Today was the other Lord of the Rings Tour. It was not really what I expected. It was interesting, but I felt that it was
over priced for what I got. The guide
took us to see places near Wellington where scenes from Lord of the Rings had
been filmed. It was interesting to see
what kind of places are chosen and how much smaller they are in reality than
what it looks like on film. However,
none of the sets are still there so you really can’t tell that it once was a
film set. That is however part of what
the “green crew” was in charge of – making sure that once the set was cleaned
up, the area looked as it had before.
For example, in the place where they filmed Rivendale, the green crew
came in before the construction crew and took detailed pictures of the
landscape then they dug up the plants and trees to clear the land for the
construction crew and put them in a green house that had been erected
nearby. They tended these plants in the
green house for about 3 months and then after the set had been taken down they
replanted the plants and trees according to the pictures they had taken before
construction. Then they usually do
something like plant an extra tree as a gift.
The park where Rivendale was filmed is now called Rivendale.
My attempt at "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!"
This is the spot where Faramir sees the boat with Boramir's body in it.
In my make up trailer....
My sexy Orlando Bloom face. The guide had a picture of Legolas standing in that spot in that position with his bow and arrow like that. I put it on Facebook, but my internet connection here is having trouble and I can't get it loaded. I look exactly like Legolas. :)
Um, this is my favorite of all the Legolas pictures I posed for, however, my photographer had some technical difficulties. One of the disadvantages of traveling alone...When you hand your camera to random people you never know what you are going to get.
But of course this one is in focus...
Mysterious Elf face.
The following pictures are at the Rivendale Park but were not part of the movie set.
After the tour, I met my companion from my missionary
training days for lunch. It was so great
to just chat and catch up. It has been
something like 15 years since I last saw her, but there is no awkwardness, it
is just wonderful animated conversation and not enough time to say all that we
want to say. But now I have her email
address so we can hopefully keep in better touch with each other.
After lunch I went shopping.
I bought a pair of boots…nice ones.
They were on sale and in NZ $ it meant that they were a decent price. I feel a little guilty but not much. Yes, it does seem to be an extravagant
purchase for someone who doesn’t have a job, but it is a purchase I have been
contemplating for 6 months. I have
actually tried on many pairs of boots and tried on many again today. I found a pair that fits really well and that
is hard to do, so I bought them. I am
confident that I will love them and wear them often and they are high quality
and will last for a long time. And I
will think of happy times in NZ when I wear them.
I came home early, ate some dinner, and then practiced for
the presentation in Brisbane. I just
sang my heart out in my hotel room. I
was a little self conscious at first but then just thought well, if it is bugging
someone they will come to tell me to stop.
I sang for probably 45 minutes and no complaints. It felt really good. It made me feel like a real person again. That may sound weird, but when all I have
done for 2 weeks is travel and look at things or watch things it felt really
good to “work.” This must be a good sign
that I am recovering from grad school exhaustion.
After singing my heart out, I painted my toenails (hopefully
it will be warm enough for sandals in Australia) and packed up my suitcase in
preparation for tomorrow’s travel from NZ to Brisbane.
I am sad to leave New Zealand. I have really loved it. But I am looking forward to warmer weather
and getting back into the singing and teaching world for a few days.
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