Journey Through Middle Earth

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Yesterday, one of my nerdiest fantasties became a reality - I went on a full day Lord of the Rings location tour!! Our guide was actually in the movie as a prominent orc. Hearing about the shooting of the movies first hand was just fascinating. We drove to about a dozen locations and got to take pictures recreating some classic scenes from the movies. Our guide had been trained by the unrivaled legend of swordsmanship and man who played Darth Vader during lightsaber fights, Bob Anderson. The tour ended with our guide taking out some really nice replica weapons from the movies and teaching us some of the moves he learned from the man himself. As a fan of the series, it was very exciting and tremendously enjoyable.

Who knew St. Patricks's Day was so big in Queenstown, NZ? There was Irish pride in the air last night as white, orange, and green were everywhere. We had an early morning canyoning trip so we indulged in seafood only. We went to a restaurant called Fishbone after reading excellent reviews of their seafood platter for two online. The host informed us that they are not open for lunch because everything arrives fresh in the afternoon. We got to enjoy a meal of blue cod, karitane lobster, mussels, clams, calamari, scallops, and salmon. It was one of the best meals I have ever had an easily the best seafood. Such a big meal left us heading happily to bed early.

This morning we got up and went canyoning. Canyoning means going from point A to point B down a river through a canyon without a boat. Our guides we just great in getting us ready in our wetsuits and helmets, and before we knew it we were hiking into the woods to get into the water. We started by flying along three zip-lines - better than coffee to wake you up! I was a bit nervous when they said the temperature of the water was 41 degrees F, but it really wasn't bad with the suits. We got to jump off the canyon cliffs into the water, slide down natural water slides, rappel down waterfalls, and even do a bit of climbing. Extremely fun, but so tiring we took a bit of a nap upon returning in the afternoon. We weren't allowed to bring the camera since it would get soaked, so check out their website if you'd like a glimpse at what we experienced: http://canyoning.co.nz/queenstown.html

We grilled out for dinner tonight with our fellow travelers and got to look back together on the incredible activities we have been able to participate in the last week. I am not sure what tomorrow holds, but I am really looking forward to it.

Love to you all!

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