The Saga of Ursa Minor: SailBlogs

Weta Works

Bryan — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:31:24 -0600

What a treat. Back in Wellington we took the opportunity to visit Weta Works, the amazing special effects studio that worked on Lord of the Rings and Avatar amongst may others. Along with many of the original props they've created for movies they also show a 20 minute film about their entire operation in the 'Weta Cave.' And, it's all free. (View Post...)

Way South

Bryan — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:16:57 -0600

It's been a while since last entry. In the last three weeks we've visited lovely Wellington, crossed the Cook Straits and camped in the Abel Tasman Peninsula. From there we've wandered down the west coast of the South Island through beautiful Nelson Lakes, the Buller River Gorge and down to Glacier Country - the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers to be exact. From there we crossed the Southern Alps once again through the exquisite Haast River Valley Pass to to Te Anau, the gateway to our paramount destination - Fiordland. We are presently forest-camped at the head of Milford Sound and preparing for a boat trip through the sound to the sea. Awesome! (View Post...)

Camping in Mordor

Bryan — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:37:16 -0600

Last night we camped at the foot of 'Mount Doom' (Mt. Ruapehu) made famous during the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Close by is Mt. Ngauruhoe which served as the pedestal for 'The Eye' of Sauron in the movie. We went part way up Ruapehu this morning. It is still an active volcano and the widespread rubble-covered slopes are just what you saw in the third movie. Many of the second and third movie outdoor scenes were shot in Tongariro. (Continued...)