I am writing out of sequence here, catching up with some of the RA-related highlights of the journey. Here is a picturesque one.
We crossed over to the South Island from Wellington on the 14th of February. It had all been quite deliberately planned by us – we had booked the 2.45 pm ferry (which was due to arrive in Picton around 6.30 pm) so that we could watch the ferry making its way through the Marlborough Sounds into Picton Harbour, a journey which is supposed to be very beautiful. However, Interislander f*cked up, and our ferry did not leave Wellington until after 7pm that night!!! More than four hours late. Which not only meant that we would pass through the sounds in darkness (oh blasphemy!!!) but also that we had to drive on for an hour and a half through the night to our pre-booked accommodation. Unbeknownst to the ETC, Guylty was seething. It also meant that there was no point in stopping at Pelorus Bridge on the way to our accommodation – in the pitch dark.
You have no idea how pissed off I was when we crossed Pelorus Bridge after 10.30 pm! It was dark, I saw nothing. What a disappointment. I was only mollified later that night when we found our accommodation without any problem thanks to the proprietor’s fantastically elaborate description – and found ourselves in the most charming and most luxurious accommodation of our journey. Bad luck: Arriving after 11 pm, we were wrecked and fell into bed and had no opportunity to enjoy our cute little cottage with its massive bedroom, twin beds, big TV, two sofas and a lovely sitting area much.
The next morning we were going to head on West, but I got my wish and the ETC allowed me to go back East to Pelorus Bridge as it was only 10 minutes down the road. The bridge itself is one of those NZ peculiarities: Most many of the bridges here – even when you are driving on the larger state highways – are one lane bridges. Economic planning by the Kiwis – why have two lanes when you can skimp, just build one lane and simply have the traffic wait until the bridge is free *ggg*. Since there is not that much traffic, it works really well.
10 am and lots of people on the bridge. All Hobbit fans???
PJ giving instructions. Guess who’s not listening??? *tuttuttut* Picture: AP
Pelorus Bridge is where Jackson filmed the parts of the barrel scene, i.e. the dwarves coming down the river after escaping both Thranduil and the Orcs. It featured in one of the vlogs where Jackson explained that he knew the location from when his parents took him camping along the river – and he mentioned how the filming had had to be wrapped up really quickly because the police had issued a weather warning. In fact, the next day, the river had risen way above the rocks that the crew had been filming from.
Here’s a view of the river from the bridge:
I made my way down along the path to the right of the bridge to get to where PJ had been standing. There were people already there, sunning themselves, and swimming in the river. Pop Thorin demanded to be released and majestically posed for a souvenir picture:
Incidentally, here is a recommendation: When travelling NZ, bring Pop Thorin – he’s a great intro for chats. No sooner had I set Thorin on the rock, than a young woman noticed him and started cooing. “Oh, who is he???” I had to explain to the young Kiwi lady that this was Thorin and that we were at a film location. She hadn’t even seen the films!!! (But she knew about Hobbiton and suggested I go there, too. Ha! As if I didn’t know…) (A similar thing happened in Wellington in a shop where I topped-up my mobile. When I took out my wallet to pay, the assistant saw Pop Thorin in my camera bag and wanted to know what the cute little thing was. Cue a loooong swoony chat about the virtues of Richard Armitage *smirks*…)
Filming the barrel scene at Pelorus Bridge. Picture: New Line Cinema
Anyway, here’s a picture of the crew when filming (right). As you can see, I had a much brighter, sunny day when I was there. For filming purposes the overcast day was probably much better, though. In overcast weather they need not worry about overexposing the film, or of the actors squinting against the sun. Bearing in mind that much of the background was later digitally replaced by Weta, sunshine was really not necessary.
This is the bridge from the river. You may remember this from one of PJ’s vlogs:
When PJ was filming there, they had blacked out the railings of the bridge, btw, so passers-by could not see what was going on down below by the river… It was a beautiful spot, the water all turquoise and clear.
