Let's go ride horses! Had to do it at some point and a Lord of the Rings (and many othe films) tour seemed the best opportunity. The Dart Stables have many horses used in various films, the local area being used for a significant amount of filming.
Distance: Bus, 50km, Land Rover Discovery, 20km, Clydesdale McLeod, 8km
Total Distance: 5519km
The weather isn't predictable here, but it is plentiful. Today's weather was occasional downpours, with the odd flash of sun. There was some uncertainty as to whether we would ride for a while before there was enough of a break to give it a try.
Thankfully my sister and various stables have given me some training in horsemanship so I wasn't a total novice. Still, I want going to go on the 3 hour gallop though. Instead I went for the 1 hour ride, which would be followed by an hour in the shiny Disco down the valley to see where Boromir died and Wolverine's wife was found unconscious, as well as Saruman's vale and Beorn's home.
McLeod, an 8 year old Clydesdale was mine for the morning. He's the youngest of their herd of 60, not very big for a Clydesdale, bottom of the pecking order, whilst also being the greedy guts of the outfit. Hence the need for me to yank his head away from the foliage we passed so as to tell him who's boss. He wasn't best pleased at first, but we got to know each other over the hour.
We were taken around part of the valley by an English girl leading us through ice cold streams and across the pastoral lands. About us were the grand mountains and forests of Middle-Earth, Narnia, and Wolverine's Canadian life. W passed by a few older horses used in Lord of the Rings and Narnia.
It was depressing to be told that the Lord of the Rings was filmed here 17 years ago and most of the horses in it are either dead or well into retirement. It's logical, but still sad. Also, I'm only 25, and that fact make me feel old. 17 years. Blimey.
Just as I figured McLeod out (and had a tiny trot to catch up the group) we were back at the stables.
From here I was the only one on the part of the tour involving the 4x4 trip through the rivers and streams down into more of movie land, including the region known as "Paradise"- there's even a sign. Thankfully my driver was a great guy who I'd been chatting with as he drove the bus all the way from Queenstown.
As we drove he told stories of both the filming here.
Sean Bean hates helicopters, he walked for hours to the top of a mountain dressed as Boromir whilst everyone else flew for the scene when he picks up the ring as Frodo drops it.
Liv Tyler hates horses, so she sat for 10 minutes on a horse someone was holding and the rest was done with stunt riders or close ups of her on a barrel decorated to look like a horses trunk.
When Prince Caspian was filmed here the big black horses brought from Australia wouldn't cross the ice cold rivers, so for those scenes they were swooped out for some of the stables horses. In the film you can see it as the horses are smaller and one suddenly develops a white star.
Much of Wolverine was filmed here, mixed in with Canada. At times they are driving on NZ roads but as if they were in Canada. However, at filming and post production they didn't remember NZ drives on the left, and there are a lot of signs to remind the tourists. Scenes such as when the old couple who lake in Logan drive over a long bridge still retain the Kiwi signs and arrows on the road.
The weather still wasn't improving, and the rain came in with the clouds that blanketed the tops of the mountains, so the views weren't perfect. Has to be said though the reality never looks like the film- a huge amount gets changed at the time of filming and postproduction, such as different horizons, or moving rocks and plants. Plus it's been 17 years since LotR was filmed- between storms, floods, landslides, earthquakes, and time things have changed.
I got back into Queenstown and visited The Fat Badger- the best pizza place in the area. Afterwards I investigated the few art galleries I'd been told to explore, before sitting on a wall in the afternoon sun to watch some street magic.
Everyone had left when I woke up. Apparently I'd missed most of the show due to the comfortable spot I'd found. Sleepily, I headed back to the hostel, finding someone I'd met on Stewart Island there for a good catch up and tea.
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