Our story so far:Peter Jackson made three Middle-earth movies and people loved them. Now he is making two more and people already love them too. MrCere, Senior Staff, Writer and Photographer at TheOneRing.net (Forged by and for fans since 1999) went to NZ to see what he could see. Landed in Queenstown, found lots of LOTR stuff, drove north to see the people of the ring, visited Hobbiton set and now is in Wellington, center of NZ’s cinematic empire.
It is pretty important while in Wellington for me to participate in what any visitor might and especially activities with a Lord of the Rings slant. The city is one of my favorites around the world, situated as it is on a bay of great natural beauty. I like the size because it feels pretty easy to get to know, but it has the advantages of a big city’s variety with excellent food and lots of travelers and plenty of full-time residents and all kinds of attractions.
This trip I enjoyed walking around the city and thumbing through vinyl records (ask your parents if those foreign objects are unfamiliar to you) checking out a variety of automobile dealerships including an upholstery shop with some interesting old cars, a comic book shop and a burrito joint with great architecture and melted candles. The nightlife here is crazy, including the Saturday morning I woke up early and discovered the Friday night revelry with its thumbing bass and cocktails hadn’t ended as I sought out breakfast.
It also, with its proximity to Peter Jackson’s filmmaking empire, was an important area in the making of The Lord of the Rings, but not just because of the production and effects studios across the harbor. I ended up heading out with
Wellington Rover on its half-day tour to make a visit to filming locations. Continue reading “‘Lord of the Rings’ tours sparkle in Wellington”
The long-awaited revised edition of the award-winning board game, based on J.R.R.Tolkien’s novel will be released on December 15th.
The epic board game inspired by Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” is back! Publisher Ares Games announces the release of War of the Ring Second Edition, featuring several changes from the previous edition, principally a new graphic design, larger Tarot-size cards and revised rules. The English edition is now shipping to distributors and will reach the stores in North America in mid December.
The first edition was published in September 2004 by Nexus Editrice and the game has been acclaimed as one of the best thematic games of all times, winning several awards. In August 2011, Ares Games announced the acquisition of publishing rights from Sophisticated Games, as well as the upcoming revised edition.
Created by the Italian game designers Roberto Di Meglio, Francesco Nepitello and Marco Maggi, the strategy board game “War of the Ring” allows players to immerse themselves in J.R.R.Tolkien’s classic story, leading the Fellowship in its quest and the armies of the Free Peoples against the assault of the dreadful minions and armies of the Dark Lord, Sauron. The original illustrations were created by John Howe, one of the world’s foremost Tolkien illustrators. Continue reading “Ares Games releases War of the Ring™ Second Edition”
Our story so far:Peter Jackson made three Middle-earth movies and people loved them. Now he is making two more and people already love them too. MrCere, Senior Staff, writer and photographer at TheOneRing.net (around since 1999) went to NZ to see what he could see. Landed in Queenstown, found lots of LOTR stuff, drove north to see the people of the ring, visited Hobbiton set and now is in Wellington, center of NZ’s cinematic empire.
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND — I thought, and it makes me chuckle now, that when I landed in Wellington I would finally be based in one place long enough to really crank out some copy. Ha!
Instead, Wellington has been a whirlwind but that is a great thing, not a bad thing. I often contemplate cancelling one of the events here so I can spend hours writing and posting photos but I haven’t cancelled anything yet and each time I go to do something, I find that I am very glad to have been along.
Some of those events have tourism ties and then end up having direct ties to things here at TheOneRing, even when I think they will not. Other things, like spending the day with the kids at Weta, are directly tied in. None of them so far have been worth sacrificing and time is running out fast. But stories I have in some stage of ready:
* Hobbit set visit with images
* An exclusive with Richard Taylor Continue reading “Wellington is a whirlwind, smells like Hobbit”
Today, Turbine has announced that the next upcoming content update for The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO), Update 5: The Prince of Rohan will launch on December 12. The Update continues the epic story and adds 5 new Isengard instances to the game!
The Los Angeles staff of TheOneRing.net are throwing a party and we want you all to come. Really, we do, so we’ve set up a way for you to buy your tickets in advance for a discount. Just fill out our convenient little Ticket Form and then show up at the party with a smile on your face. The advance discounted price is just $22 per person for a meal, 1 non-alcoholic beverage and tax. The price will be $25 per person at the door, if there is still availability, which is why advance purchase is your friend. If you have any questions, please contact me at Garfeimao@TheOneRing.net.
What: Not a FOTR viewing party, and sadly no Golfimbul, but there will be some fun and games, such as Trivia, and maybe a little reading of “Is this a Kissing Book”.
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND — In what may be a first, I am sitting in the Weta Cave next to TORn co-founder Erica / Tehanu, and we can confirm absolutely that the rumor of a delay of the first Hobbit film until 2013 is complete, uh, shall we say, balderdash. It is interesting to imagine where the rumor came from but the source here is beyond question. While I hate to drive traffic to the start of the confusion, here it is just in case. In case it wasn’t clear, this is completely untrue. UPDATE: Dan Fellman, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures has also given a definitive statement on the matter as well:
“Contrary to inaccurate reports – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is being released on December 14, 2012.
It is pretty important while in Wellington for me to participate in what any visitor might and especially activities with a Lord of the Rings slant. The city is one of my favorites around the world, situated as it is on a bay of great natural beauty. I like the size because it feels pretty easy to get to know, but it has the advantages of a big city’s variety with excellent food and lots of travelers and plenty of full-time residents and all kinds of attractions.
