New Zealand Day 5

Today we started out early with a drive to Glenorchy on a Lord of the Rings Off Road tour. Not much by the way of off roading but we got to see some really pretty places and some places where various movies were filmed, including X-Men Origins Wolverine and Lord of the Rings.

Some apples in a tree, I bet the hobbits would have loved finding this tree on their trek.

Here is our 4x4 we rode in. Willy thought it was so cool. I thought it wasn't too comfortable and they should not have crammed 7 full grown adults, paying customers, into one stinking car.

Group Potty Stop. Good thing too, I needed it.

Sardine Willy, crammed in the back.

Some forests where they filmed the death of Boramir(SP?) in the first movie.

Good thing all the Orcs had gone, cuz we were armed with only our cameras, cool shades and magnetic personalities.

This was where they put the Tower of Isengard.

This is the view from where we stopped for lunch.

Here we are, resting on our little lunch stop.

Now its me in the sardine can.

I guess this is where they filmed Faramirs army attacking the evil men and their giant Elephants, then the hobbits were captured.

Here is where Froto and Sam watched the battle.

Our tour guide, he looked really familiar.

After our trip we took a ride out across the lake to the Shotover River, here we were waiting on the dock for the boat to leave.

The docks at Queenstown, such a pretty little place.

Here we are, ready to go.

Looking across the lake, kind of to the south I think. The ride across the lake was brutal, we sat in the front of the boat and it bashed us around on the big waves. Afterwards I could hardly move my back, turns out I may have herniated a disk in my lower back from that adventure.

The scene as we headed across the lake towards the Shotover River.

We were blazing down the river and flying past massive rocks and trees and stuff in inches of water, it was pretty amazing and a bit frightening.

Skirting the cliffs at breakneck speeds.

Not a lot of room here for error, but we made it through alive.

Me and Willy without his makeup.

We rode the gondola to the top of the mountain to the Maori Cultural Center for dinner and a show.

On our way up in the Gondola

At the top overlooking Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu.

Closeup on our hotel, the one with the long skinny gray roofs just in front of the tall pine trees.

We stood quietly as we 'reflected' on the beautiful scenery.

We went for a hike up the hill and met a nice German Couple there with their kids who were nice enough to take a photo of us.

Me getting my poi-poi on (at least I think that's what they called those things)

I was one of the lucky few who was selected to go up and dance with the Maoris

We made some new friends while we were there.

We got the best seat in the house for our dinner.

Will and I riding up to the top on the Gondola with Queenstown and the Remarkables in the background.

Audrey on the ride up the Gondola.

Will on the ride up the Gondola.

We rode up this Gondola and took our speedy little carts down the hill.

Go Speed Racer, go-go Speed Racer...