The Weta Cave and Cafe Polo, Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand

Precioussss...... my precioussss

It's hard to think about New Zealand without remembering the dramatic scenery from The Lord of the Rings. And whilst downtown Wellington is perfectly compact and flat for the tourist on foot, you will need wheels to take in the more dramatic ocean views and ascend the steep hills around the city.


The Plate-mobile

Enter the Plate-mobile. After completing the behind-the-scenes tour of Floriditas Bakery, I met up with Brad from Positively Wellington Tourism for a scenic drive in the company car temporarily embellished with Wellington on a Plate stickers. It was only a few minutes on the road before we hit crystal clear stretches of water, steep cliffs, lush green hills and pretty pastel cottages along the beach.

And along the way Brad pointed out the coolest thing I saw in Wellington...


Personal cable cars!

Yes personal cable cars! Because many houses sit on top of steep hills and downtown Wellington is in the valley below, some people have installed their own cable car which is used to get themselves and their shopping bags home without a car.

Apparently some people will share a cable car with their neighbour if they're closeby, but the maintenance is quite expensive, and they need to be serviced at least once a year. We passed at least a dozen sets of cable car tracks, but I think the biggest track is this one:


Giant cable car track

Imagine the friends you'd make at school with your own cable car ride!


Weta Cave

Our travels took us the Weta Cave in Miramar, the free mini-museum that features props, costumes, weapons and merchandise from the movies Weta has worked on over the years. Its project history is impressive, most notably the Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Last Samurai, Master & Commander, Hell Boy, Heavenly Creatures, The Frighteners and the soon-to-be-released Avatar (in production).


The Samaritan - Hellboy's Gun from Hell Boy 2004

A free 20-minute behind-the-scenes video screens every half hour in the theatrette. It's a fascinating look at the range and depth of skills and expertise found within the Weta Workshop. The company is involved with conceptual design, costuming, props, weapons, make-up and special effects. There are specialists in bronze casting, prosthetics (using foam latex, gelatin and silicon), sculpting, miniature model making, 3D printing, painting, hammered armour and chainmaille.

The deliberately low-budget video is charming in its humility, presented by Weta co-founders Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, Tania Rodger and Jamie Selkirk but featuring plenty of footage of genuinely happy and laughing staff.


Lord of the Rings Collectibles

More than 185 different Lord of the Rings collectable sculptures were produced - they are now completely sold out.


Peregrin Took, Bilbo Baggins and Meriadoc Brandybuck collectable sculptures


Gimli puppet - used as a double for Gimli in
Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring
when he is in the boat going down the River Anduin


Gollum

We stop for lunch at Cafe Polo, only a few streets away. It's a buzzy cafe that's overflowing with couples and families. Brad gets the Wellington on a Plate $25 set-menu (two courses with a glass of wine and tea/coffee) whilst I order from the lunch menu.


Cream of cauliflower soup with Olivo porcini-infused
extra virgin olive oil (from Martinborough)

The cream of cauliflower soup is silky smooth with a deliciously nutty flavour. There's a lovely sense of richness without it being too overly heavy.


Homemade potato gnocchi with blue cheese,
roast portobello mushrom and baby spinach

Homemade potato gnocchi nubs have been boiled and then pan-fried to a golden caramelised edge. The dab of blue cheese nestled on top is not overly strong, and disappointingly not swirled throughout the sauce. A giant roasted portobello mushroom adds a fragrant earthiness to the dish.


Porkpie Ploughman's Platter $16

I've gone for the Ploughman's Platter with a homemade pork pie. The pork pies are made by co-owner Valentina Dias' other company, Pudding Lane.


Inside the pork pie

The cold pork pie is a rich parcel of thick pastry encasing cooked pork set with pork jelly. I'm not normally used to eating such a large portion of pork pie - usually a wedge or two is all I can manage. I can only eat a quarter, although my rather large breakfast from that morning may have also had something to do with it.

I do dig into the locally-made Kapiti Tuteremoana mature cheddar which has a lovely crumbly texture and bite. It goes well with the thick slices of homemade bread, pickled onions, dill pickle and the sweet tang of onion relish.


Chocolate coconut rough

I'm impressed by the biscuits and slices in the window, all of which look homemade. "Oh yes, we make them all in our kitchen," co-owner and chef David Thurlow confirms.

"We don't get that in Sydney," I lament to Brad. Too often, it seems, Sydney cafes are filled with the same drudgery of desserts trucked in en-masse. It's something I find increasingly endearing about Wellington - that everyone seems to take such pride in everything they do, from the locally-sourced food to the homemade desserts to the hand-picked quirky furnishings in so many cafes, bistros and restaurants.


Lemon slice (halved)

We grab dessert to takeaway, sharing a lemon slice and nabbing a chocolate afghan each. At Floriditas, we were told that chocolate afghans are their biggest selling line by far. The rest of the tour attendees, all Kiwis, nodded in agreement. "Err... what's a chocolate afghan again?" I'd asked Julie.


Chocolate afghan

Chocolate afghans, it becomes apparent, are the national biscuit of New Zealand. Aussies have Anzac biscuits; the Kiwis have chocolate afghans. I make sure I get my hands on a homemade Chocolate Afghan to try one for myself.

It's a soft chunky chocolate biscuit with surprise pockets of crunch from the cornflakes mixed throughout. A dollop of chocolate icing and a walnut is apparently essential. The icing adds sweetness, tempered by the slight bitterness of the walnut.

I also quite like the lemon slice, the lemon topping like a tangy cooked lemon curd on a light biscuit base.

Time to dig out the trusty Edmonds Cookery Book and whip up my own chocolate afghans soon!


Wellington on a Plate runs from 17-30 August 2009. Next year's festival dates have already been confirmed as 14-29 August 2010.

Grab Your Fork dined at Cafe Polo as a guest of Positively Wellington Tourism for Wellington on a Plate. For more information on Wellington, check out http://www.wellingtonnz.com.




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Cafe Polo
84 Rotherham Terrace, Miramar
(corner of Para Street)
Wellington, New Zealand
Tel: +64 (04) 380 7273

Opening hours:
Breakfast and lunch
Monday + Wednesday to Saturday from 8am
Sunday from 9am

Dinner
Wednesday to Saturday from 5.30pm

Closed on Tuesdays


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The Weta Cave
2 Weka Street
(corner of Camperdown Rd and Weka St)
Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand

Open seven days a week, 9am - 5.30pm