late in the spring and summer here, we were able to take a walk along the lake and gaze at the mountains and clouds.

The next day on the drive to Milford, we stopped to check out one of the rivers and saw lots of pretty flowers in bloom.

Then we did a hike on part of the Routeburn Track (one of the New Zealand Great Walks). It was steep on the way up, and I had to stop several times, but the views at the top were beautiful. Snow-covered mountains, a mountain lake in the distance, and the cute but naughty alpine parrot, the kea, which was keeping an eye on everyone for potential food scavenging opportunities. One of them soared past us a couple times, and they have a pretty orange underside that you can see.

these are mini carnivorous plants

Christchurch Botanic Gardens

Admittedly, I hadn't been to the Christchurch Botanic Gardens yet, but my friends were into plants and I thought it would be a good place to check out. It turned out to be a lot cooler than I thought. The greenhouse rooms were filled with interesting plants that I had never seen before. And there were some carnivorous plants too, plus a desert room with all kinds of cactus. I've never stopped and smelled so many roses in a rose garden, but the different kinds had unique smells. I took a ton of photos!

 

these crazy-looking tube plants are carnivorous

swirly leaves