10th March: from Nelson to Christchurch

 A long day on the coach today. Too much sitting still and I didn’t think to put compression socks on, which means I now have elephant ankles. Elevation this evening.

But the day was not without bright spots… we did the much-heralded Middle-Earth on-coach quiz, and to my complete astonishment, I won! (Low bar - I got 18 questions right out of a possible 46; they were hard!)

We stopped for lunch and two bathroom breaks along the way, and also to view a seal colony - more than a hundred at a guess - sunning themselves on the rocks.

Tonight we’re at the Suima Airport Hotel in Christchurch, and to my delight, my room has a sliding door to the outside, so no need to trek miles to vape.

Tomorrow: Edoras!!

9th March: Nelson - Helicopter Ride and The One Ring

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 There was a little bit of grumbling among those of us in the first helicopter ride group, at having to leave the hotel at 6:30 am. But not afterwards… we watched the sun come up on the way and it was awesome.

Mount Olympus - stunningly beautiful location, where they see the crebain from Dunland, and Gimli advises Gandalf to go through Moria, and Boromir is teaching Merry and Pippin to fight.

We returned to the hotel for a quick breakfast before visiting the workshop of Jens Hansen, the jeweller who crafted the One Ring. Lots of fabulous jewellery on sale including the ring I tried on (see photos) but way too expensive.

This afternoon I wandered back into the town centre with two of the group, then visited the Cathedral alone - it was strange to not have Maz with me. They had a Troyes labyrinth painted on the floor, so I walked it, which was lovely. Then I wandered back down the Main Street, where I stopped for a drink of juice with another two of the group, before picking up a delicious orange and almond slice from Dhara’s Caffe. I’m going to eat in the hotel, then have a relaxing evening in my room. Another early start tomorrow.

8th March: From North Island to South Island

 A long and gruelling day today. The ferry across the Cook Strait between North Island and South Island was running late, so that was one thing. However, it was nice to spend the crossing in Sarah and Aarthi’s good company. 

South Island has a very different feel to North Island - the part I’ve seen so far (from Picton to Nelson) is very like Austria. On the way to Nelson, where we’re staying for the next two nights, most of the group went kayaking on the Pelorus River, which just didn’t appeal to me. But more waiting around…

We finally reached the hotel in Nelson around 6 (having left the one in Wellington at 7 am). My room is nice, if quirky - it includes a large purple armchair, which is very comfortable, and both a desk and a bath, neither of which luxuries I had in Wellington. So I am content.

Early start tomorrow- I’ll be leaving the hotel at 6:30 am for a helicopter ride “south of Rivendell”.

7th March: Daniel Falconer and Zealandia

This morning, Daniel Falconer, one of Weta’s best concept artists on The Lord of the Rings, came to the hotel to talk to the group. He was just like he is in the DVDs, both informative and entertaining. Afterwards, there were art prints of his to buy, and he signed all of them (and also my map of Middle-Earth that I bought at Weta yesterday. And he doesn’t just sign things - he adds a little illustration - awesome!

After lunch, one of the group, a guy from Finland called Eero, and I went on a guided tour of Zealandia - a  fully fenced eco sanctuary dedicated to protecting rare New Zealand native species, particularly birds and reptiles. We saw many rare NZ birds, and also some tuatara - a rare lizard-like reptile.

Thee evening will be spent attempting to wrangle all my belongings into the suitcase and backpack… ahead of the ferry crossing to South Island tomorrow morning.

6th March: Wellington and Weta

 After breakfast we drove to Mount Victoria on the outskirts of Wellington to re-enact two moments from Fellowship of the Ring. Which was fun!

Then on to the Weta Cave - Weta Workshop’s retail outlet. Some people spent a small fortune and will need to buy extra suitcases to get it all back home, but I managed to keep to two items - the Elven brooch / pendant I had promised myself, and a lovely parchment map of Middle-Earth. 

Then we had lunch at the Roxy Theatre (owned and beautifully restored by Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger and Jamie Selkirk). Upstairs were Richard Taylor’s Oscar and some wonderful Thunderbirds models.

Our afternoon behind the scenes tour of Weta was fascinating and frustrating simultaneously. We were split into two groups, and my group did the tour first. The very informative guide showed us and let us handle all kinds of LotR artefacts, from weapons and armour to prosthetics. I saw Theoden’s and Aragorn’s armour, all the original hero swords, and Merry’s Rohirrim helmet. BUT we weren’t allowed to take any photos, because Weta don’t own the licences. I also saw a brilliant miniature of a city from Mortal Engines.

Then the two groups swapped and the tedium began. We were given the “marvellous opportunity” to paint some miniature figures (not LotR, just random figures like the ones David used to collect when he was little. Bor-ing. a) I am no good at it b) I’m simply not interested. Total Waste of an hour and a half. Am planning to deposit mine in the bin in the bedroom…

That’s ungracious! Most folk seemed to enjoy themselves. Just not me…

5th March Mount Doom, Mount Ruapehu and Gollum’s pool

 Another early start. We left Taupo at 8 and travelled up into the Tongariro National Park, where quite a bit of both LotR and Hobbit filming took place. We saw Mount Doom, Mount Ruapehu (slopes of Mordor and Emyn Muil and secret entrance to Erebor. Because the weather was so fine and clear (total rarity) we were able to see the Lonely Mountain in the distance - awesome!

Then we travelled on to the Mangawhero Falls, location of the sequence where Gollum goes fishing in a cold stream, and there was a chance for more cosplaying. I was one of the Sams.

After that, it was a long drive to the bottom of North Island. We arrived in Wellington around 6 pm, and will be staying here till Sunday morning. We visit the Weta Workshop tomorrow!!

4th March: Trollshaw Forest

 An early start - we left Rotorua at 8 am and travelled by coach for hours towards Piopio, the location of Trollshaw Forest (important location in the first The Hobbit movie. The tour was both informative and entertaining and the sun shone on us again - which I am  absolutely *not* taking for granted - the weather here is as unpredictable as Wales or Austria.

At the (inevitable) shop attached to the place, I spotted a rather beautiful letter opener in the form of Sting, so I treated myself.

Although the countryside of the North Island is very beautiful, it is very under-inhabited - isolated farms and widely-scattered little townships. I couldn’t help wondering how the farmers and their families access services like schools, doctors, hospitals, libraries… or even people like plumbers and electricians! I guess they have to be pretty self-reliant.

By the end of the day, having spent (far too) much of it on the coach [yeah, I know, what did I expect of a touring holiday] I am feeling a little like Sam Vimes in one of the Discworld books, complaining of MMBU (miles and miles of bloody Uberwald).

We eventually reached Taupo around 4:30, and I’m in another very posh room in the Taupo Lakeside Hilton. The bathroom has to be seen to be believed! It even has a balcony, so I can cape without having to go downstairs all the time. The lake is beautiful and is the largest inland lake in Australasia.

Emyn Muil and Mount Doom tomorrow.