Museum & Gallery

Wētā Workshop Unleashed

From the team behind some of cinema's most elaborate practical effects, Wētā Workshop Unleashed brings the workshop floor to Auckland's SkyCity. Hosted guides lead families through three original films before stepping into the scenes themselves — coming face-to-face with monsters, a towering alien robot, and castle sets built with unsettling realism.

How muchTe utu: $35–$65
Ages: 4–89+
WhereKei hea: Auckland CBD
Rating: 4.8; 2,927 on Google

Get directions Their websitewetaworkshop.com

Perfect for

Museums & Galleries Indoor Activities

LocationTe wāhi

Auckland CBD

Level 5/88 Federal Street

Directions Website

What it is

The core experience is a 90-minute guided tour through the practical effects-making process, but creative workshops run alongside it for children who want to go further. The Monster Mischief Lab lets kids sculpt their own creature under crew guidance, while Intro to Worldbuilding has participants building miniature environments from recycled materials. A Tour and Monster Mischief Lab Combo pairs both into a single outing.

Older children with a taste for filmmaking or creature design will get the most from a visit, though the immersive films and animatronics hold broad appeal. Caregivers attend the Monster Mischief Lab free of charge, which makes it a particularly good-value school-holiday option for families.

What other parents say

Harrison6 months ago

Wētā Workshop Unleashed is family-friendly interactive experience sampling some of many things Wētā Workshop works on. Unlike their Wellington workshop, I don't believe they actually produce much here film-wise, relying on original IPs instead for a more tourist-oriented experience. The perk of not being a working film production studio is that (also unlike Wellington) touching and use of video and photography is permitted and encouraged. The tour begins with a silly, albeit funny, photo op using greenscreen effects. We had a mixed bag of seniors, middle aged, young adults, and children in my tour. Our guide Veronica was awesome, helpful, and totally committed to the bit! There are four main sections to the tour. First is an introductory foyer with an amazing audio-animatronic. The second is a horror section focused on practical effects such as face-mimicing animatronic software, augmented reality simulating make up and prosthetics, and sound editing. Then a fantasy section dedicated to props, costumes, and miniatures, including a breathtakingly small-scale kingdom with hidden dragons and moving figures in the windows. Finally comes the sci-fi section with force perspective and green screen effects. The tour concludes after an AMAZING and giant animatonic alien robot thing before exiting through the gift shop. Then Cave (gift shop) has the three hill trolls and Smaug's head with moving eye at full scale. I believe these were salvaged from the Wellington Airport. Great experience over all. Entertaining and educational for all ages.

Julio Arenasa month ago

Went to the 5:10pm tour and got we were very happy we got Tom as our guide! He was super chill and fun but also knew how to warm up our group of strangers so that everyone was comfortable before the tour got under way. He was great with kids and took the time to get to know each person a bit throughout the tour. He had the fun insider facts we expected to hear with the exhibits. He also went above and beyond with his gift to us as we ended the tour. You gave us a great gift and a great start to our New Zealand holiday Tom! Cheers! Always ask for Tom! (sorry Jeff)

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Amanda Mesler3 months ago

My partner and I had an incredible time at Wētā Workshop Unleashed and would highly recommend taking the guided tour. Our guide, Mac, was phenomenal. She was knowledgeable, engaging and incredibly welcoming (I also loved her makeup!). She kept us entertained from start to finish, balancing fascinating insights with keeping the group on schedule, ensuring we got the most out of the experience. The tour itself was fantastic and a must for anyone interested in filmmaking and movie magic. That said, I think audiences of all ages and interests would be captivated by the sheer creativity and craftsmanship on display. The level of detail in the sets, props and interactive elements is extraordinary. In fact, you could walk through the tour several times and still discover new things to admire. An immersive, imaginative and thoroughly enjoyable experience! We left with an even greater appreciation for the artistry behind the scenes.

Alan Turvaville3 months ago

What an amazing behind the scenes experience! I definitely recommend booking tickets in advance since the tour group sizes aren't very big, and that makes for a much more personal and enjoyable time! It's fun for all ages and super interactive! If jump scares get you, definitely bypass the small horror area. It's optional and you won't feel like you missed anything if you skip it, but for horror fans, it's really cool! We had Millie (apologies if I spelled it wrong!) as our tour guide and she was amazing! If you're reading this, thanks for the great time!

Gem Gem5 months ago

A place you cannot miss if you are in Auckland. Suitable for older children our kids were 9 and 13 and really enjoyed this, any younger and I am not sure I would have taken them as may have had some scary elements to it for younger kids. The tour guide was a real hoot, so funny and really made the experience fun and interactive. It was really fascinating. Well worth the $ spent. Heaps of photo opportunities.

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