Whale Watching and Middle Earth

Hello again everyone!  The past couple weeks we've been up to some pretty interesting stuff, so this ought to be an entertaining post.  Last weekend we traveled down to the South Island of New Zealand for a whale watching adventure weekend!  Then this weekend we had a nice Friday picnicking on the beach and spent Saturday taking a Lord of the Rings tour around Wellington.


Adventure Weekend (March 10th - 11th)


Last Saturday we woke up bright and early around 5:30 in order to get ready and meet the rest of our study abroad group downtown for the start of our adventure weekend.  The South Island is only about 4 miles from Wellington, but the only ways to get there are by plane or by ferry.  Of course, ferrying is much cheaper, so that was our method of transport for this trip.  The ferry in itself was a nice experience and gave us the opportunity to see some gorgeous landscapes.

The sunrise as we waited on the ferry to begin the trip.

We stayed out on the front of the boat for the first 20 minutes or so until we got out of the bay and reached open ocean.  At the front of the boat, the wind is incredibly strong, and even though it was a warm, sunny day, we were all bundled up in our jackets because the wind made us so cold.  Sometimes the wind blew so hard that it was difficult to walk!

Us managing to stay grounded in the wind!

Growing tired of the cold wind, Caitlyn and the rest of our friends decided to go inside the ferry, while Paul stayed out on the deck for a bit longer.  It turned out that Paul was the smart one, because just a few minutes after the girls went in, some dolphins came to play by the side of the ferry!  The last 30-45 minutes we all spent out on the back deck of the boat as we reached the Marlborough Sounds of the South Island.  Sounds (just for those of you who may not know) are channels of water where the mountains come right out of the water, creating amazing scenery. The water itself is so blue we couldn't even believe it at first.

The beautiful Marlborough Sounds (the picture does little justice to the brilliantly blue water).

Us riding through the Sounds!

After about 3.5 hours, the ferry docked in the little port town of Picton.  There really wasn't much there except for some hostels, a couple restaurants and a train station, which was where we were headed.  After waiting about an hour, we all boarded the train to head to Kaikoura, where we would be whale watching!  On our train ride to Kaikoura we passed by even more beautiful landscapes.  Green tree-filled mountains were almost always in sight as we passed vineyards, fields of sheep, a river, and even some oyster farms!

A nice picture of the mountains behind the train station we arrived at.

Seals we saw on the rocks during our train ride! Can you see all four in the picture?

Finally, after two hours of pretending we were on the train to Hogwarts, we arrived in Kaikoura!  The whale watching company happened to be right where we stepped off the train (probably just a coincidence, right?).  Before going to a short safety meeting about the whale watching trip, we had time to just relax on the rocky beach next to the building.  Then it was finally time to go!  Within 10 minutes of being on the boat, we spotted our first sperm whale!  Mostly you could just see the top of its head and its dorsal fin, but when it decided to dive back into the water after about 5 minutes, we got an amazing view of its tail.  We ended up taking video of the dive, so we don't have any pictures to show you of that, unfortunately.

The first picture of the whale we got, just floating along in the water.

The whale preparing to dive, at which point we filmed the action.

After the whale dove back into the water, the boat headed off in another direction in search of more whales.  The boat was riding into the waves, rather than along them, making it rock up and down really high.  We were all standing on the very front of the boat, and even though the roller coaster sensation was fun, it also caused several people to have upset stomachs, including the both of us.  In addition to the whales we also saw several schools of krill, the small shrimp-like animals eaten by blue whales.  We ended up seeing two more whales before heading back to shore, but because both of us were so sick, we didn't get any more pictures of them.  It was still an amazing experience, though!

A picture of the Kaikoura coast from our whale-watching boat.

After whale watching we went to the hostel (or as they call them here "backpackers") where we would be staying for the night and enjoyed a gigantic feast of all things fried -- fish, chips (french fries), potato fritters, and corn dogs!  Shortly after dinner we all headed to bed, exhausted from the long day.

Us eating some fish & chips with our friends. The two pictured here are both named Rachel.

The next morning we traveled back to Picton by bus in order to catch the ferry back to the north island.  On our way we stopped at a local winery for lunch and a wine tasting.  Unfortunately, Caitlyn's stomach was sensitive from all of the turbulence the day before, and just riding on the bus gave her motion sickness again!  Needless to say, neither of us partook in the wine tasting, but we did enjoy a delicious lunch of crackers and little toppings that we assume people must like to eat with wine.  There was pate, salmon mousse, olives, sun-dried tomato paste, cheese, and other little tasty morsels.

Us at the winery, waiting for the great lunch to come!

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, just consisting of the ride home on the ferry.  Luckily dolphins came to play once again and we all got to see them this time!

