Wellington 1 - A Movie Tour

For the next week or so I would stay with my best friend Ciara and her flatmates Amber, Tahlia, David and Will. It was a big house with a beautiful view from the hills. They were all very welcoming and every evening we'd have dinner together and watch the Legend of Korra afterwards.
On Thursday I went to see a lunch concert of the Wellington singing students. Will had invited me and when I got there I was surprised to see that Daniel Sun was also performing! If you remember, he was the one who had written the opera "Under the Cabbage Trees" which we had performed five years ago. (If you want to have a listen to this wonderful piece of music again, you can find it on my Blog under the label "Videos".) Other than that I used the day to walk through the city and revisit the Big Sing locations I remembered for Ciara was at uni...

Even the Tuatara waited for me at the exact same spot!!!

The next day I had booked the Ultimate Wellington Movie Tour though. At 10 am the bus picked me up in town and together with two other girls we visited various Lord of the Rings locations in and around the Middle of Middle-Earth. We started at Dry Creek Quarry where Weta had construncted the sets for Helm's Deep and later also Minas Tirith. Now it was a construction site though and they had left nothing recognizable.

Next stop was Harcourt Park, alias the gardens of Isengard. The only proof that the film crew had really been there was a straight line of a slightly different type of grass where the gravel road had been on which Gandalf rode to reach Orthanc.

Hutt River was where Aragorn was washed ashore after being dragged over a cliff by a warg and where he was later found by his horse Brego. The alpaca Peppy on the neighboring farm watched us all reenact that scene.

A very important location in that region is definitely Rivendell. Follow the signs to Kaitoke Regional Park and you will find the exact spot. Once again there is nothing left of the sets other than an archway in the Elvish style, which is not the original one though.

My bible, the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit location guidebook by Ian Brodie

Our last location on the outskirts of Wellington was up at Mt. Victoria and was featured as the outer Shire. Within close proximity to the city the Hobbits were chased first by the angry farmer Maggot and then by the Nazgul. There were several scenes shot here and it was definitely fun to roll down the hill like Merry and Pippin or hide behind trees like Frodo.

Frodo and Sam

Merry and Pippin

The two of us who had booked a full-day tour were then shown the WELLINGTON sign as well as the Embassy cinema, Miramar studios and WETA Cave. Aditionally we chose to do a Weta Workshop Tour where we caught a glimpse of their behind the scenes work. It was really interesting but unfortunately no photos were allowed. As conclusion of the day I was allowed to hold Boromir's sword which is available for 10.000 NZD! The tour was very intersting, the guides friendly and informative and I would totally recommend it to every Lord of the Rings fan.

Tongariro National Park

The weather god was not kind at my next destination - the Plateau Lodge at National Park Village. It was raining heavily and continuously that day so I could do nothing but to drive all the way around the Tongariro National Park. On the way I went all the way up to Turoa ski field to see the Lord of the Rings location but there was no visibility whatsoever so I had to turn around. I saw the Mangawhero Falls though where Gollum catches the fish.

After that I continued to Waiouro, where I had a much-needed hot chocolate at the Pen Cafe, and through Rangipo Desert. My plan to stop by the Okupata Caves turned out to be a pretty bad idea. The road was horrible, mud everywhere and I almost feared that I would get stuck here. When I finally reached the caves the entrance was flooded and without a guide there was no way that I'd venture in. My only solace that day was the half-hour in the hot tub that evening.

Fortunately, the next day was dry so I decided to join Adrift Tours for an attempt of the famous Tongariro Crossing. We were at their office at 7 am and got sturdy hiking boots, extra layers, crampons and ice axes. I felt a little nervous for this all made the crossing seem rather difficult and I hadn't done any serious hiking lately. Despite my fears the tour was exhausting but definitely makeable. I walked right behind the guide and we shared poems, stories and Maori legends. Even the Devils's Staircase was no problem and finally we reached the viewpoint over Mordor. However, up there the winds were stronger than 90 km/h so the guides decided that we had to turn around or we'd be blown off the cliff. Standing there I could totally believe that!

Can you see Mordor down there?

A little disappointed we made our way back down the same way. To cheer us up we had a snowball war between the faster and slower group, had a quick look at Soda Springs on the way down and when we reached the office again they offered to take us on another smaller walk for compensation. Thus about five of us raced up and down to Silica rapids so we'd be back before sunset. We walked a 2,5-hour-trip in 1,5 hours!

Soda Springs

Silica Rapids

The group was so nice that we decided to meet again in the evening and got to a bar together. Two of them also joined me the next day to walk to Tawhai Falls. Whakapapa ski field was only accessible with snow chains and hiking wasn't much fun in this never-ending rain so I quickly returned to the hostel and had a relaxed day.

Tawhai Falls or Gollum's Pool, the entrance to Henneth Annûn

And again a white water rafting trip was cancelled... so I decided to join my Welsh room-mate, Jake, who planned to go skiing. Yes, it is expensive but I had the most fun day ever! Although I had had to wake up at 5.30 am it was 10.30 am by the time we had rented all the equipment (in the village for that is cheaper than at the top of the mountain). In Whakapapa we had to wait for almost 2 hours until the bus had put snow chains on and I felt as if I was frozen through and through.
When we finally hit the slopes at noon I was surprised at how good I actually were! I haven't been skiing in ages but I guess you never unlearn it and I didn't fall down once. That of course gave me more time to laugh at Jake's unintentional stunts... The sight was horrible. It was snow-raining and all I could see was white, no features in the ground at all. I just had to rely on myself to be stable and just went for it. It must be wonderful when you can actually see further than 5 metres!

