Welcome to Hobbiton
Inevitably, I was pretty pooped after the very, very long, 11,500-odd mile flight from the UK to glorious New Zealand. But exhaustion vanished as we left the airport and I caught a rst glimpse of sparkling Lake Wakatipu, enveloped by the dramatic iced mountain peaks of the Southern Alps.
Queenstown on South Island has been called the adventure capital of the world, o ering every scary sport imaginable, from bungee jumping and white-water rafting to jet boating and hang-gliding. It also has scenery so stunningly beautiful you think it can’t possibly be real; surely you must be on a movie set.
No wonder that lm director Peter Jackson chose this area, and many other picturesque areas of New Zealand, when he was sourcing lm locations for his multi-Oscarwinning trilogy based on JRR Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings, the first of which was released 11 years ago in 2001.
He returned to shoot his latest movies there, another Tolkien trilogy – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Based on the prequel to LOTR, it is in cinemas now, with the second, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, to be released in December next year. The last instalment, The Hobbit: There And Back Again is scheduled for July, 2014.
The film set of Hobbiton. Right: Wendy at Bag England
Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, with Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins. But the true star of the shows is, once more, extraordinary New Zealand – very probably the most beautiful place in the world. No wonder they’re anticipating a huge surge in visitors. Holiday companies are already offering tours of the country based on the films. There’s even a new slogan, ‘100% Middle Earth, 100% Pure New Zealand’. It couldn’t be a better time to go.
First stop for me was a Grand Circle helicopter tour, a breathtaking whizz around the mountain tops and LOTR locations, landing some 1,538 metres up on The Remarkables (aka fictional Dimrill Dale).
The views truly were astonishing from so high up. Helicopters were used by the filmmakers to reach several remote locations and The Helicopter Line – www.helicopter.co.nz – also offers scenic flights to Mount Cook, Franz Joseph and Fox Glacier from Queenstown.
Back on earth, Nomad Safaris offers a 4WD tour of dozens of Tolkien film sites. The Safari of the Scenes to Glenorchy visits locations including Isengard and the Forest of Lothlorien – there are no actual sets left, but the landscapes are gorgeous.
Taking a boat trip on Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown
You can also explore the scenery on horseback through Dart Stables – www.dartstables.com – which has more than 50 horses, some of which were used for the LOTR films.
Wellington Movie Tours – www.adventuresafari.co.nz – also offers a chance to see a number of actual locations and you can even recreate scenes from The Lord Of The Rings – the death of Boromir (Sean Bean) for example, and a wounded Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) being saved from drowning by his faithful horse. You learn many filming secrets, too – but I’m not giving them away here!
Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, is also home to Weta, the worldfamous special effects and props company behind many cinematic wonders in dozens of blockbusters.
Weta Cave – www.wetanz.com/ cave – the shop and visitor centre next door, shows a great behind-thescenes film on how it’s all done, and you can buy souvenir books and CDs, plus action figures and statues, even a real gold replica of The One Ring on a chain. If it’s a real Hobbit set you want to see, visit enchanting Matamata, www.hobbiton.co.nz – or Hobbiton itself.
Wendy admires the view
The Hobbiton set, built on the Alexander family’s 1,250-acre sheep farm, was used in the LOTR films, but then dismantled. For The Hobbit, it was rebuilt permanently, with loads more Hobbit holes as well as The Green Dragon Inn, where you can actually enjoy a drink.
The Hobbiton Movie Set – www.hobbitontours.com – is a tourist attraction jointly owned by Peter Jackson and the Alexander family, and it really is like walking into The Shire. Most of it is actually real, too. You can’t go inside the hobbit holes, but you can stand near Bag End, residence of Bilbo Baggins, to have your photograph taken, as I did. Shame no were hobbits at home…
Discover The World’s 13-night Return To Middle Earth self-drive tour includes Hobbiton, Tongariro National Park and Queenstown, so you can see the stunning landscapes for yourself. From £1,477 per person, excluding flights: 01737-214291, www.discover-the-world.co.uk
Return Heathrow to Auckland flights with Qantas – www.quantas.com – from £1,093: www.newzealand.com
GUERLAIN FIRST The UK’s first Guerlain Spa is due to open at The Caledonian, a Waldorf Astoria hotel in Edinburgh, on 1 January, 2013. Treatments from £40; day experiences from £275: 0131-222 8836, www.thecaledonianwaldorfastoria.com
OPERA CRUISE Opera duo Jonathan & Charlotte, who shot to fame in this year’s Britain’s Got Talent, will appear on P&O Cruises’ four-night cruise on Azura on 18 April. Calling at Zeebrugge and St Peter Port, from £319 per person: 0843-373 0111, www.pocruises.co.uk
Contact Wendy on wendygomersall@lady.co.uk
Queenstown on South Island has been called the adventure capital of the world, o ering every scary sport imaginable, from bungee jumping and white-water rafting to jet boating and hang-gliding. It also has scenery so stunningly beautiful you think it can’t possibly be real; surely you must be on a movie set.
