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Day 3 Shire Reckoning: Trewsday, Foreyule 7th. -- Rotorua to Ohakune via Mordor and the Emyn Muil. Okay, I'm writing this actually two days later because I'm finally getting caught up on my journal keeping.
Headed South to Mt. Ruapehu where the principal photography for Mt. Doom and the battleplain of the Last Alliance took place and also a great deal of the Emyn Muil. We got there and the weather was turning against us. Already we could see nothing of the volcanoes as they were all shrouded by the clouds, but we pressed on to Wakapapa (?) ski field and headed first to the Emyn Muil site. It is stunning in its desolation. Even without color correction, everything was a drab gray/brown and just looked terrible. I could only imagine the feeling and looking out onto the field of the Emyn Muil into Mordor and seeing it stretch out for at least several days travel. Footing was very precarious. Mist started rolling in as we moved to where Sam and Frodo stopped to eat the Lembas at the beginning of TTT. Got some very good footage that looks eerily like that seen in the film (coming soon hopefully).
Headed down to shoot some of the slopes of Mordor from the prologue and the battleplain site where Isildur cut the ring from Sauron's hand. By this time we were getting hailed on very slightly and more mist was rolling in. Two enterprising souls clambered down to imitate Isildur and Sauron for some pictures. Snow started coming rather hard and the guides felt we should go. By this time my camera equipment was soaked and water all over the lense. Felt like S.A. All over again, but to be honest, I think I would have been a bit disappointed if the weather in "Mordor" had been anything but miserable. **** ADDED 3 JUNE 04. - A very kind Kiwi named Jennifer sent me some clear weather pictures of the Mt. Ruapehu region. These shots look less like Mordor due to the nice weather, but are simply fantastic.
**** Next we headed to the stream where Gollum kind of flopped around to catch a fish while Sam and Frodo argued on the borders of Ithilien. On the way, on of the few other guys on the tour, read some preliminary reviews from the ROTK screening, everyone who's seen it has been blown away. I'm a bit ticked we can't get into a screening, it seems everyone with a minor attachment to the press can get in, but us die-hards who've travelled from all over the world don't get to see it. Enough gloom. Moving on. (Considering what happened later...I had to eat crow for that statement). Got to the Gollum stream. Top kudos again to Andy Serkis. Put my hand in the water and it was bloody cold! And the poor guy was flopping around when it was freezing!
Gollum Stream as seen in the film. Went to the end and there is a nice waterfall coming off the end of the stream into a little pool. The whole thing overlooks a rather nice forest with a stream running through it and large pines everywhere. This is about as close to 'Henneth Anun' as the real world is going to get! Took some breathtaking photos and some really good footage. I can't wait to edit all this together with music from the films etc...
Was very tired when we put into a sleepy little ski town in the vicinity. They actually had a small hotel there called the Hobbit Lodge which was named that for about 20 years! At dinner there and had some really good convo. Then racked hard for an early start to Wellington tomorrow! Huzzah! |
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Day 4