Boots on the Ground
To start our journey through ‘Middle Earth’ we take our little Corolla on the Interislander ferry from Picton to Wellington. No gum boots jokes here – Wellington is the cool capital city of New Zealand, a vibrant port and friendly city. We stop here for a couple of hours to visit the Gallipoli centenary exhibition at the Te Papa museum.
The exhibition tells the story of eight ordinary New Zealanders who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances at Gallipoli, each frozen in a moment of time, on a monumental scale – 2.4 times human size. The huge size of the figures brings you closer to their story, the intricate detail almost overpowering in its emotional intensity.
The figures were created by the Weta Workshop, who worked on the Lord of the Rings movies (tenuous link here, though I am sure Tolkien had the futility of war on his mind when he wrote his epic fantasy tale).
An Unforget-a-bull Journey
Driving away from the ‘big smoke’ we stop in Bulls, a town which has distinguished itself by giving quirky names to all its businesses and buildings. McDonalds is re-named ‘Consume-a-Bull’, and the Church is ‘Forgive-a-Bull’.
Culture Club
Whanganui (or Wanganui, whichever you prefer) blends Victorian and Edwardian streets with a rich Maori heritage, both cultures drawing life from the renowned Whanganui River, New Zealand’s longest navigable river.
Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au. I am the river, the river is me.
The Whanganui River Road to Pipiriki takes a leisurely 4 hours, as we explore the industrial and cultural heritage, travelling back in time, passing Maori villages (kainga) and marae, interspersed with small farms.
At the Jerusalem convent, we learn about the good works of Mother Aubert, who is currently being beatified as a saint (a lengthy process, involving numerous meetings of very venerable people and no less than two posthumous miracles!).
The River Queen
We were lucky after some heavy storms, to be able to do a canoe trip on the Whanganui, where the film The River Queen was filmed (Kiefer Sutherland, Cliff Curtis and Samantha Morton), and other scenes from The Hobbit (dwarves in barrels etc). The river journey is actually one of the ‘Great Walks’ of New Zealand, though the whole thing is five days, we enjoy our ‘taster’ day.
Parents of the Land – The Tongariro Crossing
Heralded as ‘the best one-day walk in New Zealand’ by Lonely Planet, we feel a warm glow of satisfaction when we complete the 22 kilometre hike past volcanic craters, steaming vents and emerald lakes, watched by the barren peaks of Ngauruhoe, Ruapehu and Tongariro (the ‘parents of the land’ for local Maori). At the end of our long day we are very grateful for a bath in our lodge and the muscle rub from Wanaka lavender farm!
Thermal Wonderland
A day trip from our base in Taupo, the thermal park at Orakei Korako is described by the guide books as a ‘hidden valley’ and is a fascinating geothermal area, with silica terraces, boiling pools and geothermal caves surrounded by native bush to explore. Even the little ferry journey to reach the park is an adventure!
Some of the other highlights we enjoyed around Taupo…..
Matamata – home of the Shire!
It’s not hard for us to imagine Bilbo, Frodo and Gandalf here in Hobbiton, as we enjoy a locally brewed South Farthing beverage in the Green Dragon Inn and explore the movie set of The Hobbit and The LOTR trilogies. Fans will be impressed to know that the road leading to Hobbiton was called ‘Buckland Road’ before Sir Peter Jackson discovered it!
And so we leave you to continue on our ‘unexpected journey’ to the Coromandel, our final NZ destination. Until then, some of Gandalf’s wise words for you to ponder….
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
Mike and Kath x
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