Three movies filmed at the same time then edited and released over the space of three years, This was an amazing achievement for New Zealand. Even more so was the exposure it gave our country. Many people saw scenes of New Zealand for the first time. Many saw how beautiful the country was and decided to see it for themselves. A sub-tourism industry has grown up around has grown up around locations where the filming took place. Of course, everyone immediately thinks of Hobbiton near Matamata but there are many other locations around New Zealand as well. These stamps only show four of them which hardly does justice to the subject.
The Ford of Bruinen - 45c. Slippers Canyon (near Queenstown) - 45.
The Ford of Rivendell was located where the Great East Road crossed the River Bruinen (Sindarin Loudwater). Under the power of Elrond, it could be raised at will to stop any unwanted visitors and provided a last bastion of defence into the Hidden Valley. Knowing she can no longer run, Arwen turns to face those who follow her, using the magic of her father to create the flood that swept the nine Nazgul away, allowing Frodo and his friends to safely enter Rivendell. Lord of the Rings - Location Guide, pg115.
The location of this ford is only a few minutes walk upstream from the centre of Arrowtown, on the Arrow River in the Skippers Canyon. During filming the river did in fact flood, washing away one of the filming sets. The historic gold-mining village of Arrowtown was once the centre of one of the most prolific local Otago goldfields but is now a popular visitor and tourist destination. The filming here has only added to the area's attraction.
South of Rivendell - 90c. Mount Olympus (Kahurangi National Park) - 90c.
As members of the Fellowship cooked a meagre meal under the shelter of the rocks, Merry and Pippin practised swordsmanship with Boromir. The keen eyes of Legolas spotted the approaching crebain and as the fire is hurriedly extinguished the Fellowship take cover to avoid detection. Lord of the Rings - Location Guide, pg82.
Mt Olympus is appropriately named. The rocky outcrops sprout from the side of the mountain as if the gods themselves cast them there in some form of a demented game. Over time, water has eroded away the softer rock to reveal a harder rock, formed, twisted and cracked into unbelievable columnar shapes. This spectacular location was the backdrop for that memorable scene described above, a bit of humour suddenly returning to the danger of their quest.
Mt Olympus is appropriately named. The rocky outcrops sprout from the side of the mountain as if the gods themselves cast them there in some form of a demented game. Over time, water has eroded away the softer rock to reveal a harder rock, formed, twisted and cracked into unbelievable columnar shapes. This spectacular location was the backdrop for that memorable scene described above, a bit of humour suddenly returning to the danger of their quest.
Edoras - $1.50. Mt Sunday (Southern Alps) - $1.50.
Edoras (the Courts) was the capital of Rohan and comprised a number of dwellings encircling a central hill housing the King's hall, Meduseld. The roof and pillars of Meduseld were covered with pure gold, so it was also known as the Golden Hall of Edoras. Completed in 2569 (TA), it lay at the feet of the White Mountains near the River Snowbourn. Lord of the Rings - Location Guide, pg93.
Deep in the Southern Alps, the Rangitata River is formed by the merging of many snow-fed tributaries pouring down from the mountain sides. They meet and have formed a large shingle basin virtually surrounded by mountains. Long ago, ancient glaciers carved this landscape, leaving rocky outcrops that appear to sprout out of the surrounding tussock covered shingle. Mt Sunday is one of these.
It is a wild and lonely place, the home of hardy merino sheep run by the 2700 ha Mt Potts Sheep Station. This was the location chosen for Edoras and Meduseld, King Théoden's Hall, in Tolkien's realm of Rohan, the land of fabled horses and valiant warriors.
Emyn Mull - $2.00. Tongariro National Park - $2.00.
Frodo and Sam were trying to find their way through the desolate wasteland of Emyn Muil and down on to the plain of Dagorlad, then on to the Black Gates of Mordor. When they came across a spot they had been in before they realised they were hopelessly lost among the rocky outcrops, just going in circles. It is here they discover and capture Gollum who agrees to be their guide.
Lord of the Rings - Location Guide, pg42.
Lord of the Rings - Location Guide, pg42.
The Tongariro National Park is New Zealand's first national park. The park was created in 1887 when the three volcanoes, Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, were gifted to the people of New Zealand by Ngati Tuwharetoa, the local iwi. The Whakapapa Ski Field, on the northern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, is covered with a thick coating of snow during winter but in other seasons is transformed into an area of rugged volcanic rock. It was this area that was chosen for a number of scenes from the movies, including the one with Frodo and Sam above.
Miniature Sheet & First Day Cover - 7 July 2004.
The eight stamps were also featured on a miniature sheet (above) and the usual First Day Cover (below).
The Adhesive Stamps.
Four stamps from this issue were also produced as self-adhesive stamps for booklets. Above is the booklet cover, show the four remaining members of the Fellowship arriving at Edoras. They are Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gandalf (Ian McKellen). Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), is on the horse behind Legolas but only his helmet can be seen.
Booklet First Day Cover.
The four adhesive stamps are shown in detail below and how they were laid out in the booklet above.
The adhesive First Day Cover.
Technical information.
Date of Issue:
| 7 July 2004 |
|---|---|
Designer:
| Comm Arts Design, Wellington, New Zealand |
Printer:
| Gummed - Southern Colour Print, Dunedin; Self-adhesive - SNP Sprint, Australia |
Stamp Size:
| Gummed - 40mm x 30mm, Self-adhesive - 25mm x 30mm |
Sheet Size:
| Gummed - 50, Self-adhesive - 100 and 50 |
| Paper Type: | Gummed - Tullis Russell 104gsm Red Phosphor, Self-adhesive dispensers and coils - COI C90, self-adhesive paper, sheets and booklets - CPI paper C100 self-adhesive paper |
Perforation:
| 14 and die cut |
Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
You can visit their website and On-line Catalogue at, http://stampsnz.com/
Finally you have completed the collection by doing a post on this issue.
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