Zealandia, Weta Cave & The Journey to the South Island

We woke up at a leisurely pace, enjoying a slow morning before heading off to our first stop of the day: Zealandia.

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Zealandia – Conservation in Action

Zealandia is an incredible eco-sanctuary dedicated to restoring New Zealand’s native wildlife and bringing back species that had been pushed to the brink of extinction. Their efforts to remove invasive predators and create a safe haven for native birds, reptiles, and plants are truly inspiring. The entire area is fenced off with state-of-the-art predator-proof barriers to keep out invasive species like rats, stoats, and possums, which have wreaked havoc on the country’s delicate ecosystem.

That said… while the mission of Zealandia was amazing, the tour itself was a bit slow and, at times, pretty boring. It felt more like a quiet nature walk than an engaging experience, though we did get to see some beautiful native parrots up close, which made it worthwhile.

Afterwards, we made our way back to the café for a quick bite—at this point, I was fully hooked on meat pies, so naturally, I had another one before we moved on to the next stop.

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Weta Cave – A Quick but Epic Visit

From Zealandia, we made our way over to Weta Cave, home to the legendary Weta Workshop that created the props, armor, and special effects for The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and countless other films.

I wished I had more time to spend here—there was so much to see, but we were on a tight schedule, and let’s be honest, our wallets wouldn’t have survived if we had stayed too long. Still, it was incredible to walk through and see the amazing props and collectibles on display.

Some highlights:

• I got a photo with the three trolls from The Hobbit—a must for any Tolkien fan.
• Stood next to the massive orc, Lurtz, who looked even more intimidating in person.
• Snapped a picture with Gollum, looking just as creepy as ever.
• Checked out all the movie souvenirs, resisting the urge to buy everything.
• Got to pose with a staff and sword next to the trolls for some fun extra pictures.

I could have spent hours here, but time was not on our side, so we had to move on.

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The Ferry Ride to the South Island

Next, we made our way to the Interislander Ferry Terminal to board our ferry across Cook Strait. We had about an hour to wait before we could load on, giving us time to stretch our legs and prepare for the long crossing.

The ferry trip took about 3.5 hours, but the moment we set foot on the South Island, it was like stepping into another world.

The landscape immediately felt like Middle-earth—majestic mountains towering over us, lush greenery in every direction, and a sense of untouched pristine wilderness that was even more breathtaking than I had imagined.

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Arriving in Havelock – A Short but Scenic Stop

We drove down to Havelock, where we had booked a spot at a holiday park for the night. However, since we had a very early morning ahead (5:00 AM wake-up!), we didn’t stay up long.

We spent the evening:

• Watching a little bit of Avatar (our ongoing road trip movie).
• Stepping outside to gaze at the stars—it was an incredibly clear night, making for some of the best stargazing we had seen so far.

Then, we crashed for the night, knowing that Day 9 was going to be another big adventure.

As always, you only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. Embrace the adventure, cherish the memories, and I’ll catch you tomorrow for day 9!

#NewZealandAdventure #LordOfTheRings #DreamTrip #Travel #40thBirthday #MiddleEarth #BucketList #AdventureAwaits

-Rob ❤️