No wonder that lm director Peter Jackson chose this area, and many other picturesque areas of New Zealand, when he was sourcing lm locations for his multi-Oscarwinning trilogy based on JRR Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings, the first of which was released 11 years ago in 2001.
He returned to shoot his latest movies there, another Tolkien trilogy – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Based on the prequel to LOTR, it is in cinemas now, with the second, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, to be released in December next year. The last instalment, The Hobbit: There And Back Again is scheduled for July, 2014.
The film set of Hobbiton. Right: Wendy at Bag EnglandIan McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, with Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins. But the true star of the shows is, once more, extraordinary New Zealand – very probably the most beautiful place in the world. No wonder they’re anticipating a huge surge in visitors. Holiday companies are already offering tours of the country based on the films. There’s even a new slogan, ‘100% Middle Earth, 100% Pure New Zealand’. It couldn’t be a better time to go.
First stop for me was a Grand Circle helicopter tour, a breathtaking whizz around the mountain tops and LOTR locations, landing some 1,538 metres up on The Remarkables (aka fictional Dimrill Dale).
The views truly were astonishing from so high up. Helicopters were used by the filmmakers to reach several remote locations and The Helicopter Line – www.helicopter.co.nz – also offers scenic flights to Mount Cook, Franz Joseph and Fox Glacier from Queenstown.
Back on earth, Nomad Safaris offers a 4WD tour of dozens of Tolkien film sites. The Safari of the Scenes to Glenorchy visits locations including Isengard and the Forest of Lothlorien – there are no actual sets left, but the landscapes are gorgeous.
Taking a boat trip on Lake Wakatipu, QueenstownYou can also explore the scenery on horseback through Dart Stables – www.dartstables.com – which has more than 50 horses, some of which were used for the LOTR films.
Wellington Movie Tours – www.adventuresafari.co.nz – also offers a chance to see a number of actual locations and you can even recreate scenes from The Lord Of The Rings – the death of Boromir (Sean Bean) for example, and a wounded Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) being saved from drowning by his faithful horse. You learn many filming secrets, too – but I’m not giving them away here!
Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, is also home to Weta, the worldfamous special effects and props company behind many cinematic wonders in dozens of blockbusters.
Weta Cave – www.wetanz.com/ cave – the shop and visitor centre next door, shows a great behind-thescenes film on how it’s all done, and you can buy souvenir books and CDs, plus action figures and statues, even a real gold replica of The One Ring on a chain. If it’s a real Hobbit set you want to see, visit enchanting Matamata, www.hobbiton.co.nz – or Hobbiton itself.
Wendy admires the viewThe Hobbiton set, built on the Alexander family’s 1,250-acre sheep farm, was used in the LOTR films, but then dismantled. For The Hobbit, it was rebuilt permanently, with loads more Hobbit holes as well as The Green Dragon Inn, where you can actually enjoy a drink.
The Hobbiton Movie Set – www.hobbitontours.com – is a tourist attraction jointly owned by Peter Jackson and the Alexander family, and it really is like walking into The Shire. Most of it is actually real, too. You can’t go inside the hobbit holes, but you can stand near Bag End, residence of Bilbo Baggins, to have your photograph taken, as I did. Shame no were hobbits at home…
Discover The World’s 13-night Return To Middle Earth self-drive tour includes Hobbiton, Tongariro National Park and Queenstown, so you can see the stunning landscapes for yourself. From £1,477 per person, excluding flights: 01737-214291, www.discover-the-world.co.uk
Return Heathrow to Auckland flights with Qantas – www.quantas.com – from £1,093: www.newzealand.com
In other news…
PARTY, GIRLS! The Mandara Spa at London’s Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel, offers a Little Black Dress package until 31 December, Monday to Saturday, from just £129 per person. Choose three treats from Bliss express pedicure or pedicure, coconut body scrub, Elemis back, neck and shoulder massage or skin booster facial: 020-7620 7300, www.mandaraspa.comGUERLAIN FIRST The UK’s first Guerlain Spa is due to open at The Caledonian, a Waldorf Astoria hotel in Edinburgh, on 1 January, 2013. Treatments from £40; day experiences from £275: 0131-222 8836, www.thecaledonianwaldorfastoria.com
OPERA CRUISE Opera duo Jonathan & Charlotte, who shot to fame in this year’s Britain’s Got Talent, will appear on P&O Cruises’ four-night cruise on Azura on 18 April. Calling at Zeebrugge and St Peter Port, from £319 per person: 0843-373 0111, www.pocruises.co.uk
Contact Wendy on wendygomersall@lady.co.uk