The next morning I dropped my other room-mate, Cat, off at the train station and continued towards Wellington. On the way I stopped to look at the Mokai Gravity Canyon location (River Anduin), Waitarere Beach (where I had a short stroll through the forest) and Otaki Gorge (where the flooded road prevented me from reaching the actual location). At 5 pm I finally arrived in the capital...

Te Kuiti, Piopio and Waitomo

My next stop would be near the little village of Te Kuiti where I had booked a Farmstay with Airbnb. It was absolutely beautiful there and I was so glad to have my own room and a comfortable bed once again. With the view from the windows even washing the dishes wasn't too bad! Without the car you'd be lost in such an environment though...
But first things first. On the road from Rotorua I stopped at the Te Waihou Walkway. I didn't have enough time to walk all the way to the other side but I did the loop track which took me about 2 hours in flat and easy terrain. The path followed the river though a valley and you get to see beautiful colours of blue and green, even in winter! I'd definitely recommend this track.

That evening I just enjoyed the real kiwi life once more: Early dinner (finally kumara chps again!), then private time and a hot drink. It reminded me so much of my own host family five years ago!
The next day wasn't that exciting either. I had planned to go Black Water Rafting in the Waitomo Caves but unfortunately the water level was too high. It was raining continuously so I stayed at home. Only in the early afternoon did I venture out to the Mangapohue Natural Bridge and Marokopa Falls but even then I got back soaking wet. I had had so much luck with the weather but now it was really annoying!

The next day the weather god was kind to me. I had booked a 1,5-hour tour with Hairy Feet in Piopio, the farm where the Trollshaws were shot. I arrived there at 1pm and found out that I was going to be alone with the guide! She showed me around her farm and told me how she met Peter Jackson and all the dwarf actors and showed me the exact spots where they stood. We even kept on quoting the movies together! The scenes that were shot here are all shown in the first Hobbit movie where the company meets the trolls, find the swords in their cave and are chased by the wargs with Radagast leading them away on his rabbit-sleigh. You can definitely recognize the Denize Bluffs in the background of those scenes!

Unfortunately we didn't take the helicopter...

See the remnants of the set?

Sitting exactly where Richard Armitage learned his lines!

The Troll Cave

On the way back I stopped at the Waitanguru waterfalls and Opapaka Pa, the site of an old Maori settlement. All those nice little walks beside the road are really worth it!
Another early morning followed for I wanted to try the Waitomo caves again and before that I had a look around the dairy farm to see the newborn calves. Fortunately the tours were running today although the water level was just on the border of being to risky. The currents were definitely pretty strong but it wasn't too difficult. The Black Abyss Tour started with a 35m abseil which was really not difficult. I went first so the others could see how you do it for I've done it many times already. Then there was one zip-line, a small jump, a section of tubing and then some floating and walking though the water. We even got some biscuits and hot chocolate down there! Of course there were some glowworms around and as often as possible we would turn off our lights and watch those living underground stars.

All in all I really enjoyed it although for my taste it wasn't enough adrenaline and very expensive! Maybe try a shorter caving adventure and go rafting on a more difficult river? On the other hand, I found out that you can just call and ask if they will employ you as a guide without any studies! I'm really thinking about doing that someday. Getting paid for an otherwise expensive hobby, what could be better?!
After these adventures I took the road towards the Tongariro National Park. Aratiatia Rapids had been the location for the dwarves in their barrels escaping Thranduil's kingdom but I had missed the times when they would open the floodgate so there was very little water in the gorge. The Huka falls right next to it had a beautiful color but I've also seen more impressive waterfalls already... You can't really show that in a photo though so I'll leave it up to your imagination.

Hobbiton Movie Set

You might have guessed: The day I skipped in my last Post was of course the day that I finally got to see Hobbiton.
After a nice sleep-in I left for Matamata at 11.30am. I was so excited to finally come here, I even put some make-up on for the first time since I've been travelling! Just in case a hobbit might cross my path... We started out with a short bus drive to Alexander Farm and then followed the small and winding path past little and real scale hobbit holes, vegetable gardens, a lake and the big party tree. The details are stunning! The feeling was simply incredible although I must admit that the groups were rather big and we didn't have enough time at each location...
Right at the beginning we walked through the alley where Bilbo runs, crying "I'm going on an adventure!". Of course I had to reenact that movie scene in front of everyone, I couldn't miss out on that!

Have a look under this link for the original version from "The Hobbit 1":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgOt3gTUSQU

Above it all was Bag-End, Bilbo's and Frodo's home in all its glory. How I wish I could live there as well, it's all so peaceful!

Passing various other dwellings (including that of Samwise Gamgee) and the meadow where Bilbo celebrated his 111th birthday we reached the old mill. Further on, on the other side of the bridge, lay the Green Dragon Inn. Everyone on the tour got a free Cider, Ale or Ginger Beer and could enjoy this rural inn for half an hour. Of course I seized the chance, stood up on a chair and chanted Merry and Pippin's drinking song:

"Oh you can search far and wide,

You can drink the whole town dry,

But you'll never find a beer so brown

As the one we brew in our hometown.

You can drink your fancy ales,

You can drink them by the flagon,

But the only brew for the brave and true...

Comes from the Green Dragon!!!"

I even got some cheers for that! I just couldn't let that opportunity slip by.

Sam's home, he's visibly a gardener

The Green Dragon

Here's the link for the corresponding scene from "The Lord of the Rings 3":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gf39-AZ5bg

On the way back I passed a garage book sale and was given more than 50% discount after talking to the seller for some time. I was also very happy that he seemed to believe that I'm Irish so my German accent can't be too bad! Back in the hostel I enjoyed the hot spa before talking with a French and a German guy (also a musician!) until 2am. What a nice conclusion of an absolutely amazing day!