Day 5 (Fri 16 April) Wellington to Christchurch

Today we flew out of Wellington to Christchurch. We spent the entire day at Christchurch wandering around the city centre, plus visiting the Christchurch Art Gallery and Botanical Gardens. There are no LOTR locations in Christchurch.

In the air

We travelled on Qantas Flight QF4171 from Wellington to Christchurch. This is a picture taken of the Southern Alps from the air.

[Tip: clicking on the image allows you to view it in Live Spaces and download it in high resolution (1280x800)]

The following montage of the lighting of the fires in The Return of the King showcases the beauty of the Southern Alps:

Christchurch sights

The River Avon runs through Christchurch.

This is Christchurch Cathedral.

The interior of the Cathedral.

The Bridge of Remembrance.

Botanical Gardens

Bridge at Botanical Gardens

The Water Garden at the Botanical Gardens.

We stayed at this hotel.

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Day 10 (Wed 21 April) - Te Anau to Queenstown

Today is the last day of the guided tour as we visit several locations around Queenstown on SH 94, then 6. We travelled from Te Anau in the morning, stopping by at various locations including Deer Park Heights (Rohan), Arrowtown (Ford of Bruinen), Twelve Mile Delta (Ithilien), and Amon Hen. In the evening, we had a farewell dinner for the Fellowship at the Skyline buffet restaurant perched on top of Bob's Peak. On the way from Te Anau to Queenstown We stopped by again for a short break in the town of Garston , supposedly the most inland town in the South Island. [Tip: clicking on the image allows you to view it in Live Spaces and download it in high resolution (1280x800)] This is the view from another picturesque stop, at Devils Staircase on SH 6. Anwen at Devils Staircase. This sheep station nestled amidst mountains is only accessible via a boat. Deer Park Heights Queenstown as seen from Deer Heights Station. Queenstown airport as seen fr...

Welcome to New Zealand, Home of Middle Earth.

As we all know, the real star of Peter Jackson's trilogy of films based on J.R.R. Tolkien 's Lord of the Rings is the beautiful country of New Zealand (plus of course, a number of "human" actors in "supporting" roles)." Tourism New Zealand even issues postcards saying "Welcome to New Zealand, Home of Middle Earth" that are distributed to cinema goers watching the films around the world. New Zealand, being a relatively young country (from a geological perspective), has a stunning diverse set of landscapes that seem to fit the various locations of Middle Earth as described by Tolkien perfectly, ranging from the idyllic and rustic Hobbiton, the rugged Misty Mountains, the mighty River Anduin to the forbidding Mordor. I first read the book(s) when I was 15, and have always felt that they would someday make a great film. Ralph Bakshi 's animated version, released in 1978, was a disappointment, but my hope was finally realised when New ...

Day 7 (Sun 18 April) Twizel to Cromwell

We started the day early at sunrise leaving Twizel for the Pelennor Fields (in reality part of Ben Ohau Station ). We then passed through Omarama and Lindis Pass and stopped by at a pine forest where the Flight to the Ford was filmed. In the afternoon we visited Bonspiel Station, where a number of the Rohan scenes were filmed. Ben Ohau Station (Pelennor Fields) This is a view of Mt. Cook (Aoraki) . [Tip: clicking on the image allows you to view it in Live Spaces and download it in high resolution (1280x800)] The Pelennor Fields is located on private land forming part of Ben Ohau Station on the outskirts of Twizel. "And now the fighting waxed furious on the fields of the Pelennor; and the din or arms rose upon high, with the crying of men and the neighing of horses." (LOTR, Book V, Chapter VI, page 879) Simon Cameron is the owner of Ben Ohau, as well as our guide. The road to nowhere, built specially for filming. Interesting...

Lord of the Rings New Zealand Tour

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