The week the Hobbits came to town

My love for all things Lord of the Rings (well...the movies, anyway) is what first brought me to NZ way back in 2004, so it's fair to say that those movies changed my life. 

So you can imagine how chuffed I was to find myself, by pure cooincidence, staying in the same village where filming for The Hobbit was going on.

For the past five days I've been a giddy little girl, unashamedly asking people to take my photo with them and chatting up whomever I can, so long as they're somehow linked to the movie.

At first, I only encoutered crew members (drivers, caterers, etc.), all of whom received these hoodies a few days prior:

That dude in the background owns this hoodie.  He goodnaturedly offered to let me wear it for a photo. 

I'm such a geek.

 A few days later, I came across some of the lesser-known actors such as Richard Armitage, Graham McTavish, and Stephen Hunter.

But, finally, on Monday this happened:



Martin Freeman! He plays Bilbo.  You might also know him from The Office, Hitchhiker`s Guide to the Galaxy and Love Actually.
(Stupid blogging site!  Why have you made vertical pictures unusable?)



And the main event:



Yup.  That's me with Sir Ian Freaking McKellan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gandalf/Magneto himself.
He was lovely.  Friendly, funny, gracious and all round awesome.  Defnitely not the diva he has every right to be.

How amazing is that????? I was shaking when I first talked to him, but he was obviously used to it and took it all in stride.  I'm sure I came off as a ditzy chick. Oh well. 

Sadly, they've wrapped up their filming here, and they've left me bereft. 

Published in NZ!

As you may know, I have a degree in journalism and spent quite a few years working as a writer/communicator.  The last year and half, however, basically the only writing I've done has been for this blog. 

I've been wanting to get back into writing, so a few weeks ago I wrote an article for the local newspaper, The Wanaka Sun.

I had met Ellen Delis by chance back in August while I was hitchhiking up to Treble Cone (tons of people do it here).  She kindly offered me a ride and during the half-hour trip up to the mountain, she told me about the trip she and her husband Andy are going to take this coming May. I thought it was really interesting, and decided to contact the Sun about it.

The results are below:

Kiwis may not fly, but a Wanaka couple is proving that they sure can ride.

This coming May, Andi and Ellen Delis will pack a few belongings, strap on helmets and embark on the journey of a lifetime. 

Over the course of 18 months, the pair will ride motorcycles from Prudhoe Bay in northern Alaska to Ushuaia in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego region. The journey will bring them through more than 25,000 km, three continents, some 15 countries, and countless adventures. 

“There will be some character-building moments,” says Ellen.  “Definitely.”

A long-haul trip has long been an ambition of motorcycle enthusiast Andi’s – he’s the president of the Wanaka Motorcycle Club – but as Ellen was a reluctant rider, it seemed unlikely he’d get to live his dream.

That all changed a few months ago when, to Andi’s great surprise, Ellen decided to get her full motorcycle licence.  Her test is scheduled for November 1^st.

“What was my dream has now become our dream,” says Andi.

To help offset costs, they’ll camp most of the way, and Beijing-born Ellen has been in contact with Chinese-language magazines about writing of their adventures.

They’ve also secured sponsorship from companies including Sargent Seats and Icebreaker, and hope to attract more leading up to their trip.

Their exploits and preparation are being documented on their blog at www.twomotokiwis.com, and they will continue to update it during their travels.

“We’ve never had a blog before.  We started and it’s really quite fun,” says Ellen. “We’re meeting new people. It’s opening a whole new world for us.  It’s already fantastic, and we haven’t even started [travelling] yet.”

As with any travels, there are some concerns, but not the ones you’d expect.

“To be honest, I’m afraid I won’t want to come home,” says Andi, with a laugh.

http://www.issuu.com/thewanakasun/docs/wanaka_sun_527 (go to page 5)

Follow Ellen and And's adventures at http://www.twomotokiwis.com/

What to bring on a two-week trip to New Zealand in the spring (mom and Chris, this is for you!)

So you're coming to New Zealand in October!  Great choice of destination.  It's fantastic here this time of year (well, any time of year, really).  But what to pack? 
Well, it's going to be pretty warm, but likely rainy, so that's something to take into consideration.  I guess it also depends on how you're getting around.  For the sake of argument (and the fact that this is mainly directed at mom and uncle Chris) let's say you'll be travelling by car, so weight of your bag is not an issue.
Beyond the obvious (undies, socks, shirts, tooth brush) which I assume you can figure out for yourselves, here are some of my recommendations of items to bring.

