The Great War Exhibition in the Dominion Museum Building is so good, it stunned Imperial War Museum Director-General Diane Lees.
Ms Lees heads up five major museum sites in England but hadn't imagined anything quite like Sir Peter Jackson's take on World War I.
It is the centrepiece of the recently completed Pukeahu National War Memorial Park and worth setting aside some hours to take in all there is to see in this remarkable location.
Through a feat of engineering, this tranquil park has been built over an underpass concealing a frenetic section of State Highway 1.
Perhaps aim the end of your visit to coincide with The Last Post, played at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior between 5pm and 6pm. The ceremony is held in front of Wellington's art deco carillon, the third largest such structure in the world, which towers over the park.
Each of these elements - museum, park, tomb, carillon - were built to honour the 300,000 Kiwis who have served in military conflicts (30,000 were killed).
The centrepiece is undoubtedly the Great War Exhibition, unfolding the story of World War I year-by-year, which is supported by ANZ and which will be in place throughout the war centenary.
It's no "theme park ride", more a stroll into the past - free to visit, simply demanding a little respectful contemplation. This world is entered via the fragile peacefulness of a Belgian village, an entry point which explains what is to come.
You then segue into the main part of the exhibition - a nightmarish world of bayonets, mustard gas, grenades and flamethrowers . . .
Following the war years it's back to the security of a troopship, with refreshments on the pier and an opportunity to look to the future.
Along the way there's amazing weaponry, sights including full-sized artillery pieces, an operational bi-plane, a real London Bus, a 5000-figure diorama of the Battle of Chunuk Bair, horses, light arms, food products and vivid colour photos of soldiers.
Sir Peter's artisans worked painstakingly, employing latest technology to restore life and colour to these images. Many are full of warmth, hope and humour, removing barriers between ourselves and the past. They look freshly taken, rather than 100 years ago; they depict people just like ourselves.
The first battle tank, an invention causing panic in the German trenches, makes a full-sized exhibit.
A cutaway depicts the British crew, along with their caged carrier pigeons. Put your hand through a hatch and you feel the 50-plus degree heat the tank crew worked in.
The exhibition also boasts songs, shell explosions, artworks and facts on the men and women of the war, in some cases the great grandparents of those looking on.
Teams from WingNut Films, Weta Digital and Weta Workshop put it all together in record time, demonstrating what can be achieved by a motivated crew on an impossible deadline. In three months they transformed the Dominion Museum Building from an education facility, used by Massey University, into a world-class exhibition venue.
It astonished executive director Lieutenant General (retired) Rhys Jones, former head of the New Zealand Defence Force: "The stars lined up for us - I doubt it could have been achieved in the time available in any other place, at any other time.
"Sir Peter exploited a window at the conclusion of the Hobbit movies and ahead of their next project. Some of the best expertise in the world to was available to create figures and so forth.
"Peter was also our primary asset when it came to the contents of the exhibition. Normally we'd have had to beg or borrow the precious items for a display of this calibre - months of correspondence and negotiation could be required. But most of the artefacts used came directly from his Great War collection, so no delay in sourcing."
Getting everything in place was hard work, however. A massive crane lifted in the heaviest of the artillery pieces on Wellington's single calm day just ahead of the exhibition. Engineers scrambled to reinforce the floor to receive its weight, one of their many installation headaches.
Director of the exhibition, Jeanette Richardson, says it will be continually developed over the next four years and hopes for repeat visitors.
New Zealand losses in World War I exceeded the official count of 18,166. This closed off in 1923, failing to include such factors as lives subsequently shortened by poisonous gas or the many returned soldiers who committed suicide.
"The war had a huge effect on life in New Zealand, but not all of it was bad," says Richardson. "For example, technologies used in aviation surged ahead after the war as did advances in medicine. Some men saw their war service as significant and meaningful.
The war brought a surge in opportunities for women to move into professional roles, for example, working for the Post Office or in banks.
"Rather than telling people how to think about the war, we'd like to bring it all a little closer and allow them to form their own opinions."