Hoosier Cruiser

February 1, 2026

Note: Sorry for the late posting. We had very rough seas crossing from New Zealand to Australia. Sixty knot winds and six meter waves tossed us about all night.

Wellington, the capital, was our final port of call in New Zealand. However, a small number of passengers opted for a side trip to the South Island; they will rejoin the cruise in Sydney in a few days.

My highlight in Wellington was a continuation of my fascination with Lord of the Rings. Wellington is where Peter Jackson’s production company is located and where most of the LOTR interior filming was conducted. My tour was focused on the Weta Workshop which was founded by a young couple in 1987. They had worked with Jackson on some indie films prior to LOTR. But Lord of the Rings put them on the map and now they have created visual effects and props for over 150 sci-fi and fantasy films.

Unfortunately, photography during the workshop tour was limited to a small gallery of iconic LOTR figures. Our guide took us through sections on prop design, prosthetics, costumes, weapons and scale models. Weta Workshop produced over 480,000 pieces for the LOTR trilogy.

After the workshop, our driver/guide (Robby) took us to a coastal park section of Wellington where scenes from The Fellowship of the Ring had been filmed. He had been an extra on both trilogies and had some great stories about the cast and filming. Afterward, we visited an outlook on Mount Victoria for some great views of Wellington.

Anyone who has visited New Zealand is probably disappointed that our cruise didn’t include the South Island. Since 70% of the filming was there I second that notion. All our guides said each island deserves at least a two week exploration. Returning always an option.

Next stop: Sydney