While I waited for a camera crew to arrive outside Wētā Workshop in Wellington, a group of young kids on their way to school walk past.
At a point on the road, they paused and looked at the offices housing some of our most creative minds and yelled, "thou shalt not pass" and carried on their way. I got the feeling this was an everyday part of the walk-to-school routine.
It was a reminder of the magic and wonder being dreamed up within that's made this small corner of Wellington a beacon to Tolkien enthusiasts all over the world. So much so, Sir Richard Taylor would often come down to give impromptu talks to bus loads of tourists who'd drive by.
I'd come to talk to Sir Richard about a momentous night in 2004, when the last Lord of the Rings film, The Return of the King had a clean sweep at the Oscars, winning 11 from 11. A feat unrepeated since.
Sir Richard's Wētā Workshop took home two trophies that night, after winning two for the first film — a fifth came for King Kong.
In the Wētā Workshop boardroom, floor-to-ceiling glass cabinets hold collectibles and models from the various movies. For us, a scarily real pair of hobbits hairy feet have been hauled out of storage and now sit on the table.
Those five gold Oscars? They're there too, but almost hidden in a corner. Jammed in amongst other awards collected over a long period. I notice they are all a bit banged up — scratched — Oscar looks like he's had few big nights.
There was also no labelling to identify what movie or category they were awarded for. I was to find out this is all by design.
Sir Richard explains: "I don't want them to just sit in a cupboard and I don't want them to be door stops. I've certainly made them work for their keep."
The Oscars get handled by a lot of the Wētā crew and their family. On a couple of occasions, they have been sent off to raise money for charity.
The most extreme occasion was when a massive earthquake hit the Sichuan region in China. The quake caused almost 70 thousand deaths.
Sir Richard says he and his wife, Tania, felt compelled to do something — and in 2009 he took an art exhibition to Sichuan Province to raise money for the Sichuan Earthquake Relief Fund.
And all five Oscars went along.
He remembers "there were words of caution from our crew that surely you're not going to get them back. I wrote to the Academy, of course and as permission, and they were anxious. They were like, 'well, we'll give you permission because its such a worthy cause, but don't come crying to us if you can't replace them' type of thing."
Sometimes, Sir Richard would take them to schools and hand them out in halls and auditoriums and, when it came to leave, the Oscars stayed on.
"They stayed for a further six months, they all came back eventually, you know a little worse for wear."
Now, they're back in Wellington, nameless gold statues in a glass display cabinet, just how Sir Richard likes them.
"I can't identify which is which and I can't remember which is which. I know that we won them for make up, costume and visual effects... But yeah, we've taken the labels off.
"I can't bear the thought that the Oscar has my name on it because I didn't win it. I obviously collected it for a team of people back home — so people feel that they're theirs to celebrate and enjoy rather than just mine."
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