Wacky Waitangi Day

Today was one of those days when you start off to go one place, and end up somewhere else!

Planning to visit another 'pinnacles' rock formation, where the Paths of the Dead (LOTR) were filmed, we took a road that goes up and over the 'saddle' (i.e. high point) of the local range of hills. This road proved to be the rival of the single-trackways we navigated at our peril in Scotland--extremely narrow, windy, and steep!

Along the way we suddenly saw the entrance to a garden I had seen written up in my Gardens to Visit book. It was supposed to be open on public holidays (today is Waitangi Day in NZ, celebrating the signing of the treaty that finally ended hostilities between the Maoris and the British), but...it wasn't.

Further along the road, we saw Staglands, an animal reserve. We drove in but...too many cars, too many kids...so off we went again. Next, we saw another of the listed gardens, and it WAS open but...a big sign stated that entering the grounds from the carpark was a commitment to paying the $12 entry fee (in other words, you couldn't peek first and then decide). This seemed a bit unwelcoming, and the garden was billed as mostly a spring rhododendron garden, so...off we went AGAIN.

By the time we exited the tortuous road, we realized that we'd never make it as far as the pinnacles today, so decided to head for Kaitoke Regional Park, just outside Upper Hutt above Wellington, where the set of Rivendell (home of Elrond and the elves/ LOTR) was filmed. But...we missed the turnoff. So far our day was not going so well...

Just up the road was a pretty cafe and garden where we planned to just turn around, but...we were sidetracked by the temptation of a 'flat white' (coffee).

Frank parked beside a really nice 1973 Jaguar XJ6 with a sign saying 'Jaguar spares' on the side, and in we went. We wanted an outside table so we could admire the gardens while drinking our coffee, but the tables were all full. A nice couple offered us their table, however, saying they were just leaving. Frank noticed the man's Classic Cars t-shirt and (rightly) assumed he was the Jag owner. Well, ten minutes' chat later, we were invited back to their place of business/residence after we did the park visit.

We made it back to Kaitoke and found the site where the mini-set of Rivendell was constructed. The sign is a bit funny because it dramatizes a shot filmed here that never actually made it into any version of the movie. Most of the background for this location was digitally rendered, so the real thing didn't really look too impressive, but then a very strange thing happened--after a few minutes, I suddenly developed pointy ears! There really must be strong elven magic in that area!! (OK, so really there was a tour going on and I smiled pretty and asked to borrow the elven ears for a photo, even though we weren't on the tour). Don't you think they make me look just like Liv Tyler? :)


Lord of the Rings pilgrimage over, we took a long river walk that wound through gorgeous subtropical forest, with HUGE kauri trees (these NZ natives rank right behind California's giant redwoods as the biggest tree species in the world), furry tree fern fronds, and succulent groundcovers. A genuinely magical experience, very lovely and refreshing.


Afterwards, we did go to Ray and Sue Andrews' Jaguar repair shop. Eight years ago, the Andrews sold their house, quit their jobs, and invested everything into fulfilling Ray's dream of working full-time on Jaguars, and racing them in NZ's annual rally. They live in a tiny flat behind the shop, Sue keeps the books, and Ray is like a grown-up kid in a candy shop. He and Frank spent a happy hour talking cars, while I chatted to Sue. Meeting them will be one of our favourite NZ memories. That's Ray's racing Jaguar below. Frank says he can see another Jag appearing in his future (but not a v12 this time, he says!).



So, you never know what you're going to find right in front of you!