A Day Out in Middle Earth

Or at least that part of it on the North Island of New Zealand.  I sprang for the full day LOTR site tour that included pick up and drop off at my hotel, a Weta Workshop tour, and lunch.  It was a great day out, and I am very glad I did it because there was a lot of fascinating information about the filming and the sites were beautiful in themselves.
As we drove around Wellington picking folks up, our driver/guide pointed out historic spots and told us fun facts about the city.  Then we took off for Mount Victoria also known as "the outer Shire."  It's a heavy-wooded hillside with many trails, and it's where Peter Jackson began filming Fellowship of the Ring with the four Hobbits.  Our guide was very knowledgeable about the filming and throughout the day told us a lot of inside stories.  He also could tell us about the history and botany of the sites we visited.
I am not going to list all the places,  but although all the places are reachable by the public, they are not reachable by public transportation, and unless you knew what you were looking for you would not notice anything in particular no matter how familiar you are with the movies as there were a lot of special effects used to enhance the images.
We went to the river that stood in for the Anduin where the Fellowship paddled their canoes while being stalked by Orcs.  Oh.  Do you know why there are no Orcs in Wellington?  'Cause they're all in Orcland (Auckland).  Yuk yuk!  We also went to the site where Gandalf met Saruman at Orthanc and visited the national park where Peter Jackson and Co. built Rivendell.  As an added adventure, our own "Fellowship" crossed the swinging bridge--perfectly safe but exciting.  This park is covered in lush forests and streams and rivers abound.
Despite the heat of the day, we drove in air conditioned comfort and found plenty of green and shade.  There were plenty of chances to use the public toilets with which New Zealand is blessed.  I would recommend the tour highly.  You can book on line, and I encourage you to do it about a week in advance to get your preferred dates.
I am leaving Wellington tomorrow--early, and I'm sorry.  I wish I had scheduled more time here.  The truth is I think I like Wellington and the area more than Auckland, but let's just keep that between us.