Located in Happy Valley (a 10 minute drive from Wellington) Carlucci Land is not what you’d expect from Mini Golf. Actually you could end that sentence before you get to Mini Golf, it’s just not what you’d expect at all.
Having only just left the city and passed through Brooklyn, you’ve not long been travelling through the valley when you come across the first of the sculptures nestled into spaces around the hills.
It has a post apocalyptic vibe to it with rusted jeeps wedged in to rocks down cliffs.
And sculptures made from recycled materials that look like something out of Mad Max to carry the survivors in to the next battle.
All nestled in to the most glorious, rugged surrounding that is the hills of Happy Valley.
It’s like a scene from a movie and our 13 year old immediately injected herself in to it – posing Lana Croft style and acting out her dramatic death.
I get the feeling that you could come back at different times and notice different things every time. We also came on a gloriously sunny day and I wonder how much the drama of a windy Wellington day would enhance this already immersive place.
There’s the option to pay $2 just to look around (well worth it in itself to see all the sculptures) or to pay the extra for Mini Golf (which we did).
The mini golf itself is a compact course with multiple levels. Golf balls travel from level to level in all manner of twisted metal tracks and roll through (or in our case bounce off) obstacles crafted on the track.
We had of course the inevitable rules arguments throughout the game and the allegations of miscounting (wouldn’t be a family game of mini golf without those) but on the whole it was great way to spend time, off phones and outside, with the kids.
We’d thoroughly recommend it as an all ages activity and definitely great for teens. We spent 2 hours here so for the $36 we paid for entry it was well worth it.
