Everywhere we go we see places that one of the Lord of the Rings movies was filmed in...we exclaim, appreciate and dream of seeing little hobbits or riding horses or something magical. Last night (tonight back home in Canada), the premiere red carpet event of the opening of the Hobbit happened in Wellington - just across the strait from where we are. We could feel the buzz. We will be in Wellington on Saturday and hopefully get to see some of the leftover effect....

Queenstown is known for its adrenaline-inducing adventures; one can find anything from skydiving to bungy jumping or parabungy to white-water rafting. Not being inclined towards this craziness at this stage of our lives, we drove through Queenstown, north for about an hour, through the sleepy town of Glenorchy and over to Kinloch Lodge. Although the weather was mostly cold and rainy during our 3-day stay, we managed to do a couple of nearby walks. We used the t...