Thursday 20 March 2025
The Boarding Weekend Experience
Friday - We supported the King's Premier Water Polo team in their game against Auckland Grammer at St Cuthbert’s College. The team had an easy 9 - 5 victory over their opponents.
Saturday - As a boarding community, we attended the Manu World Finals down at the Karanga Plaza in Auckland CBD and witnessed some of the best Manu’ers showing their great talents of splashing down hard on the water. Afterwards, we took an enjoyable walk to Wētā Workshop Auckland, for a tour that was booked by our wonderful House Tutors.
Wētā Workshop is a world-leading, Wellington-based effects company specialising in designing and creating physical props, costumes, miniatures, prosthetics, and animatronics for film, television and gaming. Their most famous projects include The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, Avatar, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Thor: Love and Thunder, many of which have won awards for visual effects, makeup and production design. They’ve also contributed to video games like God of War and Halo Infinite and TV series such as The Witcher and His Dark Materials.
During our tour, we stepped into a world of movie magic, surrounded by life-sized sculptures, animatronics, and detailed set pieces. We got a hands-on experience with original props, including intricately designed weapons, armour, and prosthetics. Some were disturbingly realistic, like severed limbs from horror films. Watching the Wētā artists demonstrate how they sculpt creatures, paint prosthetics, and bring animatronics to life was fascinating.
One of the highlights was seeing practical effects in action, with animatronic creatures moving as if they had stepped right out of a movie. We also explored the craftsmanship behind costumes and set pieces, gaining an appreciation for all the intricate work behind the scenes.
The tour concluded at the Wētā Cave, where we browsed high-quality collectibles, from miniature statues of Middle-earth characters to replicas of iconic weapons. This was more than just a tour!
Sunday - We went down to Sylvia Park Mall via a train ride to watch the new Captain America: Brave New World starring Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford. The movie was an enjoyable watch for the boys. After the movie, we went shopping and then came back to school.
Manav Chandra (Year 13, Selwyn) and Henrik Leung (Year 13, Selwyn).