Gi nathlam hí!
Gi nathlam hí!My name is Carmen-Shea, and I’ll be your tour guide through Middle Earth today!
I came to New Zealand in April 2014 because I was a huge Lord of the Rings fan and wanted to explore ‘Middle Earth‘ as envisioned by Peter Jackson through his trilogy of movies.
Four months into my adventures and I managed to score a summer job as a tour guide with Wellington Rover, taking fans around Wellington- the very middle of Middle Earth!
When interviewing for the job I tried to tell myself to be as professional as possible- it was an interview afterall! But when my future boss started asking me about Lord of the Rings, and how big a fan I actually was? Well, out went all my good intentions as I completely geeked out about the books and the movies!
Thank goodness they were looking for actual fans because I was pretty much given the job on the spot!
It’s now 2016 and this is my second- and last- summer doing the Lord of the Rings tours around Wellington. It’s great fun getting to met like-minded fans and trying to convert the ones who’ve never seen/read LotR (yes, we do get some of those on our tours too)!
I only started this site January 2016, so I’ve still got a long ways to go in getting everything set up, but here’s a wee sneaky peek at some of the Middle Earth related posts I definitely have planned for you all:
North Island Locations:
– Visiting the Shire – Hobbiton Day Trip & Evening Feast
– Visiting Mordor – Tongariro Crossing and Mt Doom
Wellington as Middle Earth:
– The Rivendell Archway Opening
– Mt Victoria and the Outer Shire
– Visiting Rivendell
– Outer Wellington Locations (such as Helms Deep, Minis Tirith, the River Anduin, the Gardens of Isenguard, Lothlorien, The Paths of the Dead, etc)
– Shooting the Wellington Rover Promo videos
– The Middle Earth Costume Trail
– The Embassy Theatre
Miramar, Wellington Locations:
– Visiting “Weta” Airport
– Weta Cave and Workshop Tour
– The Roxy Cinema – Attending the Wellington Premier of The Hobbit and the Battle of Five Armies
– The Roxy Cinema – The End of All Things Movie Marathon (24-25th March 2016!)
– Stone Street Studios & Park Road Post Production
South Island Locations:
– Visiting the Pelorus River – Scene of the Barrel Riding scenes from The Hobbit
– Southern Lakes Sightseeing Tour (Ithilien Camp, Gladden Fields, The Argonath, The Misty Mountains, Death of Isilduir, etc)
Phew! So much for a wee sneaky peek. That’s about two years worth of Middle Earth adventuring I need to get through, looks like I’d better get writing!
If you’d like to be kept up to date with my wanderings, please consider subscribing to my site or joining my travel facebook page “Anywhere Is”.
Until we meet again…
Na lû e-govaned vîn!
