The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings Factor

Visitors who came to NZ before 2002 would not have been led to Hobbiton because this was not opened to the public then.

It all began in 1998 when the Movie Director, Peter Jackson of The Lord of the Rings film series did an aerial search for a suitable location to create the "Tolkien Shire". After looking from the air the farm owned by the Alexander family (the current Hobbiton site), he declared that he has found a site that looked like ancient England. Work commenced to transform the area into Tolkien Shire in March 1999 soon after negotiation with the farm owner was completed. The work basically involved building 37 hobbit holes and associated gardens and hedges, a mill and an arch bridge. But the most remarkable thing was to "plant" a 29-ton oak tree that had been growing in Matamata. The tree was cut down and transported to the top of a little hill of the Tolkien Shire and fitted with artificial leaves. It was said that Peter Jackson was not satisfied with the first round of the created tree because the colour of the leaves was not matching with the adjacent tree and he ordered all leaves to be repainted!

We were told by the tour guide that contractually, Peter Jackson was supposed to remove and clear all structures built inside Hobbiton and to reinstate the area back to its original condition. But after the farm owner discovered that many people were interested to see the movie set, he had a change of mind. Plan was set to keep and maintain the movie set for people to see.

 

The tree on top of the hill at the left is the artificial
tree" planted" especially for the move. 

Scene of The Lord of The Rings:
The Return of The King.

Scene of The Lord of The Rings:
The Breaking of The Fellowship.

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The guided tour ended with a drink at the Green Dragon Inn after walking across the Double-Arched Stone Bridge.

Scene of The Lord of The Rings:
 The Return of The King.

On the Double-Arched Bridge just before
entering the Green Dragon Inn.

Green Dragon Inn

Interior of The Green Dragon Inn.

As we drove throughout both the north and south islands, we saw landscapes that reminded us of the movies - The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbits.

The Moss Forest near Lake Gunn was "discovered by accident" during a toilet break when we drove along the Te Anau - Milford Sound Highway.  This green forest which extends way beyond what we could see enabled us to experience similar forest scenes of the movies.

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One thing I need to do is to watch the The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies again and to look for some familiar scenes!

Living with Earthquakes in Christchurch

Ever since the devastating earthquake that struck Ranau on 5 June 2015 (Read here), people who are directly associated with the design and construction of building structures in Sabah were suddenly made aware that seismic consideration in building design is no longer an option but is mandatory. This requirement has forced all professionals in the engineering consultancy industry to begin a new learning process all over again.

My tour to NZ has added meaning as I also wanted to see first hand the impact of the 22 February 2011 earthquake on Auckland.

To add excitement to our tour to NZ, news of a 5.9 magnitude earthquake (Read here) struck Auckland on 14 February 2016, the very day we flew from KK to Auckland. The news did cause some apprehension and concern to family members and closed friends. Earthquake or no earthquake, we were on our way and any change of plan did not cross our mind.

In Christchurch, we visited the "185 Empty White Chairs" at Cashel Street in Christchurch Central to remember the 185 people killed in Christchurch in the 22 February 2011 earthquake.

It was reported that the shaking of the February 2011 earthquake of 6.3 magnitude was particularly destructive compared to an earlier one in September 2010. The 2011 earthquake brought down many buildings that had been damaged in September 2010, especially older brick and mortar buildings. Many heritage buildings were badly damaged, including the Anglican Christ Church Cathedral and the Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.

185 Empty Chairs

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The partially collapsed Anglican Christ Church Cathedral is now a tourist attraction and a reminder of the unpredictable destructive forces of nature. 

According to my ex-university mate who has migrated to Christchurch and now works in the City Council, almost 80% of the buildings in Christchurch Central have been knocked down either because of partial collapse of were deemed unsafe for occupation. Some have been rebuilt while many are still pending re-construction.

Anglican Christ Church Cathedral.

This collapsed building that was knocked
down has yet to be rebuilt. 

Extensive re-construction is going on in
Christchurch.

I was told that bickering and uncertainty have stalled some of the rebuilding efforts. A few are still stuck in insurance claims.

Bickering or otherwise, residents in Christchurch have learned to live with earthquakes. Since the 2011 earthquake, the risk of building collapse is probably very much reduced because most old buildings and structurally unsound buildings have all been torn down. All new buildings are built with improved design which takes account of seismic forces and better materials. New buildings are now so much stronger to withstand seismic forces. In fact there was no report of major damage to building structures and fatality in the recent February 2016 earthquake.

Tourists are not deterred by earthquakes and still flock to Christchurch to enjoy what it offers.

Punting in Avon River.

City Tram.

Small Park in Christchurch Central.

Christchurch Botanic Gardens.

Water wheel in Avon River.

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I was particularly impressed by the generosity of Christchurch that the Arts Gallery is opened to all visitors free of charge. The building suffered significant damage after the February 2011 earthquake and then underwent extensive refurbishment. This was only reopened on 19 December 2015. It looked brand new when we visited it on 4 March 2016.

Christchurch Arts Gallery.

Lake Tekapo and The Church of Good Shepherd, NZ

Only upon reaching Lake Tekapo that we discovered from one group of visitors the two main attractions (at least to them) that draw people to visit this place. The first is The Church of Good Shepherd and the second is to look at the stars and the milky way. In fact, there is a third one which is to take a dip at the Hot Spring.

Mt. John University Observatory.

