Kiwis and Rings

Hello everybody! :)

 

The today’s post is going to be about New Zealand, a beautiful country with an extraordinary variety of animal and plant species. I was always interested in Geography, I love watching documentaries about countries on the far side of the globe and I especially like New Zealand, even though I wasn’t there yet  :( .

First of all, some geographical facts about New Zealand:

The insular state is located near the centre of the water hemisphere (more water than land on this hemisphere) and is made up of two main islands. These two islands are separated by a strait called the Cook Strait. Around the main islands there are a number of smaller islands. The largest landmass of New Zealand is the South Island, which is divided by the Southern Alps. The highest peak is Aoraki at 3,754 metres. The Northern Island, however, is marked by volcanism.

The climate in New Zealand:

The climate in New Zealand depends on the region. The West Coast is extremely wet, whereas the South Island is almost semi-arid. Snowfall is less common on the North Island but when it snows, it is most likely to happen during the snow season, about early June until October.

The diversity of animals, plants and fungi:

The reasons for the great diversity of unique species are the island’s isolation and the biogeography. Broadleaf trees and the southern beech are the two main types of the country’s forest. About 80 percent of the land was covered in forest before the arrival of humans and the beginning of deforestation, which let the percentage fall down on only 23 percent. Birds dominated the forests and due to the lack of mammalian predators, birds like the kiwi evolved flightlessness. Yes, the kiwi is a fruit but there is also the bird ;). With the arrival of humans, rats, ferrets and other animals came to the island and induced the extinction of many species including birds, frogs, lizards and fish. Some other indigenous animals are frogs, spiders, insects and snails. The island is a very popular breeding place for birds, though.

Enough with those boring numbers and facts :D The reason why I wanted to write about New Zealand is because it was a filming place for “The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit".

The movie was filmed in the most beautiful places in New Zealand.

Matamata

The quiet and peaceful Shire was build around the Waikato town. The hobbit holes are so detailed and they really transmit a unique calmness - like nothing bad could ever happen in this beautiful village. The Shire is located in the northwestern part of the continent, where the village Hobbiton, home of the hobbits was rebuilt for the filming of The Hobbit Trilogy. It will remain there as an attraction. 

Wellington

Wellington was a very important shooting scene since the forested area around the Mount Victoria was used as Hobbiton Woods in the movie. In those woods, the hobbits were hiding from the black riders.  The River Anduin and the Gardens of Isengard are also located in Wellington. The Hutt River and the Harcourt Park depicted those sceneries. The Kaitoke Regional Park was the place in the movie called Rivendell, where Frodo recovered from the knife attack from one of the Dark Riders. Rivendell was also an outpost of the Elves.

 

Takata Hill

Takata Hill was the filming site for Chetwood Forest. Here the Ranger Strider led the hobbits to Bree to escape the Black Riders. 

Canterbury 

The set for Edoras, the main city of the people of Rohan was located on Mount Sunday. It took the crew nine months to build up the set.

 

Mackenzie Country

Those who have seen the movie remember the battle scene which took place on the Pelennor Fields. This scene was filmed near Twizel where thousands of orcs clashed with men of Gondor and Rohan.

Southern Lakes

From the village of Glenorchy you can see Mount Earnslaw and Lothlorien. The north-western slopes of this mountain featured in the opening scene of The Two Towers. You can see the Anduin and Argonath, the Pillar Kings. The pillars were computer generated. 

Fiordland

 

The River Anduin, where the Fellowship paddled south from Lothlórien was represented by the Waiau River and the Fangorn Forest is near Te Anau. 

Stay tuned! 

image source:

http://www.zastavki.com/pictures/originals/2013/Fantasy__038816_.jpg

http://img.swifty.com/slides/2/4/8/9/8/0/2489808552/b89c3cf714dfef8eaf1a00e3070fdf92acb30d3e.jpeg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuwbZ3xYN16pIHFE6CArI8Eh42cnv3UHlCAVd2pGzlTwKemx_VdyI2I34IZkDlZyUyY1h_lUlg2NCv8r9gOTVUNRnd4IjgUxI9b4cV61CuxDYAfBFEqMJXkngLFF3tyOC-uR53mSKS0yk/s1600/HARCOURT_03.jpg

http://www.paulcampion.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/LOTR_twoTowers_edoras_01_940.jpg

http://nzsabbatical.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/dsc_4514.jpg

http://www.queenstown.net.nz/images/a/a8/TheArgonath.jpg

https://www.herr-der-ringe-film.de/v3/media/galerie/herrderringe/neuseeland/kawarauanduin-cb177600.JPG