Two of the dolphins racing with the ferry.

One of the dolphins kept swimming right under the ferry, just below us in the water.

Lord of the Rings Tour (March 17th)


On St. Patrick’s Day we had our long-awaited Lord of the Rings Location Tour, with the Wellington Rover Tours Company. This company was not only the first to do Lord of the Rings location tours, but also is the only one with personal connections to Weta and other makers of the films. In addition, the CEO of the company is the Director of the Tolkein Society here in New Zealand! Needless to say, it was an amazing day. Besides being on the tour, we also had the best day of weather we’ve had in all our time here, so it was a perfect match!

We visited many areas from the films, so first we’ll set out a list of all of the locations we visited from each film:

1. Fellowship of the Ring: Outer Shire, Bree, Gates of Moria, River Anduin, Isengard, Rivendell

2. The Two Towers: Helm’s Deep, Fangorn Forest

3. Return of the King: Minas Tirith, Dunharrow

4. The Hobbit: Esgaroth, Dale

We began our day by meeting our guide and fellow passengers, and stopped by the Embassy Theatre, the movie theatre where the world premiere of the Return of the King was held (you can even go inside and if you sit in seat F29 or F30, those were the seats of Elijah Wood and Sean Astin at the premiere!). Following the Theatre we drove to Mt. Victoria, the same place we visited a few weeks ago. We arrived at the top and then walked into the trees to find several of the scene locations. The very first location we went to was also the location of the very first shooting for the film: when the hobbits fall down a hill and find mushrooms. After that we went to and re-enacted one of the most famous scenes from the trilogy, when Frodo and the hobbits hide under a tree from the Black Rider.

Us re-enacting the scene, with Caitlyn right where Frodo stood and Paul picking mushrooms in the back.

Next we went to a tree which was used for the extended edition of the films, and were able to sit precisely where Elijah Wood (Frodo) and Sean Astin (Sam) had sat in the films. We also went to the spot where Dunharrow, a scene from the third film, was made. Finally we walked through the area where the hobbits were chased by the Black Rider, and saw the ridge where the famous “Black Rider at Night” shot was made. Along the way our guide, Randall, showed us pictures so we could see exactly where the characters were in each scene. Randall was also full of stories and jokes, bringing the perfect combination of knowledge and fun.

Paul sitting in the very spot which Elijah Wood (Frodo) sat in, with a makeshift pipe.

The ridge of the Black Rider at Night shot, with three people attempting to act it out.

After Mt. Victoria we drove across town to the Miramar Peninsula, the home of all things film in Wellington. The Miramar Peninsula is the home of Peter Jackson, his company Weta Digital and the Weta Workshop, Stone Street Studios and Park Road Post Productions. Weta Digital did all of the special effects for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, while the Weta Workshop did all of the makeup and props for the films. We drove by Park Road Post Productions, where the editing for the films is done, and then went to the Weta Cave. The Cave is a world-famous collection of props and information from all of the films that Weta has worked on. This includes Lord of the Rings, but also: District 9, King Kong, Chronicles of Narnia, The Frighteners, The Last Samurai, Tintin, and many more.

Tom Cruise's swords from The Last Samurai film, made by Weta.

Inside the Cave we watched a great short film about how Weta was founded and the work they have done since, as well as the work they are currently doing. The room we watched the film in was plastered with armor and swords and helmets from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but sadly no pictures are allowed inside the room so we couldn’t get any. We did, however, get pictures with the great props outside the room!

Paul with the life-size model of Lurtz, the Uruk-Hai General.
The Moari man who played Lurtz is really this size, and also played the Witch King and Gothmog.

Caitlyn with a film artifact model of Gollum (being an artifact, we couldn't touch it).

After the Cave we drove through the Miramar Peninsula, with our guide pointing out various things. He first pointed out Stone Street Studios, where they are currently filming The Hobbit movies and were actually filming that day! We weren’t aware at first, but we were told by the workers at Weta that as we drove by the Studio, that very day, many of the major stars from the films were there: Evangeline Lily, Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Martin Freeman (Bilbo), and Peter Jackson of course. All of them, just around the block from where we were!

The green screen and set of The Hobbit, being filmed at Stone Street Studio. Although we were able to get pictures much closer, we chose not to show them here out of respect for the work.

After seeing the Studio we drove by a church which was going to be demolished, but Peter Jackson spent $10 million to save the church and is now renovating it. He also owns his own personal airplane hangar, which houses his personal Gulfstream Jet and 29 other aircraft. We also drove by the 13 houses he owns on the beach there, which he uses to house actors for his films. In addition to those houses we also saw Jackson’s own home, and got pictures of it! On our way to our snack we stopped by the location of the Village of Bree from the first film, and then had our snack on the rocky coast near where they filmed the Gates of Moria.

