Journey to Middle Earth

Thank you guest blogger, kiwitravelwriter.com Heather Hapeta for this entertaining post!

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2010 book says (pg35) “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, and last time we checked the land of Maori and hobbits certainly didn’t need repairing. Once again New Zealand has been put in the top ten countries which you ‘ought to put on your agenda in 2010”

Having Middle-earth right on my doorstep, it seemed I too needed to drop in on the land of the hobbits and check out the Lord of the Rings Edoras Tour (www.hasslefree.co.nz) to see what all the fuss is about.

And here, I have to confess: until this trip I was a LotR virgin! True. As shocking as that may seem to some, I have not read the books nor seen the movies – it was almost a shameful secret – but now I know a little and I’m willing to share it with you. And, it seems these tours deep into Middle Earth are becoming more and more popular as time goes by.

The tour starts in Christchurch, and shortly after I was picked up in Cathedral Square, Rex, the driver and guide for the day, pointed out the school attended by the teenage murderers depicted in Heavenly Creatures

NZ has a great tradition of great movie making – The American Film Institute has called the New Zealand film industry “one of the wonders of the world… an unparalleled success story” see more here

As we drove out we watch a DVD about ‘the quest for the ring’ which gave someone like me a background to the day and the film. I also learnt Tolkien was born in South Africa ( to English parents) and that, as well as having to create a road to get to ‘Edoras’  and  the ‘rocky outcrop beside silver streams’ that Tolkien described in his books, Rex also tells us “the village took months to build, they were there filming for 3 weeks, then it was dismantled.”

So on we drove, past trout-filled lakes, through little country villages, over the Canterbury plains and glacial-formed braided rivers, passed tussock covered hills until we emerged in the ‘secret valley’; home of Mt. Sunday, 95 metres (over 600ft)  above sea-level and which was transformed into Edoras, capital city of the Rohan people for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

As dramatic music soars in the vehicle we are welcomed: “Welcome to the Kingdom of Rohan in Middle Earth”– our guide makes it a momentous occasion.

Driving over private land and through the silver streams, zigzagging through what seems to be an unmarked track, we arrive at the foot of Mt. Sunday (it’s funny to be on Sunday on a Monday) and in four-wheel-drive, we head for the summit and at about half way, stop and complete the pilgrimage to the top on foot – with some of the other travellers carrying replica weapons of those used in the movies. It seems the Weta workshop made some 48,000 pieces for the LotR: make sure you visit this multi Academy Award wining company in their ‘cave’ in Wellington.

The 360 degree view from the summit of Mt. Sunday is extraordinary but of course you don’t want a blow by blow account of my fantastic day to spoil your own trip with Hassle-Free Tours – but I do need to tell you I am converted, I will watch the movies and play ‘spot the sites I saw’, and heard about by the wonderful word pictures painted for us by our guide.

After mock battles and posing for photos we escape the wind that rushes down the valley by retreating to an old, sheltered, woolshed for a yummy lunch washed down with either bubbles or fruit juice, before heading back to Christchurch.

I was not surprised to learn this company has been a finalist in the prestigious NZ Tourism Awards and are Qualmark endorsed too.

They are also the first company on New Zealand to convert their entire fleet to run on bio-fuel made from waste cooking oil. Would I recommend them? Absolutely!

Note: Hassle-Free Tours (www.hasslefree.co.nz ) also run Christchurch city tours, and an Alpine Safari which includes a jet boat, 4×4 vehicles and the TranzAlpine train so check their website for up-to-date information.