Wētā Workshop's new 3D billboards to promote Wētā Workshop Unleashed. Video / NZ Herald
Each week in Sunday Travel, we check out some of the latest happenings from Aotearoa and beyond to inspire your next adventure.
Trolling online ... the train line
You’ve seen them all over your socials, notably filmed in Japan, and now they’re coming to Aotearoa. Nottrolls (well yes, also them) but 3D billboards. Thanks to the creatives at Wētā Workshop, Wellington Airport and Newmarket Station in Auckland are the first to showcase Jeff, the animatronic troll climbing out of departure boards to advertise Auckland’s Wētā Workshop Unleashed this June. Go and check him out now.
Wētā Workshop has created 3D billboards to promote Wētā Workshop Unleashed in Auckland. Photo / Supplied
A 2.5 hour drive or train ride north of Paris, and debuting October 11, the NZ Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata in Le Quesnoy, France, is New Zealand’s first memorial museum to open in Europe for Kiwi soldiers who died on the Continent during World War I. With a visitor experience created by Wētā Workshop, the museum commemorates the triumph of Kiwi soldiers who liberated the people of Le Quesnoy on November 4, 1918, as well as the 12,500 New Zealanders who lost their lives in France and Belgium. nzliberationmuseum.com
The NZ Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata in Le Quesnoy, France features Te Arawhata soldiers created by Wētā Workshop. Photo / Supplied
The Man, the Myth, the Lagerfeld
If you’re off to New York on Qantas’ new non-stop flight between Auckland and the Big Apple (commencing June 14), pop into the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute to see Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. Take an in-depth look at the designer’s career, including his time spent as Chanel’s creative director and view over 150 dresses designed by the man himself. On until July 16. metmuseum.org/exhibitions/a-line-of-beauty
New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute is currently showcasing the Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty exhibition. Photo / Getty Images
Quicksilver Dive, a state-of-the-art diving centre in Port Douglas, Queensland, has become the first PADI Adaptive Service Facility in the state and the only facility of its kind on the Great Barrier Reef to hold the accreditation. This will allow people of varying levels of mobility to enjoy the big blue below. Skilled dive instructors will apply adaptive teaching techniques when training and diving with people with special needs, alongside lifts, ramps, disabled facilities and wheelchair access to classrooms and the training pool. quicksilverdive.com.au
Quicksilver Dive in Port Douglas, Queensland, has become the first PADI Adaptive Service Facility in the state. Photo / Supplied
Star of the show
In the heart of Sydney, Astronomy at the Calyx is set up at the Royal Botanic Gardens for a night of astronomy and star gazing surrounded by the Love Your Nature plant exhibition. Over select dates between April and October, sip wine and gaze skywards to learn about the cosmos with resident First Nations astronomer and distinguished astrophysicist, Dr Angel Lopez –Sanchez. Take a peek through telescopes from the Northern Sydney Astronomical Society and maybe you’ll discover a new planet. rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/astronomy
Enjoy a night of astronomy and star gazing in the heart of the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney. Photo / Botanic Gardens of Sydney
