Our story so far: Peter Jackson made three Middle-earth movies and people loved them. Now he is making two more and people already love them too. MrCere, Senior Staff, writer and photographer at TheOneRing.net (around since 1999) went to NZ to see what he could see. Landed in Queenstown, found lots of LOTR stuff, drove north to see the people of the ring, visited Hobbiton set and now is in Wellington, center of NZ’s cinematic empire.
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND — I thought, and it makes me chuckle now, that when I landed in Wellington I would finally be based in one place long enough to really crank out some copy. Ha!
Instead, Wellington has been a whirlwind but that is a great thing, not a bad thing. I often contemplate cancelling one of the events here so I can spend hours writing and posting photos but I haven’t cancelled anything yet and each time I go to do something, I find that I am very glad to have been along.
Some of those events have tourism ties and then end up having direct ties to things here at TheOneRing, even when I think they will not. Other things, like spending the day with the kids at Weta, are directly tied in. None of them so far have been worth sacrificing and time is running out fast. But stories I have in some stage of ready:
* Hobbit set visit with images
* An exclusive with Richard Taylor Continue reading “Wellington is a whirlwind, smells like Hobbit”
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND — In what may be a first, I am sitting in the Weta Cave next to TORn co-founder Erica / Tehanu, and we can confirm absolutely that the rumor of a delay of the first Hobbit film until 2013 is complete, uh, shall we say, balderdash. It is interesting to imagine where the rumor came from but the source here is beyond question. While I hate to drive traffic to the start of the confusion, here it is just in case. In case it wasn’t clear, this is completely untrue.
UPDATE: Dan Fellman, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures has also given a definitive statement on the matter as well:
“Contrary to inaccurate reports – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is being released on December 14, 2012.
Just a really quick check in while I juggle the logistics of being a lone traveler: I know many readers have visited the Hobbiton movie set, but it is currently quite pristine after serving for The Hobbit and they may wish to go back. I was there yesterday and have a lot to write and say about and I will be allowed to publish some photos as well. Those who haven’t been, well, it is a prime experience. Wellington is rainy and chilly and full of friends of TheOneRing.net but I am here for a few days and should be able to buckle down and blog until my fingers bleed so stay tuned!
Not to be overly dramatic but I have given up. I am finished. Throwing in the towel, calling it quits, raising my hands to the sky and surrendering. The elements and complicated plots twists have combined forces to conquer me.
Yes, officially, I have accepted the inevitable and I am now facing the cold hard truth: I am a travel blogger.
I am here in New Zealand, Matamata as matter of fact and the sun is up and birds are singing and the weather is beautiful. I am in a lovely little accommodation called the Broadway Motel in a town that fancies itself as Hobbiton. I have been in New Zealand just shy of a week and I have written a fair bit about Queenstown and some of the amazing places and people there. But since my stay there I have been traveling — a lot. Continue reading “MrCere officially ‘gives up’ in NZ / ME”
TheOneRing.net is excited to announce an official Moot at the Weta Cave in Wellington this Thursday from 3 – 5 p.m. TORn founder Erica Challis, known as Tehanu, will be on hand to talk with Tolkien enthusiasts; Also in town and at the event will be Larry D. Curtis (MrCere), traveling writer who is canvasing New Zealand as the one-year countdown for The Hobbit begins. Challis is an author and her unique story and relationship with the makers of The Lord of the Rings films has been told in newspapers and books around the globe. Curtis is a journalist and speaks about LOTR and The Hobbit at popular-culture conventions around the U.S. The event is free and will be casual and fun so don’t miss it! Details about where the Cave is located and how you can get there can be found right here.
QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND — Queenstown has a powerful international flavor. Stop and listen on the streets and you are as likely to hear a language from Europe or Asia as English and even that comes in several flavors: Kiwi, Aussie, British with the occasional Yank thrown in.
It is a city of tourists that include backpackers and couples in retirement years soaking up all the world has to offer including the incredible scenery of the amazing Queenstown by Lake Wakatipu. This is great of course, but young travelers and those in the golden years aren’t the best demographics for movie collectibles.
So it might surprise some to find Hugh Clark and Sarah Dobson carving out a niche with high-end items made by the likes of Weta Workshop and Sideshow Collectibles at their Reel Collectibles shop. But there they are in the Queenstown Mall on Beach St., selling superhero items, Lord of the Rings stuff (a given in that part of the world) and Star Wars swag. Expect an avalanche of Hobbit stuff when the films hit the world a year from now. Continue reading “Reel Collectibles keeps fandom alive in Queenstown”