• Rain is always a possibility in New Zealand, especially on the West Coast.  Bring a rain jacket.  I wouldn't bother with an embrella -- they're heavy and the wind that often accompanies said rain just destroys them (I speak from experience)
• It'll be fairly warm during the day (mid- to high-teens), so you'll likely want some summery clothes: capris, shorts, skirts, that kind of thing. 
• At night it tends to cool down, even in summer (much of the heat here is due to direct sunlight -- when the sun goes, so does the heat). So be sure to also pack long pants, at least one sweater and/or a light jacket.
• About that sun -- it's no triffling thing here.  The hole in the ozone layer is pretty much directly overhead and it's extremely easy to burn here.  You'll want sunscreen and a hat with a brim (and I'd bring the sunscreen rather than buying it here -- it costs an arm and a leg compared to in Canada).
• With all the stunning scenery you'll be enjoying,  a camera is definitely a must.
• For you bird watchers, binoculars might be appreaciated.
• Comfortable shoes are always a good idea no matter where you are, especially somewhere with such amazing walking tracks.
• If you're bringing electronics, obviously you'll want to have a converter for the plugs.  The outlets here look like this:

Yet another attempt at sliding down a hill

I have completed the alpine trifecta today by trying telemark skiing for the first time. 

Don't know what telemark is?  I'm not surprised.  It's hardly mainstream. 

If you're old enough to remember the Lillehammer Olympics back in 1994, you would have seen skiers telemark down a hill as part of the opening ceremonies. That's when I first saw it.

Basically, telemark skis look like a hybrid of downhill and cross country skis -- The base is the same, but the bindings don't attach in the back, so your heel lifts up as on a cross country ski.  To turn, you bend the knee of the leg in the direction you wish to go and do a bit of a lunge.

Here's a video!

I actually went to dinner last night and the Biff guy from this video was there.  Too funny

Working on the ski hill I've seen a few telemarkers in person, but had never planned on trying it. 

Anyway, Dave has a bunch of extra telemark skis and boots for some strange reason, and with not much to do today, he basically forced me to try.  It was fun, but I wasn't really doing it properly.  Oh well. At least I tried.

Farewell to an awesome dog

Anyone who’s ever owned a pet knows the pure happiness and simple joy an animal who to call your own brings. 

Despite the smelliness of their fur and their breath and their digestive system, despite the pain-in-the-ass walks in the rain and poop-and-scooping, despite the cost and the hassle of having them around, you love them.

Unfortunately, almost everyone who’s owned a pet also knows the pain and heartache of losing them.

Let me tell you about an awesome dog named Chevy that left us far too early.

Chevy was a big, friendly husky with those big, expressive husky-blue eyes, the gentlest of personalities, and a dopey look about him thanks to some floppy ears that aren’t typical of his breed (an ear infection somehow damaged them when he was young).

Droopy ears on an awesome dog.

Chevy’s exact origins are somewhat unclear to me.  All I know is that he came into my life a few years ago courtesy of my stepfather, Roger who acquired him when he bought a house (when he wasn’t yet my stepfather, but already an unofficial member of the Robitaille clan) off a couple moving overseas. 

I understand that poor Chevy was tied up much of the time in his early years, pre-us, which is devastating for a dog, especially a husky who’s wired to run, run, run! For the love of all things good and holy RUN!

Even sadder is that one day while he was tied up, another dog came and attacked him, and he was unable to run away.  That encounter left him with some big scars – some visible, some not.  He was often nervous around other dogs.

When Roger moved into a pet-unfriendly condo a few years later, my brother Paul was quick to offer to take Chevy in as a boarder at my mom’s place (she, not much of an animal person, eventually agreed).

How could she turn this face away?

We’re so glad he did. 

Chevy quickly became an integral part of the family, and it’s safe to say he loved being at our place as much as we loved having him there.  He was happiest when he was around people (especially people with treats) and there were often a lot of people at our house to be around.  We rarely had to tie him up – he wasn’t one to run away.  He just loved hanging around our place. 

See? That's one happy puppy.

In the summer all that husky fur made for an uncomfortable and slow-moving dog.  His usual hot, summer day would consist of sleeping in the driveway in one spot for an hour or so at a time, getting up, moving about three metres, then flopping back down again for another hour’s snooze. My brother Johnny once joked that we should set up a bingo-style grid and place bets on where he’d flop next. 

Last summer when Johnny and I were staying at my mom’s, we woke up one morning to find a few porcupine quills stuck in Chevy’s nose.  I’m convinced that he didn’t try to attack the other animal, he just saw a prickly shape moving around and thought “yay! Someone to play with!  Hello friend! What do you smell like?” 

Ouch.  A costly (but worthwhile) trip to the vet later, we had a de-quilled and be-drugged Chevy on our hands.  It was so cute and sad to see him looking so dopey and bewildered and oh-so-sleepy.  He fell asleep in the vet’s office with his head on my foot, his drool soaking my shoe.  Awwwww. Chevy.

Doped-up Chevy.  See hoe his upper lip is caught on his paw?  Priceless.  After a few hours in this position I had to physically roll him over by grabbing his feet.  He had bits of gravel stuck to his lip. Poor pathetic Chevy. 

While the Robitaille’s loved Chevy tons, there’s one person who I think loved him most of all: my uncle Chris.

I can’t prove it, but I’m fairly certain that Chris’ visits to mom’s house increased exponentially once Chevy was around. 



Look at the love.

For Christmas last year I bought Chris a set of those glass coasters you slide a photo into to personalize them and set a photo of Chevy in each one.  He allegedly keeps a photo of Chevy on his fridge too.

I haven’t seen Chevy since I left Canada in January, but every time I talked to anyone at home via Skype, I’d be sure to ask to see the dog.  Except last time. I was so caught up in my own stupid dramas and stresses that I forgot to say hi to him – and do I ever regret it.

A few weeks ago I got an email from my mom with the title “A very lucky dog”.  She went on to explain that Chevy had very uncharacteristically wandered onto the road in front of our house where there’s an unfortunate blind spot, and was struck by a car.  They’d taken him to the vet with a bloody nose, but there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with him, so he was sent home with a few pain killers.  We all breathed a sigh of relief.

Yesterday though, I got another email.  This one was simply titled “Chevy” and it contained much worse news.  It seems that he hadn’t been himself since the accident. “Like a zombie, a body without a spirit”, as mom put it, and eventually, he couldn’t even stand up.  They had to put him down.

It’s been devastating.  I’ve been crying buckets and I understand that most of the family has been doing the same.  I’ve lost dogs before, but I think it’s harder for me cause I’m so far away, and when I left him he was so happy and healthy and now I’ll never see him again.

Bye buddy.  I miss you so much.

I miss your big bark and your happy growls.

I miss your prancy "foods-a-comin'!" dance.

I miss your insatiable hunger for treats.

I miss your canine smile and your barky greeting.

I miss your late night howling at cows and your all-day naps.

I miss your doggy stench and your doggy breath

I miss you.

If you’ve got a dog around, give ‘em a big hug and a pat and a cuddle and treat for me.  You never know when it’ll be their last.

Treats

Chevy's other biggest fan, Johnny.

One of the last times I pet him : (

Things I'll miss about New Zealand, Volume 4

17- Walking around barefoot: especially now that the weather is warming up and people are starting to do it around town.
18- Slices: One thing kiwis don't eat much (at least not as much as we Tim Horton's-dependant Canadians) is donuts.  They prefer their baked goods sans hole and pressed into a pan in the form of slices.  Basically, these generally consist of a biscuit base with either one or two layers of sugary topping.  In North America, I guess these would be our "squares" or "bars".  It's not that they're revolutionary over here, it's just that they're ubiquitous. Enter any bakery, café, or even petrol station and you'll find a slice or five just waiting to be eaten. I've even forayed into slice-making myself, trying my hand at (and succeeding quite well, I must say) making a nice ginger slice and an even better chocolate caramel one.  My next venture is likely to be a mocha concoction.  Stay tuned.

19-The flowery trees: Again, with spring here, it's especially difficult to think of leaving.  The buds are out, the willows down at the waterfront are already "en feuille" as we say in French, and a remarkable amount of trees are in bloom.  I remember being impressed in 2009 when I arrived to see how many trees here boast flowers.  I'm still impressed today.

Here's one now!

20-The rugby: rugby is awesome.  Canada should watch and play more of it.  It's as exciting and even more physical than hockey, and the dudes are tough.  And hot.  Here, rugby is undeniably, and rightly, king.

Snowboarding and other random pictures

I am happy to report that after being employed at a ski field for the better part of three months, dating a ski instructor for the same amount of time, and taking two lessons, I have reached one of my goals for the year.  I can finally say I'm comfortable skiing down some of the blue runs at Treble Cone (which would be considered black runs anywhere else. That mountain be STEEP).


Woohoo!


And, as of Tuesday, I acheived another goal -- I tried snowboarding.


Dave very kindly took time out of his work day up at the Cardrona ski resort where he works to show me how to board.  We went there cause it's a much easier mountain on which to learn anything thanks to its mercifully flat beginners' area and actual green runs (as mentioned above blue runs at Treble Cone = black elsewhere.  Same goes for the green run.  Green at TC = blue anywhere else).


It was a lot of fun, despite the multiple painful and embarassing spills and the inevitable mocking from my oh-so-helpful instructor (anyone who's ever tried to learn a new skill or teach a new skill to a romantic partner knows what I'm talking about). By late afternoon I managed to make it down the oh-so-flat slope once or twice without falling!  Go me!  Dave had to (begrudgingly) admit that I "turned out to be pretty average" after all.  Yay!  Mediocrity!


Though I am devastatingly without a camera at the moment, luckily Dave has one and has been very generous about my borowing it.  So, I have pictures!


Heading up the "magic carpet" (basically like an escalator in the snow).

After one of my many spills.



Still smiling though.  I'm a trouper.

We have motion! Look up Nadine.  Look up! 


I'm planning on taking another lesson on Monday or Tuesday up at Treble Cone, so hopefully I'll be able to actually make it down a run or two by then. 


In the meantime, I'm nursing sore muscles, limping, and groaning like an old lady.


Let's see, what else has been going on lately?


Dave and I went down to Invercargill again last week to watch a Rugby World Cup game between Scotland and Georgia.  It was fun, though expensive and the game itself was rather a snoozefest since not a single try (goal) was scored.  All the points were made thanks to penalty kicks.  Yawn.


Here are some photos.




Some sheep bedecked in the flags of the four nations that played games down in Invercargill.

A dude in a jaunty Scotish cap watches as the national anthems are sung before the match.

Heineken is sponsoring the RWC, so they're the only beer you can buy on the spot.  They come in these awful four packs, with environmentally unfriendly rings from which the beer is hard to extract (especially since they open the cans before selling them to you).  We ended up spending $72 on beer between the two of us.  That's for 12 beers.  Damn it.  As a result, I don't remember much of the second half of the match.

Unflattering shot of moi during the match.  Notice the be-mulleted man to my left (your right)?  He made a point of giving the finger to the TV camera every time it was pointed in his general direction.  Classy.  Also, it was raining, thus the hood.

Have I mentioned that Dave is also a volunteer fireman?  Pretty sweet eh?  Well two Saturdays ago there was an event to hand out plaques and stripes and pins and medals and such to various members of the Wanaka, Luggate and Hawea (three regions near here) fire brigade to recognize their years of service, and I got to go as Dave's date.


Not going to lie, the night was interminibly long what with the pomp and circumstance and the speaches and the awkward conversations.  It was like being at a high school graduation and a wedding where you know nobody all rolled into one.  On the plus side, I got to dress up and go somewhere with a man in uniform (awwwwww yeah!) and there was an open bar.  And you know I availed myself of that.




Me in a dress for the first time in months, and Dave in his fancy fireman suit for the first time ever.




Dave and some fellow brigaderes (not sure if that's a word, but I like it anyway) line up for some official welcome thing.  He's the fourth from the left.

 And I've had a few fun nights out with people from work.  Often I don't have a camera with me, but this particular night I did.


Me and the blondies: Jade, Jenny and Amber at Amber's house.



Amber and I looking as happy as we were (notice the glass).

 And Dave and I went to the old mining town of Arrowtown one day last week too.  He used to work at one of the resorts there and brought me on a little tour. It was quaint.



Me near the waterfall beside the Millbrook Resort.



Very likely the highlight of the week -- This is around where they filmed the Ford of Bruinen scenes in Fellowship of the Ring.  You know, the scene with the horses and the river.  I annoyed Dave with quotes from the movie for a good ten minutes after this ("Give us the halfling She Elf!"  "If you want him, come and claim him!").  Ahhhhh. Now that I look at it though, I think I should have gone another few hundred metres upriver.  Oh well.  Close enough.

And of course, in my jobless state, I've been spending a lot of time with a furry and barky creature.  He's taken to following me around wherever I go during the day on the off-chance that I might bring him for a walk (I do take him out once or twice a day).  Poor Scruff.




Scruffle Ruffle!  Happy to be out on a walk.



Speaking of Scruff, I really should bring him out.  He's been ever so patient all morning. Toodleloo!