On To the South Island: Wellington to Mt. Sunday-December 13-14, 2014

Several times over the first week of the New Zealand trip, people mentioned how beautiful the South Island was compared to the North Island. "Just wait," they would say, "till you get to the South Island." I was skeptical, because I'd found the North Island wholly enchanting. I suppose some of that was because everything was so gloriously new, and I love newness. I suppose it could be because it was winter at home and not winter here. I got a sunburn in my first few hours off the plane! I visited Hobbiton and saw live volcanoes and some of the newest land and rocks on the planet. What could be better?

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Wellington! December 9-13, 2014

And now we come to it. Four days of total immersion into the LOTR and Hobbit films. After a long Tuesday of travel that included stopping at Gollum's pool, we arrived in Wellington and checked into the Amora Hotel, near the waterfront. I'm putting all of this part of the trip in one post, so go get a cup of cocoa and put your feet up while you soak it all in. . 

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From Hobbiton to Mt. Doom

In New Zealand time, it's still December 8. In one day, we followed Frodo from his home in Bag End all the way to the entrance to Mordor and Mt. Doom.

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New Zealand 2014: Hobbiton

On Monday December 8, we started the journey of Sam and Frodo from LOTR and traveled from Hobbiton to the toxic slopes of Mt. Doom. Here's my report of the former. 

For the Lord of the Rings films, Hobbiton was built as an extensive set on a picturesque sheep station in Matamata. It was however, just a set made for looking good in the films. Afterward, it was dismantled for the most part. However, then came the fans.

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The North Island: Sunday December 7

Goodness, what a whirlwind. One thing about being on an organized tour is that your time is often not really your own. We did have some free time in Wellington, and that's when I wrote my last post, and tonight we have the evening, but have to get ready for a very early day of travel and activities tomorrow.

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A First Attempt to Blog about New Zealand

Here in the travel world of New Zealand, internet access is doled out 30 minutes at a time. I've been posting photos via my NZ burner sim card, and it has been so much fun to share these adventures with my friends. I love you all! I am journalling and taking notes and writing off line, so it may be that I'll have to catch up retroactively at some point.

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