I was thrilled to just see the place but can you imagine *working* in a place like that??? More like holidays, I would say, or fun with friends. How lucky was yer man???
Anyway, I was very happy to have stopped at Pelorus Bridge – and to have seen another place which Mr A has enjoyed, too – Hobbit location or not, it was a heavenly piece of New Zealand. The beauty of this country is out of this world. I don’t think it can be described adequately with words – or in pictures, for that matter. If you like my images, just imagine the impact magnified by 10, and you are just about where the beauty of it all starts…
Thanks for reading, btw – and for your patience. I am not always able to reply to comments or to update in a timely fashion. Wi-fi is not always available where we are staying, and sometimes – if I am really honest – I am simply brim-full with impressions, and I cannot face writing them down. It is a little bit like last summer when it took me a few days to let the whole experience of TC and the SD settle, or to let go of it by writing it down. Same here – committing it to the screen means acknowledging that it is in the past, and will most likely never happen again. I am more than half way through this journey, and I am already beginning to mourn for having to leave. This country will grab you by the balls and not let go. Ok, or maybe in the case of females, it holds you by the heartstrings. It tugs and it tears, and it fills your heart with so much indescribable beauty and awe-some impressions that you will find it hard to return to reality. Or maybe it worms itself into your affections. Even before leaving I can already say that I would love to come back one day. New Zealand is addictive. Much like RA himself 😉
Guylty Pleasure 
Thanks for the beautiful Pelorus river pic. And Pop Thorin is indeed very cute. 🙂
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As scenery goes, there are more dramatic vistas than the Pelorus River, but in combination with Thorin… 😉 His cuteness really adds to it 😉
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*seufz* Mit Deinen Beschreibungen habe ich meine eigenen Erinnerungen nocheinmal erlebt. Und Du hast so schön in Worte gefasst, wie einen die Schönheit des Landes nicht mehr loslässt. Selbst 12 Jahre danach gehen meine Gedanken immer wieder zurück zu dieser Schönheit. Auch ich möchte eines Tages dahin zurück … wenn die Kinder größer sind (oder aus dem Haus?) 😉
Es ist schön zu lesen, dass Neuseeland den gleichen Effekt (addictive … like RA 🙂 ) auch auf andere hat.
Und wenn die Zeit zum Loslassen gekommen ist, bitte schreib noch mehr über Deine Eindrücke ❤
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Mir geht es genauso wie dir, uinonah – es ist irgendwie schön zu wissen, dass andere es ähnlich empfinden und empfunden haben wie ich. Geteiltes Leid? Nein, eher geteilte Freude. Ich würde so gerne mit meinen Kindern einmal hierher kommen. Leider würde das die Reisekosten gleich mal verdoppeln (davon ausgehend, dass der Gatte auch mit darf 😉 ) und ist außerdem auch irgendwie doof, weil die langen Ferien ja immer im NZ Winter liegen… Ich habe bereits bei meiner Tochter drum gebeten, dass sie doch bitte ein Austauschjahr in NZ machen soll. Dann haben wir einen Anlass, schon in 2 Jahren wieder hinzufahren 🙂
Und Warnung: Ich glaube, diese Reise wird bis aufs Letzte ausgeschlachtet 😀
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Austauschjahr in NZ… das wäre perfekt. Würde auch das Problem mit den Sommerferien im NZ-Winter lösen 😉 Meine Kleine (6) lernt gerade mit Begeisterung Englisch weil sie Kiwis und Wombats sehen will. Hoffentlich hält die Begeisterung noch ein paar Jahre an, damit das auch bei uns mit dem Austauschjahr was wird 😉
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Majestic – the scenery and POP!Thorin!
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He really fits extremely well into this environment. And not just because PJ used it. It is simply primeval and rough.
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wow, was für beeindruckende Bilder, unglaublich schön, da möchte man doch gerne in Fässern auf dem Wasser plantschen! Ich wünsche Euch noch ganz viele solche Erlebnisse!
