Ross was able to snap quite a few photos of the crew arriving in the Golden Bay area to begin filming. He provides more info: One passenger said they were heading to Golden Bay for a week and were to start work today(Sat) however it has been raining there so far this morning. They arrived in Nelson at 4pm Friday and left in rental cars and vans. Nelson helicopter companies have also been providing plenty of air support. Filming from the 3D rig also took place over the Pelorus River area on Friday.
Pelorus River
The Pelorus River is a river at the northern end of South Island of New Zealand in the region of Marlborough. It flows from the Richmond Range into Pelorus Sound. This area is fantastic for camping and is renowned for its magnificent river swimming where the Pelorus River runs through a gorge.
The folks at TheOneRing.net are great miners… of information.
A few months ago, message board member Moahunter alerted us to a posting over at Johnson&Laird that listed an actor named Ray Henwood as playing the role of “Old Bellringer” in The Hobbit, a role that has subsequently been changed to “Net Mender“. To our purely speculative minds, both roles seem to have been crafted with a common intent – to have a man who sees Smaug’s firelight coming down the river from the North and alerts the people of Laketown.
As a piece of trivia, this is the same actor who played the character Erland in The Fellowship of the Ring, where he was present at the Council of Elrond as a Dale Counselor, the Advisor of Brand, son of Bain, son of Bard. More geeky information along with images can be found here.
Anyway, digging for more information on the same site brought something else of interest to our notice.
An actor named Robin Kerr has seemingly been cast in the role of Elros. We don’t suppose this is the character who, according to the books, is Elrond’s brother (who wasn’t an Elf anyway).
We feel rather that the name Elros is just being reused for a hero Elf, similar to how the name Morwen was used for a woman of Rohan in The Two Towers.
What do you think of all this? Feel free to share your thoughts on our message boards.
Icelandic horses will play a big part in The Hobbit, the upcoming film directed by Peter Jackson, based on the eponymous story by J.R.R. Tolkien. Shooting is currently taking place in New Zealand. “The look of the Icelandic horse, which grows a thick fur in the winter months, was one of the aspects filmmakers took notice of,” said Cali Madincea at New Line Cinema, the film’s production company, according to Fréttabladid. “Another important quality of the Icelandic horse is its endurance and strength; it can carry people weighing up to 120 kilos,” Madincea explained, adding that the tölt had also charmed them. More..
Port Waikato was where Weathertop was shotthe Waikato Times is reporting:
Word on the Te Kuiti street is the hobbits are coming to town.
Crew members from the big-budget Warner Bros project have signed-in to King Country lodgings and at least one establishment is booked out with creative types from October 30 to November 6.
Talking to accommodation proprietors was a cloak-and-dagger exercise and the film’s production company, 3 Foot 7, was tight-lipped.
A contact at Panorama Motor Inn, 59 Awakino Rd, was cautious: “I don’t know if I’m allowed to tell you,” she said softly, before spilling the beans. “They’re not here yet. I can tell you we’ll have a couple on October 20, but you did not hear that from me. On the 30th we’re booked out with them.”
Motel Te Kuiti already has crew crashing in its beds after a bunch rocked up on Monday.
From the Waikato Times: Two barefoot men, one with a bushy white beard, sat outside a cafe in Matamata yesterday, but a closer inspection revealed a marked lack of hair on their smooth feet.
With the Hobbiton movie set near Matamata closed for filming on Wednesday, the Waikato Times’ hunt for hobbits is on.
The permit given to production company 3 Foot 7 to film in Matamata was for filming rights lasting no more than 15 days before November 8, but there have been no movie star sightings yet.
Espresso To Go owner Bill Anderson said they would be willing to make hobbit-sized coffees if the demand was there but last time around 3 Foot 7 had their own cafe on set, so he was not holding out hope for an influx of Hollywood big spenders.
This week marks the HUGE release of LOTRO’s Rise of Isengard, available now at LOTRO.com/Isengard. Elijah Wood and Dominic Monaghan fight to the death in pink boxing gloves at Fantasy Fest and more hobbits are being cast in NZ.
Ross was able to snap quite a few photos of the crew arriving in the Golden Bay area to begin filming. He provides more info: One passenger said they were heading to Golden Bay for a week and were to start work today(Sat) however it has been raining there so far this morning. They arrived in Nelson at 4pm Friday and left in rental cars and vans. Nelson helicopter companies have also been providing plenty of air support. Filming from the 3D rig also took place over the Pelorus River area on Friday.
Icelandic horses will play a big part in The Hobbit, the upcoming film directed by Peter Jackson, based on the eponymous story by J.R.R. Tolkien. Shooting is currently taking place in New Zealand. “The look of the Icelandic horse, which grows a thick fur in the winter months, was one of the aspects filmmakers took notice of,” said Cali Madincea at New Line Cinema, the film’s production company, according to Fréttabladid. “Another important quality of the Icelandic horse is its endurance and strength; it can carry people weighing up to 120 kilos,” Madincea explained, adding that the tölt had also charmed them. 
From the Waikato Times: Two barefoot men, one with a bushy white beard, sat outside a cafe in Matamata yesterday, but a closer inspection revealed a marked lack of hair on their smooth feet.