Einmal um die Welt... zumindest halb!
Einmal um die Welt... zumindest halb!
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Day 11 - Edoras!

Imechapishwa: 13.05.2019

When we stepped outside today, the bad weather from yesterday was forgotten. We were greeted by bright sunshine. The perfect weather for our trip to Mount Sunday, the filming location of Edoras.

But before we headed to the home of Theoden and his entourage, we followed the plan to search for rain ponchos for both of us in Christchurch, to be prepared for the upcoming days (which are supposed to be rainy again). A sports store, a bakery (delicious breakfast), and two shops for fishing and hunting supplies later, we were full and two ponchos richer.

With that, the actual day trip could begin: Off to Mount Sunday. Off to Edoras!

Already during the drive, we were rewarded with an incomparable view of the mountain range that stretches across the South Island.


After about 2 hours of driving, we arrived at a road that was being worked on and looked closed at first glance... But that was the only road that leads to the destination. Tobi was already getting excited and said that he won't let anything stop him and drove on (one of the workers confirmed that we are allowed to pass, so we are still legally on the road and not wanted by the police).

The road itself was a gravel road to nowhere, so rocky that we had to drive at thirty to avoid damaging the underbody.


But just for the view during the journey, the slow rumbling and sliding over gravel was already worth it.


Shaken well and what felt like an eternity later, we stood at a small viewpoint and could see something in the distance... very small and inconspicuous, Mount Sunday patiently awaited our arrival.


After another 137,294 pebbles (I counted them exactly...) there it was in front of us. The parking lot. The rest of the way to the famous little hill had to be walked and shortly after, it lay in front of us.

Manaaki was with us again
Manaaki was with us again.

Then the time had come... We walked where Aragorn walked, we stood where Gandalf stood, and we sat where Theoden sat. We could feel our nerd hearts beating faster. Standing up there, with an incomparable landscape no matter where you looked, it became clear why a film scene was shot here.
View to the west
View to the west
View to the north
View to the north

The weather here in New Zealand seems completely arbitrary to us, but when we discovered the filming location of Edoras on the New Zealand map of Middle-earth in Hobbiton (see Day 3), it was clear that we had to visit this place. It must have been destiny that the day we chose for the drive to Mount Sunday was probably the last beautiful day of our trip.
Experiencing this location in perfect weather was definitely the highlight of the entire vacation for us nerds so far!
Jibu

New Zealand
Ripoti za usafiri New Zealand
#neuseeland#lord of the rings#canterbury#rohan#lotr#mountsunday