A Day in Middle Earth

I am the first to admit that I am a Lord of the Rings nerd. I used to read the Hobbit and the Trilogy annually, and I have watched each of the extended LOTR movies at least 10 times. (Sometimes listening to the actors, directors or special effects crew in the background.) I have also taken in ALL of the hours of back stories at least 3 times. [This is not only because I love the story and films; but, in my other life, I am a producer of video and film.]

So, what do you do when you are in Wellington, New Zealand? You visit some filming sites and you reverently pay your respects to WETA studios. It was December 23, 2016, and I felt like I was getting an early Christmas present!!

The cherry on top of the sundae was that my tour guide was the Founder of the New Zealand Chapter of the Tolkien Society, Jack Machiela!! This guy knows his stuff and has a charming sense of humor.

While sets and scenes are no longer in place, the area where Rivendell was built and filmed has officially been renamed “Rivendell”; and, thanks to Jack’s non-profit, some aspects of this set are being rebuilt. The entrance gate is now back…you know, the one where Boromir and Legolas ride through

on their steeds. (Back story—Sean Bean had not seen the magnificent Rivendell set they had built, so the look of awe on his face was legit when he first rode through the gate!) Also, when Frodo asked “Which way?” as they were leaving Rivendell, the only answer could have been “Left” because a small turn to the right, and they were over a cliff!

A poignant moment in the first movie was toward the end when the members of the Fellowship (sans Gandalf) were traveling in their boats on the River Anduin and sensed that they were being tracked. Legolas was the first…and I visited the site in the river where they filmed those pensive moments for the movie.

Did you know that in part of the movie, the horse, Bill, was actually played by 2 actors? Really.

Anyway, our first stop had been “the road.” The ONE where Frodo yells at everyone and tells them to “Get off the road!” You could almost feel it and image that special effect they used in the scene.

We also visited the site of Isengard. You can still see where they replaced the road where Gandalf came riding up, and I took a stroll along the same path where Gandalf and Saruman walked together.

(By the way, Ian McKellen never once got up on a horse for the entire movie. Oh, and Viggo Mortensen was the only actor to wear real chain mail. It was too heavy for the rest of the actors.)

We did pass by the location where they built both Helm’s Deep and Minas Tirith. Sadly, the factory is back, and they are building fencing to prevent future fans from approaching the site.

Just a few more inside tidbits:

About Aragorn: You may know that Viggo Mortensen was not the first choice for Aragorn. Filming had already begun with Stuart Townsend playing Strider. Peter Jackson had a change of heart and offered the role to Viggo who, if he accepted, had to be in NZ within the week! I'm thrilled that he said "yes." Of course, his son, Henry, told his father that he HAD to take that role.

About Elrond: I was stunned to find out that David Bowie was a huge LOTR fan and desperately wanted to play Elrond. As good as Hugo was, I think David Bowie would have made a perfect Elf King.

About Christopher Lee: Did you know that Christopher Lee had been a member of the OSS...Britain's Secret Service? Apparently, he had to explain to Peter Jackson the sound a man makes when he is stabbed in the back. Hmmmm

On to WETA…we walked through the cave where they had samples and videos of the modeling, costuming, makeup, digital work and animatronics. How amazing it would have been to work on those films. They even insinuated I could get a job there. Be still my heart. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the gallery of photos I have to share. Use your imagination for the filming sites…