Into the West, (and south.) Cuch's favorite New Zealand pics.

[cuchulann]

We begin in Auckland, strangely enough they pronounce it like "Oakland" not far from where I left. Across the dateline and equator at the same time can leave one a bit confused.
Here we have the welcoming gate at the airport, (the first bit of NZ I ever saw) then the skyline of Auckland, and two sides of New Zealand maritime history, a 100 meter long royal Mauri canoe and the Black Magic yacht, which won the America's Cup in 1995.

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[420]

Cool stuff!

-420

[cuchulann]

Day 2 in search of Weathertop. I did not actually get to the LoTR filming location as it is on private land but got within 2K of it. These are all from the north island not much more than an hour and a half south of Auckland, Near Port Waikato. The nearest I got to the location was called "Limestone Downs" and just one the edge. Fitting since the cliffs seen here mostly limestone. Last shot is my first view of the Tasman Sea on the west coast.

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[Mo]

Very beautiful pictures.  I was in Australia a couple months ago.  Need to get back out that way again some time.

[cuchulann]

Very beautiful pictures.  I was in Australia a couple months ago.  Need to get back out that way again some time.

Thanks. More to come soon.

[cuchulann]

Day 3:  Here I am at Hobbiton. Yes the real place where.... ooh. Yeah sorry, had to sign a "non-disclosure" agreement since they were "supposed" to be filming then. But there is more to Matamata than that. Like sheep! And a really lovely waterfall. I1ll post the site pics once the film is released. Ohh and the silver fern! It's everywhere as a logo in New Zealand like the Black Magic yacht. The story goes is that the Maori would carry the ferns at night and use the underside to reflect the moonlight to light their way.

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[cuchulann]

Day 4 Rotorura. Here we see the bath house, New Zealand's first tourist attraction. It was hailed as a place to cure all that ails one, but sadly due to the highly acidic nature of the hot springs which fed it, it quickly turned into what looked like a very freaky insane asylum. The fact that they did electroshock treatments and boasted baths infused with radium.... Well you get the drift. Now have a look at the line of mountains in the third picture which makes the horizon. That encircles the entire city and is not a range of mountains but the caldera of a volcano. One which will erupt again someday. If you thought Christchurch looked like a mess and then to be trumped by Japan's tsunami, well if we live to see the next big Rotorua eruption, my money is on Rotorua for full on starting damage and casualties. To finish this day I have lovely shots of lake Taupo. Coming soon... DOOM! DOOM! DOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

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[420]

The description and pictures of that bath house remind me of Grout's mansion in Vampire: Bloodlines.

-420

[cuchulann]

Doooom! DOOOOOOOOOOM! I hear you can make some killer jewelry there. This is Mt. Ngaurahoe in the Tongariro national park as seen from the north side which is lovely and green and the south side which is the side that was used when filming Mordor. Also featured here is the Chateau Tongariro where the poor cast of LoTR had to stay during filming because It was the only hotel. Last is Waitonga Falls in the south end of the park which was used for Ithellian, Faramir's ranger hideaway. Don't go swimming there. To enter the pool bears the penalty of death!

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[420]

Looking at all these photos it's very obvious why they chose this local for the movies. Hell, they got their own Mount Doom for fucks sake!

-420

[cuchulann]

Day 6. Here we have a New Zealand traffic jam and some more shots of the pinnacles which I posted a couple of pics of a couple months ago in the picture thread. This was the location for the Dimholt Road in Return of the King.

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[cuchulann]

It's been a while but now i have a quicker internet so Day 7 Wellington!
To start The city itself, followed by a place where you should watch out for falling hobbits. (It's just on the edge of farmer Maggots farm) Then, oh no! Get off the road!! *dynamic zoom*
Next Insert a nazghoul on horseback above us and a big tree root and don't tell anyone! Shh! were hiding. Then the photo op of all photo ops. Do your best Legolas pose at the tree. It was not actually featured in the film but the well know pic of Bloom next to the tree was here, and not but a few yards from... Rivendell! Yes the public park in which it was shot is more than happy to let you know where it was. But the park in the following pics is not such a braggart. Maybe because it had such a horrible death scene. The gardens of Isengard.

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[420]

Rivendell! Yes the public park in which it was shot is more than happy to let you know where it was.

That is hilarious! They didn't even bother to make it look like natural wood.

The forest pics are very cool. Weird looking trees.

-420

EDIT:

It's been a while but now i have a quicker internet so Day 7 Wellington!

Oh, and good to hear about this, I'm still working out a few issues on my new system but all my D2 chars are now updated as of this morning.

[cuchulann]

Day 8 Picton. Through the bay and out across the sea to the south island leaving Wellington behind. The second photo is on the approach to the south island. If you notice the two white pyramids on the land, those are channel markers. When you see those lined up on top of each other then you know you are heading down the middle of the channel. And here is lovely Picton, our first stop on the south island where we spent the whole day uhm, appreciating, the local agriculture.

[420]

Mmm, New Zealand wine.

-420

[Mo]

wow New Zealand is definitely a beautiful country.

[cuchulann]

Day 9 the Pacific Coast Highway 1. Wait when did we hit a portal to California? Also a couple shots of "The Store" It's a rustic styled roadside cafe with nothing else around. The Kiwis think this place is such the bees knees that it deserves a map mark. Finally "I see you!!!"