docdanz writes: I popped past the actively shooting location near Middlemarch today on the way back from Queenstown to Dunedin where I live. It was a hive of activity with a veritable city of trucks, trailers and marquees on the the side of Hartfield Road, which is a small gravel back road across the Taieri River from Middlemarch.
The set itself was a little further along (southwards) and just out of view (apart from the sight of more trucks). It seemed clear that they are prepared for a huge number of extras and support crew for this particular shoot. My guess is that this is going to be where the battle of five armies is shot. The terrain is basically the same as the rocky terrain used for Rohan in The Lord of The Rings. The location is here on Google maps. The route was well signposted by bright pink signs, marked with “LR” (Not JAMB this time!).
Hundreds of cast and crew for The Hobbit films have flown to Dunedin International Airport seemingly bound for Otago film sets. An airport spokesman said four chartered flights carrying 320 cast and crew arrived, starting on Thursday night with a BAe146 Whisper Jet from Wellington. Today (Friday) another three flights arrived, two from Wellington, and one from Taupo, also on chartered Whisper Jets. A large contingent of rental cars had been organised for the arrivals to travel, but he did not have further details. The spokesman said he had not known the large group was coming until a couple of days ago. More..
Our message board member Roheryn writes in to tell us that they received a news email from Willowbank, a local wildlife reserve in Christchurch, that states:
Some of Willowbank’s animals are off to Glenorchy to help in the filming of The Hobbit.
Stinky (the goat), some of the sheep, two cattle – a dexter & a galloway, a miniature donkey and some sebastopol geese are setting off for Queenstown on Monday.
The picture on the right was accompanied with the following little description in the email:
This image shows Stinky getting ready for his trip. He has been taken on walks to get used to wearing a halter and walking alongside David [the handler accompanying the critters to Glenorchy].
On this weeks episode of Hobbit in 5 we take a look at some new amazing set pics of Hobbiton. We also have the mysterious set in Wakatipu nearing completion. We continue to track the Hobbit cast and crew, LOTR collectable items and MGM and Netflix partner up to distribute The Hobbit.
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.
Lee writes: The rumor in Golden Bay is that The Hobbit will be filming at Harwood’s Hole in Abel Tasman National Park, this weekend and into next week. One local, who was trying to book a cycling race there, was told by DOC that it was already booked — and it’s widely known that the production is coming, and has booked up all the nice accommodation in the Bay (of which there isn’t much).
About Harwoods Hole
Hidden in the limestone landscapes on Takaka Hill is a massive sinkhole 15m in diameter and dropping to a depth of 200m known as Harwoods Hole. A short half-day track leads from the boundary of Abel Tasman National Park to the edge of the hole. Cavers often abseil into its depths and emerge out from a cave system near Takaka. After checking out the sink hole, go to the lookout which overlooks The Gorge Creek, some 538m straight down. All up, it’s an impressive trip.
