April 20th, New Zealand Day 5

This was to be our last day in Queenstown, so I decided to go out with a bang. My optional activity for the day was a 4WD tour of some of The Lord of the Rings sites around Queenstown. The tour departed at 08:30, so just after breakfast, and I was not going to return until about 12:30.

Our first stop was approaching the peaks of the Remarkables. We stopped about 75% of the way up and we were treated to a stunning view of Queenstown. The Remarkables served as the backdrop of the White Mountains in the scene where the people of Rohan are fleeing to Helm's Deep. Although not covered with snow when we went up, filming was done in autumn/winter when there is snow. The area is also a popular skiing area. Also, scenes where Aragorn is running through Dimrill Dale and the river Celebrant (KEH-leh-brahnt), also known as the Silverlode, were filmed in the Remarkables.

Looking down from the Remarkables, another hill was pointed out to us and this was Deer Park Heights were 7 scenes from The Lord of the Rings were filmed. The aforementioned flight to Helm's Deep was one of them, but also a scene with Gandalf riding to Minas Tirith, the exit of the Dimholt Road, the Paths of the Dead where the ghost army lay and the scenes with the Wargs, the wolves of Isengard, attacking the hapless party. If you go there, the place where Aragorn tumbled off the cliff is actually only about 1 meter off the ground and below it is a grassy area. The cliff was filmed in the nearby Kawarau River, our next stop.

The Kawarau River was used primarily for the site of the Argonath, the large statues on the river Anduin which marked the northern border of Gondor. The safari then proceeded to the town of Arrowtown, which is where scenes from Arwen's flight from the Nazgul (Ring Wraiths) were filmed, as well as the Gladden Fields, where Isildur met his end. The site we were led to was part of the chase scene to the Ford of Bruinen, though not the place where Arwen raised the river, that was filmed in nearby Skippers Canyon on the Shotover River. At that place we had lunch and panned for gold, and I was lucky enough to find some flakes. I now have gold from both the Great North, Yukon, and the Great South.

We were then led up to an area nearby Coronet Peak, also a famous skiing area. I noticed some interesting formations there and I snapped some photos. Also, I experienced the greatest winds to that time that I had ever experienced; I had not thought it possible to break the personal record set on the Kohala Mountain Road on Hawaii. Upon returning to Queenstown, I rested up a bit, looking forward to an interesting night out.

This night we went to a bar called Minus 5 in Queenstown. The interior is entirely made of ice and it sits at -5C, hence the name. I went with the flow and wore a coat for this venue. It reminded me very much of Winterlude in Ottawa and the stories I have heard of ice hotels in the Nordic countries. After about 30 minutes in Minus 5, we all left and returned to our hotel sorry that our time in Queenstown had ended, but I think everyone was looking forward to the days ahead.

Photos are now available at: http://newzealandday5.blogspot.com/