From Daleks to cave trolls

Wellington can be much maligned for its weather, but it is well set up with activities for those cold and blustery winter days. On a recent trip, Rebecca Fox took advantage of a rainy day to visit a couple of the city's mind-bending indoor attractions.

Exterminate! Exterminate!

The Daleks’ famous battlecry emits, although this time it is my words being distorted.

The interactive display is just one of many in the "Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder" exhibition on at the Takina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre.

It is the first time the exhibition based on the hit BBC television show Doctor Who, which first aired in 1963 and has been broadcast in more than 50 countries, has travelled overseas.

The exhibition mixes Dr Who music and replicas of everything including the Tardis and Lady Cassandra, all while exploring the scientific concepts related to the show like time travel, artificial intelligence, DNA manipulation and cloning.

For the Dr Whovian out there, the monster vault will no doubt satisfy with life-sized versions of some of Dr Who’s deadliest adversaries — the Daleks, Davros, the ultimate mad scientist who made his first appearance in 1975, and the deceptively cute Meep, to name a few.

Although it doesn’t end there — a cabinet of curiosities contains the heads of some of the various life forms Dr Who has come across, such as the fan-favourite The Ood from 2006 or the shape-changing Whisper Man from 2013.

By this time, all thoughts of the wet Wellington day you left at the door are gone as you get the heeby jeebies from the large spider hanging off the wall near the strange looking Teller and then get absorbed by the notorious time lord Morbius, a Frankenstein-like monster from the 1970s, and the heads of Nardole and Hydroflax before the dulcet tones of Lady Cassandra, the last "pure" human, speak sweetly to you.

And that is all without watching the clips from the television series, vignettes from the various Dr Whos or the film about black holes and the science explainers — how wormholes and teleportation could work in the real world — and touch screens.

To get my fill of scary monsters, a visit to Weta Cave is also on the cards but not before a quick refreshment break. Takina has its own handy cafe with a variety of offerings geared to keeping your energy levels up, but there are also half a dozen or more cafes within walking distance — it is one thing Wellington is not short on.

A 10-minute taxi ride or a slightly longer bus ride from central Wellington gets you out to the Weta Cave in Mirimar — you cannot miss it as there is a cave troll in the garden.

This is another must-see for any Lord of the Rings (LOTR) fan or "ringer" — on my tour, a British tourist showed off his LOTR-inspired tattoo before we got under way. More than 150,000 people visit each year and many are ringers or Tolkien fans.

The tour has had a bit of a revamp in recent times. They have axed the visit to the Thunderbird set in favour of spending more time at the Cave itself and clever short videos made by co-founders Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger about the history and some of the workings of the cave workshop where movie special effect props and miniatures are made.

While much of the workshop is still behind closed doors, a video shows how the team transforms actors with prosthetics using a real life actor and showing the intensive and time-consuming process, and then in another room, full-scale models of different costumes and weapons used in movies such as LOTR allow you to see the detail and materials used, like the deceptive plastic chain mail (much lighter than the real thing), up close.

There is also the chance to learn from those who create some of the creatures, artists such as Sonja Howard showcasing some of the creatures she likes to make while multi-media sculptor Kim Beaton enthusiastically shows how easy it is to transform a piece of foil into a sculpture.

A board on the back wall of the studio holds many of the small foil sculptures visitors have attempted to make on the tour at her encouragement.

But the highlight for one family on the tour was getting their photo taken holding some LOTR-inspired weapons — swords and bludgeons at the ready, they posed as if about to take out their son and brother while the British "ringer" went to run his partner through with his sword.

With both full-on experiences under my belt, it was time to head back to the city to take a look at what the Wellington on a Plate festival had to offer. And I discovered the perfect finish to my day — Plonk wine bar’s "Food in Fiction" menu paying tribute to famous literature, films and television, including LOTR.

The fun LOTR-inspired Lembas bread — a potato flatbread wrapped in a leaf and served with spiced butter — was a clear winner. I have to admit to not quite being up to the Silence of the Lambs-inspired Liver and Fava Beans, instead opting for Rachel’s side salad (Friends, series 2) and the Goodfellas prison pasta, three-meat ragu and pasta in a croquette.

— "Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder", runs until October 28, at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre (www.wellingtonnz.com)

— Wellington on a Plate is held in the capital every August (www.visawoap.com)

— Wētā Cave tours run daily (www.tours.wetaworkshop.com)

— Rebecca Fox was hosted by WellingtonNZ