Peter Jackson's home is in this picture, but for his privacy we won't say which.

Us during our snack break, near the Gates of Moria.

The second half of the trip brought us outside the city of Wellington and into surrounding suburbs, mainly the Upper Hutt valley. We drove by the building used for auditions for the Hobbit and then our first stop brought us to the River Anduin, which the Fellowship travels down in the first film. We went to the spot where they shot several important scenes, then drove on to Harcourt Park, the location of Isengard for the films. After a great lunch we were shown the incredible techniques Jackson used to create the entirety of Isengard in a small park, and walked through several locations where the films were shot. We also learned a great deal of the skill and movie magic used to make the films, which inspired us both and especially Paul.

The river behind, along with the behind-the-scenes shot of Jackson and crew filming the shot to the right.

The exact spot where Ian McKellen (Gandalf) and Christopher Lee (Saruman) walked through.
The Tower of Isengard was digitally added to the shot, on the right behind the trees.

After Isengard we rode to Kaitoke Regional Park, a nature reserve outside of Wellington. It is a large open park, free to the public, full of clear rivers and beautiful walking paths, as well as a swinging bridge to walk across. There we walked through some trails and then went to the very place where the set of Rivendell was built (the construction took six months) and filmed. Because it is a nature reserve the set was deconstructed after filming, but we were able to see and stand exactly where it was, including: Frodo’s bedroom, Elrond’s Chambers, the Council of Elrond, the Shards of Narsil Shrine, Aragorn and Arwen’s Night Meeting, and the same spot where they photographed the promotional pictures for Legalos.

The exact spot where Frodo's bedroom in Rivendell was!

Caitlyn as an elf!

Paul as en elf, using the sword Sting from the films!

Last but certainly not least, we rode to the location of both Helm’s Deep and Minas Tirith. Both became the largest sets ever built in the southern hemisphere, and each took 3 months to build and then 3 more months to shoot in, so altogether the two sets took a year to build and film. They were built in a quarry, which is now once again functioning, so the sets are no longer there. But with the aid of behind-the-scenes pictures we were able to see exactly where everything was.

The quarry where both Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith were filmed.

An aerial photo of the Minas Tirith set being built in the quarry.

This was the end of the tour, and we drove back into Wellington. On the way we were able to see the set of Dale, a town in the Hobbit film, which is being built on the edge of the Miramar Peninsula and is visible from the highway where we were driving. We drove back through town and finished the tour. We both truly enjoyed it, especially thanks to our guide Randall. He is very passionate and very knowledgeable, referring to children as hobbits and destroyed trees as “the work of orcs”, and he is even planning on writing a book about the relations between Middle Earth and the real world! The day was inspiring for Paul with his interest in film, and for Caitlyn with her interest in the movies. We highly recommend it to anyone wanting to experience the Lord of the Rings here in New Zealand!

The patch of white on the hillside in the distance is Dale, a set for The Hobbit films.

Our tour guide Randall, along with our van which was nicknamed Aragorn.

A Welcome to Wellington

Hello again from New Zealand!  We've had a great past couple weeks settling into Wellington before our classes started.  We've mainly been trying to explore the city a bit, get used to buying/cooking our own food and hanging out with the friends we've made in our program.

We have visited the downtown area of the city several times, including trips to the waterfront, Te Papa (the national museum of New Zealand), and Wellington's small beach:

Some of the many sailboats floating around the harbor on the waterfront.

The only colossal squid on exhibit in the world, inside the Te Papa Museum.

The Wellington Beach, with warm waters and soft waves.

This past Friday we also took a little trip to Mount Victoria, which lies on the edge of the city in what's called the "Town Belt."  The town belt is a "belt" of conserved forest and vegetation area that is protected for the public.  As some of you may know, Mount Victoria was the site of several scenes in Lord of the Rings, including the iconic scene where the hobbits hide under an amazing tree.  We searched for the tree, but to no avail.  Don't worry, we plan to go back and try to find it again.  The view of the city from the look-out on the very top was amazing, but it would have been even better if it had been sunny.

The hobbits hiding from the Black Rider, filmed at Mt. Victoria [thanks to].

Us walking through the trails (courtesy of our friend Kat).

Wellington from the peak of Mount Victoria... well, half of the city.

We also got ourselves accustomed to campus, including the amazing Botanical Gardens located on campus. The Botanical Gardens are a tourist spot for both Kiwis and foreigners.

The Boyd-Wilson Recreational Field on campus, with the School of Music behind.

