Edoras and more ...

We have just travelled in Middle Earth and it was fantastic!

Away for two golden weeks, we harvested grapes in mid Canterbury and voyaged to Edoras while in the locale. We also went to the beach for a week. While that wasn’t as hobbity we did enjoy many second breakfasts.

For ages we’ve been wanting to help our friends with their pinot noir harvest. We’d booked to go last March … but Covid! So, this year we finally made it.

It was every bit as idyllic as you see in all the vineyard movies, but it was hard work as well. Sadly, it was a small harvest this year (although we city hobbits were secretly relieved as we weren’t used to the work). We’re going back next year if our friends will have us.

We slept in the workers’ quarters which are pretty cool - an old school building with rafters and lots of light.

The first harvesting job was taking off the nets. Even though it is a small vineyard the job was really physically demanding despite being tractor-assisted. Nets are very heavy and have to be lifted high so they don’t catch on the posts as you go along the rows of vines.

Then we picked using small clippers to cut the bunches and place them in our baskets. It was hot but satisfying work.

Our friends’ vineyard is in Waipara which is a renowned NZ area for pinot noir. It has perfect limestone ground and the right hot, dry temperatures in late summer/autumn. We didn’t have a single day of rain on our trip even though most of NZ was doused with torrential rain from the same system that had flooded eastern Australia just a few days before.

One night the sun spun the hills into gold - I took a pic which doesn’t capture it. And it must have rained a little at some point because the same hills had a double rainbow the following day.

After the picking the grapes went into a monster machine to be de-stemmed. (I nicknamed the machine Beast.) Then the grapes went into the tank for fermentation. By the time we left they were on their way to becoming wine and smelled fantastic.

Of course in the evenings we sampled quite a bit of our hosts’ previous vintages. Well … we had to do it! Part of the job and truly delicious!

As a further reward for all our hard work we went on an adventure to Edoras. No-one else was a dedicated LOTR fan but they took it on faith that this filming site was worth visiting. This was quite an act of trust because the site was over 3 hours drive away.

And of course Edoras was magical, even on the scale of spectacular NZ scenery!

There wasn’t much snow on the Southern Alps but even so the mountains were majestic and the braided river flowed away like ribbons of shining blue. Mt Sunday was a perfect focal point amongst the grandeur of the valley.

Yes, everyone gasped when the valley appeared below us and I beamed a silent thank you to all those LOTR fans who’ve posted in raptures about their journey to Edoras. Thank you again fellow LOTR travellers!

My husband commented that Mt Sunday didn’t look very high - but he thought it high enough when we climbed it!

On the track up I found horseshoe prints. I wonder if they’re still there 20 years on from filming the Two Towers? I like to think they’re the prints of Brego or Shadowfax.

It goes without saying that I was blissed out being there. Scenes from TT played in my mind the whole time. It was an exquisite experience. I do think it must be one of the most spectacular places in NZ - and “that’s saying a lot!” (to quote Sam). I only wish Liz had been there too - that would have made it perfect. We will go together, my friend!

We left Canterbury with sadness but then enjoyed a week in Nelson, our birthplace. We stayed with my friend-and-almost-brother and had a great time cycling, visiting family and beaching. It’s a bit sad to be home.

But it’s good to be back to the Museum. And Wellington has turned on golden weather. Also, home to the great news that NZ has opened a travel bubble with Australia - this means Aussie LOTR fans can visit the Museum (of course I still love having NZ visitors, especially Wellingtonians). The bubble also means we may now get to see dearest friends and family that we’ve been separated from for a year.

Such welcome news and I hope we all stay safe. Ahhhh home! Best wishes, Kathy