We overnight in Queenstown and begin our next day with another jetboat ride, this time on the Shotover River.
If you saw the video of our last jet boat ride (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YD4fEj_rmI)
you know we sounded like kids on a roller coaster. Turns out that was nuthin’ .
Today we have no side or overhead protection. Before boarding, we dress in neoprene. We are advised to leave anything that shouldn’t get wet behind. We take some videos before boarding and we're off.
I am already bundled up in waterproof gear and I put up my jacket hood… Kate and Gary tell me I look like a penguin. There will be no Dawny-Penguin photos. :)
This jetboat has warmed handbars for us to hold when things get precarious. The pilot, red faced with windburn and well dressed for the ride, warns us that he will raise his hand and rotate it to indicate when he plans to turn. When he does that, we are to hold on to our warmed handrails. Tightly. With both hands.
It’s cold and cloudy before we start. When he takes off, it’s cold, cloudy and wet…. and within seconds he rotates his hand and we do not care about cold, clouds or wet...
Gary and I have some video that I combined to present a humble view of the Shotover Jet boat ride:
Shotover Jet Boat Ride video- Dawny G and Gary S
(If you have trouble seeing this video, check : https://youtu.be/YiYMcTFOrWQ )
Hugging the river edge, barely clearing the cliffs alongside, spinning and swirling, our jetboat goes through mere inches of water as the rock edge encroaches on our airspace. We scream with glee when we spin, screeching and laughing all at once. When we finally return to the dock, some of us are soaked, all of us are happy. I have to buy a t-shirt with the Shotover Jet boat logo and “Fear Sucks” on the back. (Please note since I bought it, I’ve felt a little uncomfortable wearing a shirt that says ‘sucks’, but every time I look at it I smile. I have the guts to go out on the river, but not to wear that shirt. Go figure?)
To *really* get an idea of what the ride is like, I urge you to check the video at http://www.shotoverjet.com/shotover-river/
After lunch we go on a Lord of the Rings Scene Safari. The movie was filmed in several parts of NZ, including the North Island. This tour will just give an overview of some of the South Island settings.
I read the Lord of the Rings series long before the movies, and I enjoyed both books and films. The story of good versus evil never gets old, not in the Lord of the Rings, not in Harry Potter, not in superhero flicks.
The Land of the Lord of the Rings
I remember the movie scenery was beautiful and inspiring, and this excursion lives up to expectations.
What I’ve forgotten is the way 4-wheel drives cling to narrow roads on precipices meant for mountain goats. It’s kinda like the Shotover Jet Boat on a mountain.
The Joys of a Four Wheel Drive in the Mountains....
and in the Water
We go up mountains on precarious, narrow roads that have me holding my breath or
closing my eyes. Because the movie sets are gone from this area, it’s difficult to envision some of the scenes filmed here. The panoramic vistas from these heights are breathtaking.
Birdrock
Lady of the Rings (I know I don’t look like Frodo but we’re about the same height, I think).
Dark mountain
Much of the movie was filmed on the North Island and now there are tours there that highlight the various elements of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings stories. These include reconstruction of some of the unique sets, like the Hobbits’ village (Hobbiton). For an idea of what a more thorough Lord of the Rings tour would be like, check any of these sites below (and there are others). The reproduction of Hobbiton looks charming---almost makes me want to go back.
http://www.redcarpet-tours.com/ for a tour of Middle Earth
http://www.newzealand.com.au/start-your-holiday/attractions-activities/lord-of-the-rings-hobbit-day-tours/http://www.newzealand.com.au/start-your-holiday/attractions-activities/lord-of-the-rings-hobbit-day-tours/
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