The Ents have done a great job: Isengard is gone!

Today we were where the dark tower of Saruman rose, in Isengard. The filming location for these LOTR scenes is at the end of Lake Wakatipu near the small town of Glenorchy. From Queenstown it is about 60 kilometers, always along the lakeshore, with beautiful views of the lake, the small islands and the surrounding mountain ranges.

Of course, Saruman's tower was demolished by the Ents in the Fourth Age, so it can no longer be seen. Now the Isen, or in New Middle Earth terms the Dart River, meanders along here.

In the afternoon a short visit to the former gold mining town of Arrowtown. The first gold was found here in 1862, and in the 1870s the population rose to over 7,000, including many Chinese. After the boom, Arrowtown threatened to become a ghost town. Today around 2,300 residents live here and the town has been lovingly restored in the old style of a gold mining town.

Otherwise? Rather quiet today - tomorrow we continue to Kaka Point on the west coast of the South Island, a three-hour drive - without breaks.

Windshield wiper instead of indicator counter: 99!!!

coming soon

PIDISI