After we discovered that Mt. John University Observatory is also built nearby, we were convinced that this would be probably the best place in NZ to gaze at the stars and milky way. That night, we went out and looked deep into the clear sky above. We saw with our naked eyes an obvious wider band or spectrum of stars, but no milky way. Those who come to gaze at stars and milky way need to follow guided tour and be armed with powerful telescopes and other tools.

In the case of the Hot Spring, we almost took a dip in the pool had I not asked one silly question. After paying the entrance fee and were about to change to the swim suits, I quipped, "In our hot spring at home (I remembered our Poring Hot Spring), we normally mix the hot water from the hot spring with cold water to a higher temperature that we are most comfortable with".

The counter staff responded, "Ours is not exactly a Hot Spring from a volcanic source. It is just water drawn from the lake and heated to become hot water. There is no smell of sulphur".

With that information, we declined to take the dip as that was not what we came for. They were gracious to refund the money back to us in full! That bath would have cost us RM90 for two!

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This tiny Church of Good Shepherd was built in 1935. It sits prominently on a tiny peninsular that juts out into Lake Tekapo. Arguably, this is the most photographed church in NZ. Many people have chosen to conduct their wedding here.

The most unique design of the church is the three panels of clear glass window installed at the back wall of the church.

I jokingly said to the volunteer manning the church that it would be very difficult to concentrate on what the preacher speaks when the congregation would be focusing and enjoying the scenery behind the glass window. She smiled and agreed.

I could only imagine that the Architect at the time of the design must have gone through a tough time deciding whether to allow the congregation to focus solely on the speaker (with probably solid wall) or to also enjoy the beauty of the landscape (with clear glass windows). In the end, his instinct for the beauty of nature prevailed. The marvelous scene of the beautiful mountains combined with the turquoise blue green colour of the lake surface was just too awesome to ignore. I believe he made the right decision!

Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside the Church. I have abstracted from other website just to have a feel of what it is liked to sit inside as a congregation member with the awesome picture-postcard view through the glass window in the front!

Photo abstracted from "Travel Wonder 
of The World" website

Photo abstracted from "Travel Wonder
of The World" website

Sunset at the church

In the evening, we came back just to feel the evening ambience and the sunset view at this Church.

Lakes & Mountains, NZ

New Zealand is blessed with countless number of lakes and rivers with mountains and amazing skyline as the backdrop.

As we toured NZ, we saw many lakes, rivers and falls; each with its unique landscape and colour. Occasionally, we were able to have a glimpse of the bird eye view of its entirety plus the partial close up view. Once in a blue moon as in the case of Lake Tekapo, we were able to see its beauty from different angles and perspectives and at different times of a day.

There are just too many lakes and rivers to document. I can only pick out a few before one is bored or overwhelmed with too many of them!

Lake Tekapo: Bird Eye View from Mt. John 

University Observatory.

Lake Tekapo: Partial Day Time View.

Stunning "greenish" colour water of Lake Tekapo.

Lake Tepako: Sunrise View

Lake Tekapo: Sunrise View.

Lake Tekapo: Sunset View

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Sometimes, we encountered beauty when least expected. On the way from Picton to Arthur's Pass, we stopped at St. Arnaud for toilet break. At the Information Centre, we discovered that Lake Rotoiti is just minutes drive away. We reached the Lake at perfect timing with a beautiful boat berthed at the simple timber jetty and another boat just about to sail out. Those moments were fortunately captured - the serene lake water with minutely noticeable ripples created by the moving boat and with the beautiful mountains backdrop is just simply stunning!

Lake Rotoiti, St. Arnaud.

Lake Rotoiti.

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Some of the lakes are totally in their natural state without any man-made structure. Lake Poerua near Inchbonnie (approx. 40Km before reaching Arthur's Pass from Picton), a very small lake is one such lake. A photo taken in such a setting is almost like a cut-and-paste scenery photo!

Lake Poerua.

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Of all the lakes we visited, Mirror Lakes should be considered the most popular among tourists and visitors. Since the lakes are next to the highway from Te Anau to Milford Sound, literally, everyone whether in buses, motor cars, motorbikes and bicycles would stop to take photos or have photos taken. We were pre-warned that the beauty and the reflective effect of the lakes would not be so evident if it rains or even drizzles mildly. A complete stillness of the water surface is most ideal for the water surface to act as a mirror.

We were fortunate the weather was perfect at the time of our visit to allow us to appreciate the wonder of the lakes!

Mirror Lakes near Milford Sound.

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The contrasting colour of mild dark tone lake surface with the long stretch of green lawn lake bank of Lake Kaniere in Hokitika aroused different feeling and sensation. It's sparkling clear lake water allowed us to see right through to the bottom of the lake.

Lake Kaniere, Hokitika.

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The very first look of Lake Alexandrina, a small lake not far from Lake Tekapo did not reveal its beauty initially. But if viewed from certain position and at certain angle, its uniqueness can be found. This turns out to be another mirror lake of a much smaller scale!

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Sometimes, special effort was taken to go out at night to look at the lake and the town by the lake side at night.

Time spent in Lake Wanaka and Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown proved to be worthwhile. As we walked along the lake side, we managed to see first hand the lake side views and to feel the ambience both before sunset and after sunset.

Lake Wanaka at day time.

Lake Wanaka at night.

Lake Wakatipu, Queentown before nightfall.

Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown at nightfall.