Middle-earth in New Zealand
Published in The Straits Times, 22 August 2022:
https://www.straitstimes.com/life/travel/in-quest-of-middle-earth-in-new-zealand
Source: Prime Video
Return to Middle-earth
If an elf were to appear now and draw her bow, I might not be startled.
Sunlight is trickling through the wispy foliage of ancient beech trees, and the woods are bathed in a mystical glow. I imagine it is the perfect setting for an elven realm.
Someone taps my shoulder. I am handed a cloak of rough-hewn woolly texture.
Could it be? The cloak of Lorien-the elven cloak, given to each member of The Fellowship Of The Ring?
Happily - and geekily - I drape the grey cloak over my shoulders, feeling regal and elegant already.
I am about to assume the aura of a graceful noble elf, but my guide hands me a small leaf-blade dagger - the type Frodo Baggins would use. Oh, I suppose I am a hobbit then.
I valiantly cross swords with others in my travel group within the forests of Paradise - the film location for Lothlorien, which is the woods ruled by Lady Galadriel - as part of a Lord Of The Rings experience.
We choreograph fight sequences and vault over fallen logs, howling with laughter, knowing full well that we imagine ourselves to be ethereal, but look really, really dorky.
Source: Nomad Safaris
Over two decades have passed since the movie premiere of The Fellowship Of The Ring, and fandom is still going strong in some quarters.
In December 2021, Middle-earth fans around the world celebrated the 20th anniversary since the premiere of the first The Lord Of The Rings movie.
The fantasy trilogy, which includes The Two Towers (2002) and The Return Of The King (2003), is possibly still the best tourism advertisement New Zealand has seen.
Within five years of The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001), visitor numbers rose by 26 per cent.
New Zealand continued to win traveller mindshare thereafter, drawing tourists with its breathtaking scenery and wholesome appeal.
Till today, nearly one in five visitors still cites the Rings film as the reason for inspiring a visit to the country, according to the latest data by Tourism New Zealand.
Return of the rings
In 12 days, the spotlight will shine on Middle-earth again.
The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power will debut on Amazon's Prime Video on Sept 2.
Source: Prime Video
The series, developed by showrunners Patrick McKay and JD Payne, is already making waves for costing Amazon an eye-watering US$465 million (S$641 million) for its first season.
It draws inspiration from the appendices of The Lord Of The Rings books by J.R.R. Tolkien. (Amazon honcho Jeff Bezos is apparently a Tolkien aficionado.)
Five seasons are slated to cost Amazon a staggering US$1 billion, setting a record for the most expensive television series in history.
The new series is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth. For those who cannot tell Gollums from Gandalfs, that is thousands of years before Bilbo or Frodo Baggins encounter any oppressive ring.
Commencing in a somewhat peaceful era, the show traces an ensemble of characters - both new and familiar - as they confront the ominous return of a long-dormant evil to Middle-earth.
Galadriel and Rivendell's Lord Elrond, both in their younger selves, will feature in the series.
Source: Prime Video
Hobbits, ever the fan favourites, did not yet exist in the Second Age, but their nomadic ancestors, the Harfoots, complete with furry feet and small stature, will appear in the show.
The prequel weaves together multiple storylines, following the rise of the dark lord Sauron and events that give The Lord Of The Rings its name.
The first season of The Rings Of Power was filmed in New Zealand, as with the blockbuster movies.Production of the second season has shifted to the United Kingdom.
The once-glorious dwarven mines of Khazad-dum (or Moria) of the Misty Mountains and enthralling forests of coastal elf-capital Lindon will be showcased, as will the opulent island of Numenor - home to the greatest human civilisation in Middle-earth.
Commencing in a somewhat peaceful era, the show traces an ensemble of characters - both new and familiar - as they confront the ominous return of a long-dormant evil to Middle-earth.
This marks the first time the coastlines of Middle-earth will be featured on screen. It will be fascinating to see how the rugged, windswept shorelines in New Zealand have been used to bring to life never-seen-before Middle-earth geographies.
Source: Prime Video
Hopefully, the unspoilt, majestic New Zealand landscapes will be splendidly showcased in the series, coupled with practical effects using sets and real-world scale models to create grand kingdoms as with the original Rings films.
Officials were tight-lipped on film locations during my trip, but word on the ground suggested New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf, Coromandel Peninsula, Mount Kidd in Fjordland, as well as the black beaches near Auckland, as possible film sites for the first season.
If New Zealand's scenery is portrayed well - assuming the series is not a dud and involves a strong plot - will there be a renewed wave of interest in New Zealand's scenic magic? Will the production also spawn a new generation of fans of the Rings movies and Tolkien readers?
Journey to Middle-earth
There is no better time than now to plan a visit to Middle-earth, especially when the floods recede.
I stay up on my nine-hour-and-45-minute international flight to rewatch for the umpteenth time The Return Of The King, then The Hobbit (2012), to the amusement of another journalist beside me.
Along the way, I meet New Zealanders who fondly recount their experiences as extras in the Middle-earth movies, including The Hobbit trilogy (2012 to 2014).
There is a sense of camaraderie and pride, attesting to how the epic movies were beloved national projects.
Mark, a local in my travel group, was cast as an elf extra in The Hobbit after an audition in Wellington. Extras had to attend a form of elf camp, complete with movement classes to master elf deportment.
He is 1.85m tall with a lithe, athletic frame, and I can see him as an elf. But someone in our group wonders for a moment if he is joking.
"You know," our tour driver Kristi remarks, "if a New Zealander tells you he was an elf in the movies, he likely was an elf in the movies."
"I was an orc," she adds.
Later, a guide at Hobbiton regales us with an anecdote of how the soundscape in the battle scenes - between the fearsome Uruk-hai and the Rohirrim - from The Two Towers was generated.
During a New Zealand-England cricket match in Wellington, Peter Jackson, director of the movies, had run onto the pitch during the break with a microphone in hand.
"Peter Jackson then led the rowdy spectators to growl, howl, stomp and roar from the stands," our guide says.
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Source: Prime Video
