When historians review NZ's founding fathers, it may not be Captain Cook, Abel Tasman or Crowded House who stand out, but Lord Of The Rings director Peter Jackson who singlehandedly has bolstered NZ's GNP and sustained a thriving tourism industry.
Shot all over the north and south islands, The Lord Of The Rings trilogy overshadows everything in this country — every guidebook makes references to it, there are special tours to the locations where scenes were shot and Miramar, Peter Jackson's studios outside of Wellington, is a hot stop for film buffs looking to get closer to the LOTR magic. Our map book in the camper even puts little film icons on all the areas where LOTR was shot, designated them as "must sees."
When I talk to people about why they chose to come to NZ, many say it was after seeing LOTR. Our Danish friend, Jens, says he started planning his trip after seeing the very first movie and much of his itinerary is based on visiting LOTR sites. The big area is the very volcanic Tongariro National Park on the north island which is home to the volcano Frodo must reach to dispense of the ring. It looks a bit tamer here than the movie...
They are shooting The Hobbit around NZ next which should open up a whole new tourism market for the vertically challenged. There is some delay apparently after the Christchurch earthquake and the fact that Peter Jackson is in hospital with an ulcer — doesn't bode well for a stress free shoot, now does it?
One of our ideas after we decided we were coming here was to see if we could get on The Hobbit set and even be extras in a scene. Fighting, raving orcs or stooped little hobbits? Even being coffee runners for Gollum's stand in would be fine...
We'll have to get onto this after our kayak trip in the Abel Tasman.
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