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Ich habe irgendwo gelesen, dass man irgendwo auf dem Pelorus dann auch heute noch zum Spaß mit Fässern den Bach runtergehen darf… Ich würde sowas ja glatt machen…
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It’s all so incredibly beautiful. Thank you for taking the time to share it.
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Sharing it and reading that you understand makes it even more worth-while for me. Thanks for reading, J!
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So glad you were able to backtrack to this beautiful location. And thank you for adding pop Thorin to scenery. He looks so happy to be back in NZ. Thank you again for letting us come along on your journey.
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It was definitely worth it. Funnily enough it was the one thing (apart from Hobbiton) that was my must-see. So I was doubly glad that our accommodation was close enough to it to allow me to backtrack – and to bring Thorin back 🙂
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Great to read your posts and to see your beautiful pictures (they bring back memories of my holiday in NZ last year). It is an amazing country, I’m definitely going back, just like you.
Enjoy the rest of South Island, there are still some amazing places for you to visit!
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Oh, I am sure there will be. We have just booked our ferry back to the Nth Island, and we have five days left to make our way back to Picton from Dunedin.
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Ja Pop T. ist wahrliche ein Kommunkationswunder vor dem Herrn. Dem Kindchenschema kann sich eben keiner entziehen.
Diese location am Pelorus River fand ich auch großartig im Film. Als sich diese ganze körperlich hochaufgerüstete Zwergenschar pitschnass ans Ufer schleppte 😉
Mensch, schon Halbzeit in NZ. Ich kann sehr gut verstehen, daß dich langsam der Abschiedsschmerz anfällt. Ruhig bleiben, weitermachen. Und nicht dafür entschuldigen, dass du uns vermeintlich nicht zeitnah genug versorgst. Du machst einen sehr guten Job (wie immer) bei der Grundversorgung mit RA-Stuff, wenn man bedenkt, dass du dich am A…. der Welt mit beschränktem WLAN-Zugang befindest. Du hast deine Abwesenheit sehr gut durchchoreografiert
😀 Mein Samstag ist jetzt der Dienstag. Der Rest ist vergnügliche Dreingabe.
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Tiere, Kinder – oder Pop Thorin dabei, und man kommt ins Gespräch. Manchmal reicht in meinem Fall auch schon, irgendwie den Mund aufzumachen, und schon werde ich gefragt, wo ich eigentlich herkomme. Meine Akzentmischung verwirrt hier immer alle :-D.
Durchchoreografierte Abwesenheit *hihi*. Immer, wenn ich näher an der Zivilisation dran bin, schreibe ich ein paar Beiträge vor. Hier in Dunedin ist mir mal wieder der Internet-Gott hold 😉 Kommt also nachher noch was.
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Oh wie schön, mehrmehr…… 🙂
Apropos Akzent: wie klingt das denn dort? Mit irgendeinem Slang vergleichbar? Wobei du ja wahrscheinlich sowieso nicht verwöhnt bist. Das Irische ist ja auch speziell, oder?
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Hm, der Kiwi-Akzent ist schwer zu erklären. Den Laut “e” sprechen die Kiwis eher wie ein “i” aus. Ich weiß nicht, wie gut das Video für dich kommen wird, aber ich habe mich über diesen Spoof vor einigen Monaten fast totgelacht – der erklärt den Slang dann beim Hören:
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Soso, sein diiick 😀 Ja, das gibt einen ungefähren Eindruck. Danke dir 🙂
Dialekt kann was durchaus charmantes haben.
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OMG…. i can’t stop laughing!
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Gorgeous scenery!
