Lake Manapouri: LoTR Photo Shoot

Day 12: Morning Plunge, Photo Session, LoTR Dress Up/Photo Session, Bird tour, Wine Tasting, Holiday Home detour (Wanaka Hostel Issue), Hot Tub Party

The photography sessions did not end that morning, however. After the group walked through a quick trip at a local bird sanctuary, Reese took us to some random beach without telling us much about what was going on. We all piled out of the bus to walk along the random beach confused as to what exactly was going on. THEN, OUT OF NOWHERE, Reese starts pulling costumes, fake beards/wigs, and SWORDS out of the bus. It's safe to say everyone was excited. For the next hour we all took turns taking photos, playing out fight scenes, and enjoying a chance to nerd out over being in New Zealand and getting to dress up in LoTR outfits! