The Hobbit

On December the 12th I went to see The Hobbit at the cinema. And what a stunning film it is. Can't believe Middle Earth is really in New Zealand. Very proud and grateful to be living in such a beautiful country. In this video, Andy Serkis, an actor and director perhaps most well-known for his voice of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, shares and reflects with Lonely Planet on his experiences of travelling and filming in New Zealand.

The Fellowship of the Ring

My sisters and I just watched this film again for the first time in a while. Although it was made over ten years ago, The Lord of the Rings trilogy remain my favourite films of all time. The story, the costumes, the settings; everything is so meticulously crafted. Sometimes it's easy to forget how beautiful New Zealand is, getting so used to the mountains, the trees, the lakes, and beaches; that it takes something like this to remind me of how blessed I am to be here, with all of this untouched nature at my doorstep. One of my friends has gone up to Northland for the weekend, and I'm a little bit upset I can't go with him, but my mum is coming home from Australia so I'm excited to stay home to see her. I just realized, that it was on this day, eight years ago, that I moved from the small Northland town I was born in, to the city I live in now. How life has changed; everything is bigger and faster-paced, makes me wonder where I will be in another eight years. There are so many possibilities, the mystery is all a little confusing.