It's a long way back to the Shire - and it's a long way to travel the length of New Zealand. I made my way up the coast from Queenstown but first I took a detour to the famous Milford Sound. The weather was nice on the way there and the mountains were beautiful.
But on the way it started raining and was even snowing through the high mountain passes so by the time I got on the cruise it was hard to see anything. It reminded me a lot of Alaska but without all the wildlife.
The waterfalls were really beautiful and were coming down hard from all the rain.
The trip up the coast was beautiful and the bus driver planned the break-time stops at scenic viewpoints which was nice.
I stopped at Fox Glacier which flows out just below Mt. Cook, the tallest peak in New Zealand. If you follow this blog at all you know I like glaciers. 
Then I hired (or rented if you're American) a bicycle and rode down away from the mountains to get a better view. The peak on the far right is Mt. Cook while the one in the center is Mt. Tasman. I don't think these sheep realize what a good view they have.
I rode 6 kilometers to Lake Matheson which is famous for its reflective views. Photographers come here to get their postcard shots. A cloud rolled in just as I got there but I wasn't complaining since it had been covered with low-lying clouds the day before and then was covered the day I left.
I have to admit I liked wandering through the ferny forests as much as I liked the beautiful views. I felt a bit like an elf.
And then it was further up the coast with a stop at the pancake rocks. You can't really see in the picture but all the rocks look like stacks of pancakes. The special at the local cafe across the road was pancakes. I think it's the special everyday.
After a night in Nelson I took the ferry up to the North Island and stopped in Wellington. Wellington has a couple of nicknames, including Windy Welly (it was rainy and windy the whole time I was there) and Wellywood from all the movies filmed from here. Since I was on a Lord of the Rings theme I had to wander past the Embassy Theater where The Two Towers and The Return of the King premiered.
I also took the bus out to Miramar where the people at the Weta workshop do their magic. It was more of an art gallery and shop but it was cool to see the short film of the history of the company and some of the other things they have worked on.
"Give it to us rrraw and wwrrriggling."
It was still raining so it was the perfect time to go to Te Papa, the national museum.
The next day I was tired of the rain and wind so I continued my journey up the North Island to Rotorua. There is a lot of geothermal activity here so it smells like eggs and steam comes out of various spots in the ground and from the gutter drains. There are fences around spots in the park where boiling water comes out of the ground. 
I thought these boiling mud pools were fun to watch. It reminded me of when I was learning to cook.
Rotorua is also a special place for the Maori people so I went to see a cultural show while I was there.
Then I eventually made it to the Shire. The Alexander family sheep farmers probably had no idea that tourists would flock to their little farm in years to come. New Line Cinema wouldn't let them keep the hobbit holes the way they looked in the movie due to copyright laws but you still feel like a hobbit when you are there. 
Here is Bag End - where Bilbo and Frodo live. It's also the only hole that you can actually go inside (about 6 feet of darkness). All the inside shots of the house were filmed in a studio in Wellington.
When they were filming all the flowers and vegetable patches were real and had been planted a year before to look natural. After they were done they were under contract to return the farm back to its natural state so everything they had planted was uprooted and all the buildings were torn down. But now it is exciting to see they have started planting again. Any guesses why? Yep, there are rumors that they are working on The Hobbit but that it will be directed by Guillermo del Toro instead of Peter Jackson. 
“Remember what Bilbo used to say: It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."
Rotorua is also a special place for the Maori people so I went to see a cultural show while I was there.Then I eventually made it to the Shire. The Alexander family sheep farmers probably had no idea that tourists would flock to their little farm in years to come. New Line Cinema wouldn't let them keep the hobbit holes the way they looked in the movie due to copyright laws but you still feel like a hobbit when you are there. Here is Bag End - where Bilbo and Frodo live. It's also the only hole that you can actually go inside (about 6 feet of darkness). All the inside shots of the house were filmed in a studio in Wellington. When they were filming all the flowers and vegetable patches were real and had been planted a year before to look natural. After they were done they were under contract to return the farm back to its natural state so everything they had planted was uprooted and all the buildings were torn down. But now it is exciting to see they have started planting again. Any guesses why? Yep, there are rumors that they are working on The Hobbit but that it will be directed by Guillermo del Toro instead of Peter Jackson. “Remember what Bilbo used to say: It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."
Of course we didn't just read the script on the tour - they took us to some of the sites where the film was shot. This is the opening shot of the movie where they explain the history of the ring.
And then I fell off the cliff but I was able to climb back up. Why couldn't Aragorn do it? It's only about a 4 foot drop.
For four years now I've been applying for jobs to work in Antarctica as one of the support crew for the scientists who work there. Last week I got a message saying they were interested in my application and set up a phone interview. Raytheon handles all the logistics for the scientists and I was applying for the Vehicle Operator position. I had never gotten that far so obviously I was really excited as this would complete my life goal of living on all seven continents. It would be awesome to complete it before my 30th birthday!
Even though it's:
I still find it a fascinating place and loved the documentaries playing at the center. And then a few days before I landed in New Zealand I found out I wasn't chosen for the job. Even though I was extremely dissapointed I still wanted to see the Antarctic Center - maybe just to put a little salt in the wound - but it was kind of like taking a tour of a University you've just gotten a rejection letter from.
I guess I never know what opportunities may come in the future, though, so there's no use in dwelling on opportunities lost. I did enjoy seeing the center and riding in the Swedish all-terrain Hagglund that is commonly used in Antarctica. 
And be sure a giant penguin is around in case your child needs to cross the street.