Inside the Lady Norwood Rose Garden, part of the Botanical Gardens.

Since we've been here we've accumulated lots of interesting facts and New Zealand vocabulary that we thought would be fun to share with you all. Feel free to use any of these words in your everyday conversations just to see the confused look on your American friends' faces.


Slang:

- dosh: cash

- togs: swimming suit/trunks

- lollies: candy

- sweet as: a way of acknowledging agreement, approval, or that something is generally "cool."  
                    Example: Joe - "I'm going to buy some new togs later." David - "Sweet as, bro."

- chilly bin: cooler

- jandals: flip flops

- flatties: flatmates

- uni: short for university                   

- ay?: people say this here pretty often, though maybe not quite as often as Canadians

- torch: flashlight

- chemist: pharmacist

- paper: a university course

- creche: preschool or other center for children
- to top up: load money onto a phone account, credit card, etc.
- cheers: a way of saying thanks or bye
- all good: you're welcome
- spray 'n wipe: term for a spray cleaner/glass cleaner
- kumara: sweet potato, transferred from the Maori language

Now time for some fun facts!

New Zealand:

| Population: 4.4 million people
                            > 1.4 million (one third) in Auckland alone
                            > 40 million sheep, so ten sheep per person!
| Official languages: English, Maori, and Sign Language
| Travel: ranked the #1 travel destination for three consecutive years
| Beauty: ranked the #1 most beautiful country for six years

| Sun: the ozone layer here is very depleted, but they have very little pollution, so the sun is much stronger
                            > the sun is 40% stronger than in the United States
                            > melanoma is the #1 cause of death here, sunblock and hats are used as a norm
| Volcanoes: many throughout the country, along with several major tectonic faultlines
                            > the Auckland area alone has 48 volcanic cones, with only 1 active now

| Nickname: New Zealand natives are called Kiwis, the name coming from the flightless bird called the kiwi

The Kiwi, the namesake of the New Zealand people, near extinction now but in recovery.

| Ice cream: Kiwis eat the most ice cream per capita in the world
| Internet: one of the slowest national internet networks in the world, but building more

| Coffee: the best-quality coffee in the world, with a very large cafe culture in most large cities
                            > only country in the world where Starbucks is shutting down, as it's deemed "poor quality"

[thanks to]

| Smoking: deemed "uncool", tacky, looked down upon by most, illegal in any public building
                            > one of the highest rates of non-smokers and one of the highest rates of quitting
| Rugby: the national sport, easily the most popular/loved in the country
                            > the New Zealand national rugby team, the All Blacks, are the current World Champions
| Cricket: played less often and cared about less than rugby, but still popular and televised
| Maori: the native New Zealand people, a Polynesian culture
                            > although Maori-European relations were rocky at first, they are now superb
                            > one of few European-settled nations with its native language (Maori) as an official language
                            > the Maori are very respected and universal in Kiwi culture
| Pests: none, the country has no natural pests -- no squirrels, no rats, no raccoons
                            > Australians brought possums here, and they are now a huge pest problem
| Animals: no large natural predators -- no bears, no big cats, no wild canines, no large birds
                            > because there are no natural predators, most birds here are flightless
                            > many animals have been brought: sheep, cows, horses, deer, possums, etc.

Wellington:

| Population: 450,000
| Government: the capital of New Zealand, the city is home to the Parliament and Prime Minister

The New Zealand Parliament, located just off of Victoria's campus [thanks to].

| Cleanliness: very opened and organized in structure, ranked the 18th cleanest city in the world
| Weather: nicknamed "Windy Wellington", it truly lives up to the name when the weather is bad
                            > the weather is either a perfectly sunny paradise or torrential storming, with little in between
| Coffee: deemed the best coffee in New Zealand (making it the best city in the world for coffee)
| Cafes: the most cafes per capita in the world
| Restaurants: the most restaurants per capita in the world
| Film: also nicknamed "Wellywood" because of the massive film presence
                           > Peter Jackson grew up outside of Wellington and has produced all of his films here
                           > James Cameron has now purchased a permanent home outside of Wellington as well
| Hills: the entire city is comprised of hills, except for downtown which is the only flat area
| Weta: Peter Jackson's company, produces all of his films and many of James Cameron's (Avatar, etc.)
                           > the Weta Workshop creates all makeup for the films, with the Weta Cave as a museum of work

The Weta bug, one of the largest bugs in the world, native to New Zealand, namesake of Jackson's company.
Note the picture: one weta is the same weight as three full-grown mice.

| Wellywood Sign Conflict: the film scene attempted to have a Wellywood sign put on the hills, but failed
                           > the goal was to imitate the Hollywood sign, but many Wellingtonians didn't want it