{"id":71832,"date":"2013-05-22T17:25:20","date_gmt":"2013-05-22T22:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/?p=71832"},"modified":"2013-05-22T17:48:07","modified_gmt":"2013-05-22T22:48:07","slug":"hobbit-tours-build-on-a-decade-of-successful-adventure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/2013\/05\/22\/71832-hobbit-tours-build-on-a-decade-of-successful-adventure\/","title":{"rendered":"Hobbit tours build on a decade of successful adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Red<\/a>
Red Carpet’s Premiere Tour group dressed up for their Hobbiton visit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Red Carpet<\/a> is steadily adding new locations into its tours in the light of the new Hobbit movie, says director Vic James.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re pretty excited because since the Unexpected Journey came out, we\u2019ve been able to add new sites and new people,\u201d James says. \u201cWe visit\u00a0landowners and check out new locations on a regular basis,\u00a0as information and invitations come to hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Premiere Tour last November was the first to visit some of the new places and when the time is right for further landowners to allow visits, we will add them in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The north island leg of the tour includes, as before, Hobbiton and the central volcanic plateau that served as Mt Doom. A new feature are some rapids where the dwarves\u2019 more hair-raising barrel-riding scenes were filmed.<\/p>\n

The \u2018top\u2019 of the South Island\u00a0is a beautiful addition to the tour, James says.\u00a0 Nelson,\u00a0with its sunny bay ringed by mountains,\u00a0 is reached by a ferry cruise through the beautiful fjords of Marlborough Sounds. There\u2019s a stop along the way at Pelorus Bridge, scene of Bilbo and the dwarves\u2019 barrel-riding adventures.<\/p>\n

Red Carpet\u2019s LOTR tours always include visits to extras, artisans, actors and crew members for the films. Halfdan Hansen, son of the real-life Ringmaker for LOTR, has\u00a0 his studio in Nelson and has created a new version of the Ring, invisibly weighted with some denser metal so that it lies strangely heavy on the palm of the hand.<\/p>\n

In Nelson there is also the option to take a two-and-a-half hour helicopter flight to Dimrill Dale and South of Rivendell.\u00a0 The flights have been a huge success with tour guests.<\/p>\n

\"Olympus<\/a>
Olympus Rocks – a place to hide from the spies of Saruman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To accommodate the extra locations, tours are now 14 days duration. People can also choose to join the North Island 6 day or the South Island 10 day options. \u201cIt\u2019s a long way to come to not see it all,\u201d James says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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