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Yup. If I had been PJ, I would’ve had trouble deciding where to shoot…
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Love your comments about this country Guylty. I think Even (if it has existed) was more or less like New Zealand and I can understand you don’t want to leave it. You made me laugh when I imagine with your cute Pop Thorin explaining to a native of this country WHO is Thorin, the Hobbit and more important WHO is RA. I do the same around me. Everytime I open my phone and there is a picture of him (nobody knows who he is.SIGH)therefore I have to explain who he is and it takes me quite a long time because when I start to speak about him I cannot stop !!! Enjoy your journey, thanks to share and when you come back why not doing a little book with all your pictures and your feelings about this wonderful trip…
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Oh, I will definitely make a book (of pictures) of this trip. The trouble will be deciding on which images to use. At this point I have taken 2500 pictures. Editing will be PAINFUL!!! 😉
And yes, interesting that so many New Zealanders are unaware of the pull of the Hobbit and LotR. I am not even attempting to explain who RA is…
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Your scenic photography is stunning girl! Made me want to look at photos of a visit I made there years ago, but that can wait for later. You make me wanna go back to NZ…(sigh) thanks for that fantasy too. 😀
I will make due with my toys, your pictures, blog and dreams.
note: if this photo link doesn’t work, please delete so the code doesn’t icky up your blog.
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Glad you like the pics, and even more so if they bring back memories of your ow visit. 🙂
(No link visible here, Mimi!?)
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Loving Pop Thorin’s journeys….he’s extremely photogenic! 👍 New Zealand is definitely on the “bucket list,” but I wish there could be a Pop Thorin Tour! You could take people to all the filming locations and offer to have Selfies with Pop Thorin, using a selfie stick! LOL ! Happy you’re there and enjoying your ongoing travel posts!
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There is an idea, Chazak – I could open up “The Pop Thorin Experience” and make a living out of guiding people around. What a great job that would be… But the market is covered. There are in fact a few tour operators who offer location tours, and occasionally the word “Middle-earth” pops up in tourism brochures, too. Strictly speaking, my work would allow me to work from anywhere in the world, so I could move and work from here. Mind you, I am probably too old for NZ to let me in. And then there is that little problem of having a hubs and kids who might be less than happy to leave their life behind… But hey, dreaming is allowed…
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Whaa? There is an “age limit” for immigrants allowed into NZ? Say it isn’t so 😞 told hubs I’d like to move home, (Seattle) or Australia/NZ, but wouldn’t say ‘no’ to Hawaii. He thinks I couldn’t live in a remote area though. Like to try and prove him wrong. 😋
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I am not really sure, Mimi. In the end it probably only comes down to whether you have enough money in the bank :-D.
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The way I spend money…. well we do keep ourselves on a weekly allowance. Meaning a little cash to spend on whatever, but when it is gone, have to wait for the next week. I will however take the cash out of hubs’ wallet if I spend mine too fast. He says; “my wife gets in and out of my wallet like it is a clown car.” It does allow us to spend on fun stuff while never letting bills, etc fall behind.
I think we could move anywhere, but then again, I think I can do anything if I set my mind to it. Doesn’t mean I can ever run a mile in under 5 minutes tho. heh
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Thanks for taking us with you through NZ and for all the beautiful pics. I love that country.
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Oh Austoz, you are so lucky to be living just a couple of hours by plane away from it. Hop on and see it. It’s just great.
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I want to stare at that river photo a little longer, what a beautiful image, pretty as Thorin really. heh Let me try linking the image again…
I like to take Thorin places, but now that he has a dragon he is trying to train, it may make things a little difficult to include his growing entourage.
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LOL – what a brilliant tableau vivant, Mimi. I love that Thorin has tamed Smaug – to crush Azog under him. Listen, why don’t you tweet this @RCArmitage? He’d be amused, I am sure (and he needs to get out of that “Hannibubble” :-D)
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this is brilliant! he’d love it for sure 🙂
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Hmm…that is a tempting suggestion. Hubs bought me a new Pop Sauron. Don’t know if I want to add him into the mix or not yet
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😀 Nah – stay original. Thorin and Sauron do not really cross paths. But kudos to the hubster!
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hubster is a keeper for sure
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sigh, that river is so beautiful and Pop T first right in, i can’t believe the colour of the water But i bet it was quite cold, i don’t know if i’d want to be dunked in there a whole day 😉 i’d rather sit on the bridge and watch it flow 🙂 And sympathise with you on the editing (not! LOL)
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experience before writing — always!
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