I woke up early and managed to have a tea before I hurriedly walked to the bus stop. I guess I didn't tell you, but on this morning in Queenstown I was off to do some Lord of the Rings horseback riding with Dart Stables.The day started out with a funny Irish driver. He told us about the extendables became the nickname for The Remarkables. Apparently Peter Jackson used them in so many different angles and lenses to make them look different he started calling them the extendables. They were just so versatile.
We also got a chance to stop at amazing early morning viewpoint just outside of Queenstown on the way to Glenorchry.
On the ride over I met a nice Ozzy and two Canadians. I love meeting new people. Especially when traveling alone. We arrived at the stables and the first thing was to get our boots and helmets. After everyone was outfitted we drove back to the beginning of the track.
It has been 10 years since I'd ridden. The last time I had ridden was in Argentina and girls scouts. To say the least I was nervous. I'm pretty sure that riding the pony clandestinely with Evey never counted.
The views were wonderful! I loved it. But we had to trot a few times and I decided I hate trotting. It hurt my knee and one time I fell onto Vinnie's mane.
On the last half hour of the ride we had to ford a few rivers. Fun stuff. The guides had it figured out. One would test the rivers to see how difficult the ford was before we went. In one of the spots we were going to pass the guide testing it fell in the water. The mud was like quick sand, it sucked her and her horse down. They got up quickly, but she had to give her mount a rest before continuing. How scary is that!
One of the highlights of the trip was that there was a
Korean family riding with us. It was nice to listen to them banter,
even though I've lost most of my Korean language skills. I'll never get tired of it.
Some random facts I gleaned from the tour guides
Dart Stables had 8 horses in LOTR filming. Now there are only 2 left, out to pasture and living the high life in Glenorchy.
In the filming they would use over 200 horses in a battle scene. They had to be the same or similar coloration to make it easier to
replicate on the computer.
During some of the filming some of the riders fell. This would be used later then they would be
cvged with weapons and armor for later scenes.
If the horse and the rider fall this is stunt horse and rider. If just a rider falls, that's a real accident.
Peter Jackson had to change the word "action" every couple of days to prevent horses from galloping. They got used to it as a command, so when he was directing other scenes sometimes horses would randomly start a full gallop, away from their handlers.
The Misty mountains is a collage of lots of different mountain ranges.
Alfred mountain view is a common back drop in the movies; Especially for the tower.
The river we rode on was the river was used for Rohan battle.
back to my day...
Glenorchy is supposed to have some great hiking spots. But on the way in I noticed how small and secluded the town was and worried a bit on how get to the trail heads. After the ride I was going to hike around Glenorchy, but I was tired and really I was worried about how I would hitch hike home. So I took the transport provided back with the quirky Irish driver.
I was so tired. I expected to be sore, but thankfully I only hurt a little. Horseback riding can be brutal if you're not used to it. After I got into town I decided to have my
first coffee of the day. That kick started me and decided to get a burger and talked to the fam.
A beautiful 2 hour ride at the head of Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand’s longest lake.
Riding alongside braided, glacial fed rivers this adventure offers river crossings and spectacular scenery, including views of The Misty Mountains, The Wizard’s Vale and The Mighty Methedras. - See more at: http://www.dartstables.com/riding-options#sthash.ds9aqSxq.dpuf
Riding alongside braided, glacial fed rivers this adventure offers river crossings and spectacular scenery, including views of The Misty Mountains, The Wizard’s Vale and The Mighty Methedras. - See more at: http://www.dartstables.com/riding-options#sthash.ds9aqSxq.dpuf
We went on "a
beautiful 2 hour ride at the head of Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand’s longest lake.
Riding
alongside braided, glacial fed rivers this adventure offers river crossings and
spectacular scenery, including views of The Misty Mountains, The Wizard’s Vale
and The Mighty Methedras." And it was. I love LOTR. I might not be as much of a nerd as some of the others, but I really couldn't pass up the opportunity to see some of the beautiful scenery I saw in the movies.
A beautiful 2 hour ride at the head of Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand’s longest lake.
Riding alongside braided, glacial fed rivers this adventure offers river crossings and spectacular scenery, including views of The Misty Mountains, The Wizard’s Vale and The Mighty Methedras. - See more at: http://www.dartstables.com/riding-options#sthash.ds9aqSxq.dpuf
Riding alongside braided, glacial fed rivers this adventure offers river crossings and spectacular scenery, including views of The Misty Mountains, The Wizard’s Vale and The Mighty Methedras. - See more at: http://www.dartstables.com/riding-options#sthash.ds9aqSxq.dpuf
A beautiful 2 hour ride at the head of Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand’s longest lake.
Riding alongside braided, glacial fed rivers this adventure offers river crossings and spectacular scenery, including views of The Misty Mountains, The Wizard’s Vale and The Mighty Methedras. - See more at: http://www.dartstables.com/riding-options#sthash.ds9aqSxq.dpuf
Riding alongside braided, glacial fed rivers this adventure offers river crossings and spectacular scenery, including views of The Misty Mountains, The Wizard’s Vale and The Mighty Methedras. - See more at: http://www.dartstables.com/riding-options#sthash.ds9aqSxq.dpuf
On the last half hour of the ride we had to ford a few rivers. Fun stuff. The guides had it figured out. One would test the rivers to see how difficult the ford was before we went. In one of the spots we were going to pass the guide testing it fell in the water. The mud was like quick sand, it sucked her and her horse down. They got up quickly, but she had to give her mount a rest before continuing. How scary is that!
 |
| This didn't happen, but is still fun! |
Some random facts I gleaned from the tour guides
Dart Stables had 8 horses in LOTR filming. Now there are only 2 left, out to pasture and living the high life in Glenorchy.
