Cloudy, overcast & dry start to the day - but the view is still great! D up first - spent an hour catching up on diary, then sorted out breakfast. Usual morning routine, packed & ready to go pre-10am, but then D&L chatted to Jimmy (the owner) for 20 mins, much to J's (impatient) annoyance!

Drove down a gravel road for a different view of Lake Manapouri, then to Rainbow Reach, & the start of the Kelper Track, to cross a suspension bridge over the Waiau River (= River Anduin in LotR). Walked for ~15 mins in the beech forest, then back up the road, to a small walking track, affording more views of the river.

Brief stop in Te Anau to refuel, then east on SH94 to an elevated lookout point, just a few km out of town. Uneventful 120km drive, north, to Kingston, on the southern tip of Lake Wakatipu, through flat valleys, with fantastic hills & mountains on either side. Ate packed lunch at a kids play area, & D failed to see the Kingston Flier steam train!

North, on SH6, following the eastern coast of the lake towards Queenstown - a couple of stops for photos (Halfway Bay) - cold, and very windy! Half way along the lakeside, D suddenly remembered (as you do!) that he hadn't finished emptying the fridge, & had left behind ~$30 worth of supplies - including a nice bottle of wine!

Arrived in Queenstown just as the sun started to come out, & checked out a motor camp in Frankton ($99 + no equipment!) & the Top10 in central Q-town (the only cabin available was $175!!). Drove around to get our bearings, then made a decision to head north, to Glenorchy (where the Gunn's Camp managers' had mentioned a Hobbit filming location!). Lovely drive along the side of the lake, but very windy once out of the car!

Cloudy, cold & raining on arriving, a basic cabin ($67) with large shared kitchen/lounge. Settled in, then decided to drive north, to Paradise, to try to find another couple of LotR locations. Just as we are approaching Diamond Lake, we spot a huge white marquee in a field, several large lorries, & a bored looking security man, sat in a 4 wheel drive! We start speculating wildly on what's going on, & settle on imagining that it's the catering tent for filming The Hobbit, which starts on the 17th, for 3 days, according to the local newspaper! Even more excitement ~1km further down the road, where there are not only more lorries, tents, fences & security men, but a small collection of buildings on a hill, ~100m from the road! A few photos later, we continue on our way towards Paradise, driving through open pasture (paddocks) alternating with forest. We cross a few fords, & the quality of the road gradually deteriorates, until, at one deeper stream, D calls it quits, & turns the car around.

Many scenic photos later, we are back in Middle Earth, speculating (& fantasising) wildly about which set it is, and which actors may well be driving up this very road, tomorrow! (L reveals the depth of her Orlando Bloom obsession, at this point!)

Back to Glenorchy for coffee & cakes in the drizzle, before heading back to the cabin for tea, diaries & early nights, all round!