Twizel, The Southern Cross and Onto Queenstown: December 15-19, 2014

After we left Edoras, or Mt. Sunday, we made our way to the tranquil town of Twizel, stopping by turns at Lake Takapo and Lake Pukaki for spectacular views of the Southern Alps and Mt. Cook. We enjoyed gorgeous weather and had a perfect view of the mountains, framed by swaths of colorful lupines. It was so beautiful it seemed almost unreal, like we'd stepped inside postcards.

We stayed at the McKenzie Country Inn at Twizel and, after dinner and a glorious sunset, I pulled all my camera gear across the street from the hotel and tried to get to as dark a place as I could without a car. New Zealand, and this area specifically, has some of the darkest skies on the planet, but we were in town, so I knew conditions wouldn't be perfect. Plus, I didn't actually know what I was doing. I was winging it, which is the way I learn most things.

Julia and I took a break from each other for the evening, and it was just as well--I was happy to be by myself for a little while. We're getting along great, but we are both introverts, and sometimes just run out of energy to relate to each other. I think she went over to the other side of the hotel to look at the starts. I enjoyed playing around with star photography, and it was a ridiculously big deal for me to see the Southern Cross and Upside-down Orion. I was able to identify a few other constellations, and just reveled in being under the skies down under.

The next day we went to the location for the Pelennor Fields, and it was so expansive under the blue skies. These places really do remind me of the descriptions in the book. One of the best parts of this day was re-enacting the mustering of the Rohirrim. Danny led us and we charged the enemy with bravado and heart! So fun!

We also stopped to note that we are at the 45th Parallel. That's fairly far south, which is pretty cool. We also stopped at another location from LOTR. We had some time to explore, which I loved, and it was cool to match up the views with the footage from the films.

This is where Arwen was riding her horse with poor injured Frodo. 

We stopped at a little resort town called Wanaka, located on the eponymous lake. I took a walk on my own, then found a camera store and bought a new lens cap. I've loved my little Fuji camera as much as my big giant camera. I'm glad I brought it all along. This town enchanted me and is definitely on my list of places where I want to return.

Our bus needed some repairs, so of course we took time
for an epic battle.

That evening, we made it to our hotel at Queenstown. This will be our homebase for the next few days, and will be the scene for the breaking of the fellowship, but my word, what a trip it has been!