During some of the filming some of the riders fell. This would be used later then they would be
cvged with weapons and armor for later scenes.If the horse and the rider fall this is stunt horse and rider. If just a rider falls, that's a real accident.
Peter Jackson had to change the word "action" every couple of days to prevent horses from galloping. They got used to it as a command, so when he was directing other scenes sometimes horses would randomly start a full gallop, away from their handlers.
The Misty mountains is a collage of lots of different mountain ranges.Alfred mountain view is a common back drop in the movies; Especially for the tower.
The river we rode on was the river was used for Rohan battle.
back to my day...
Glenorchy is supposed to have some great hiking spots. But on the way in I noticed how small and secluded the town was and worried a bit on how get to the trail heads. After the ride I was going to hike around Glenorchy, but I was tired and really I was worried about how I would hitch hike home. So I took the transport provided back with the quirky Irish driver.
I was so tired. I expected to be sore, but thankfully I only hurt a little. Horseback riding can be brutal if you're not used to it. After I got into town I decided to have my
first coffee of the day. That kick started me and decided to get a burger and talked to the fam. I love Fergburger! This time I got Sweet Bambi, a venison burger. This is a fiordland deer patty with Thai plum chutney, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and aioli (garlic mayo). And he was delicious.
The next thing on my list before I left was the trail around lake. The Wakatipu lake hike seemed nice. It was really more like a mountain biking path.
Their were quite a few bikers on the trail and outside of town their were bikers everywhere. Some even took the gondola up with their bikes to do the trails on the side of the mountain.
After I had hiked for a bit I found sunshine bay and decided to comb the beach for greenstone. I found lots of greenish rocks and some sea glass. I think maybe I found one super impure piece, so I pocketed it. I Probably shouldn't have, there is usually a policy with nature reserves that you look but don't touch. The rest of the stones and glass I left in a pile for some adventurous child to find and be amazed.
After that I stopped and watched the windsurfers, reminded of one of my favorite people.
The rain put a damper on my plans for the night. I was going to try and socialize again at the bars. But in the end I actually enjoyed the rest. I was tired from all the walking from the day.
The next day was my last day in Queenstown so I said good by to couch surfing host. I gave him a cookie and later bought coffee for him.
I headed out to do my last hike in Queenstown, the One Mile trail. It was beautiful and short, exactly what I needed. The highlight on the hike was the first power house. It was pretty sweet looking.
After collecting my bags I went to hike the rest of Wakatipu lake hike, towards the airport. This one was called the frankfert arm hike. I only made it through half the hike before I got panicky and decided to get the bus to
airport. I get travel anxious. Korea will just book you on the next flight with no charge if you miss your flight, but the rest of the world doesn't work that way.
I was amazed yet again at the airport when I was allowed bottles of beer in my carry on. Sometimes I crack myself up. Just because nothing is allowed on international flights or in the states doesn't mean other countries do the same.
In Auckland I managed to miss the ferry by seconds. I even saw them bring up the gate. the guy said he could tell them to stop. But thats just my fault for not rushing a bit more. Whatever. But with my luck the next ferry late. But at least I met a nice man on ferry, a cyclist who was visiting friends.
By the time I got home it was dark and Paw Paw is happy to see me. I am covered in cat
hair as we speak.
The next thing on my list before I left was the trail around lake. The Wakatipu lake hike seemed nice. It was really more like a mountain biking path.
Their were quite a few bikers on the trail and outside of town their were bikers everywhere. Some even took the gondola up with their bikes to do the trails on the side of the mountain.
After I had hiked for a bit I found sunshine bay and decided to comb the beach for greenstone. I found lots of greenish rocks and some sea glass. I think maybe I found one super impure piece, so I pocketed it. I Probably shouldn't have, there is usually a policy with nature reserves that you look but don't touch. The rest of the stones and glass I left in a pile for some adventurous child to find and be amazed.
The rain put a damper on my plans for the night. I was going to try and socialize again at the bars. But in the end I actually enjoyed the rest. I was tired from all the walking from the day.
The next day was my last day in Queenstown so I said good by to couch surfing host. I gave him a cookie and later bought coffee for him.
 |
| same day: rain and sun |
I headed out to do my last hike in Queenstown, the One Mile trail. It was beautiful and short, exactly what I needed. The highlight on the hike was the first power house. It was pretty sweet looking.
 |
| the only room in the airport... It's small |
In Auckland I managed to miss the ferry by seconds. I even saw them bring up the gate. the guy said he could tell them to stop. But thats just my fault for not rushing a bit more. Whatever. But with my luck the next ferry late. But at least I met a nice man on ferry, a cyclist who was visiting friends.
 |
| sailing in Auckland |
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