From: stuff.co.nz The “slow buildup” expected on Wakatipu Hobbit sets is hitting overdrive as anticipated local shoot dates for the mega-movie loom. In September The Hobbit’s production company, 3 Foot 7 Ltd, received resource consent to build sets and film in locations in Arcadia Station and nearby Paradise, both of which are near Glenorchy on the northern tip of Lake Wakatipu.
Consent applications state there will be a “slow buildup” in activity from October 3, culminating in busy five day shoot period from November 17 to 21. Photos taken as late as October 24 showed only scaffold and bare board on the Paradise set. By yesterday, the triple-storied set looked to be nearly complete and consisted of a huge, central fake tree flanked by a stone-like edifice and thatch-roofed structure. The set nestles into the treeline of a thick stand of native evergreens and rolling farmland. More..
