At 5:40 am on the 28 September, the Dunedin airport was overrun by 18 very tired but excited students and three equally tired but endlessly enthusiastic staff. After the August lockdown, the Media Studies and Textiles trip to Wellington seemed less and less likely to go ahead, but luckily for us, the move to Alert Level 2 meant we were ready to rock and roll.

Our first activity was at Weta, a New Zealand based company dedicated to film special effects and set pieces. Lord of the Rings fans were delighted at seeing and even holding genuine set pieces from the films, and after our tour concluded, we were given a scar-making masterclass. After the Weta tour, Ms Hayward announced a very exciting Amazing Race activity around the Wellington CBD, which we participated in with peak enthusiasm and competitive spirit. Tuesday afternoon saw us taking the cable car up to the Space Place, where we were shown a short film on dark matter and its mysterious properties, as well as being given a tour of Wellington’s night sky.

After a good night's sleep, Wednesday commenced with a brief but insightful tour around Massey’s textiles/fashion and media department, which was followed by a visit to Katherine Mansfield’s birthplace, giving us context to many of her famous short stories. A personal highlight of the afternoon was meeting NewHub’s own Patrick Gower, who was finishing up a television segment on Cuba Street. The evening activity was a trip to the Roxy theatre in Miramar, where we were shown a viewing of the new Marvel film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and told about The Roxy’s fascinating history. Despite its aged appearance, the building is only ten years old and was modeled purposefully to suit 1920s architecture, reflecting the ‘golden age’ of film.

Thursday morning saw a visit from OGHS ex-girl Tui Tairoa-Smithies, who is about to graduate from Toi Whakaari studying costume construction. Then, we went to Te Papa to see their current Surrealist art exhibition. While this was very exciting, Ms Joyce and I were very disappointed by the removal of the children’s supermarket playroom. After a final wander around the city centre, we headed back to The Marion to collect our bags and bid windy Welly farewell.

This trip has been educational, utterly unforgettable, and so much fun. The cancellation of many media and textiles related activities, while disappointing, has not held us back from exploring the industries and gaining insight for the future. We would like to say a big thank you to Ms Hayward, Ms Joyce, and Mrs Flanagan, who have put a lot of effort into planning and sorting our itinerary, as well as putting up with 18 very tired and very chatty students. We have had so much fun!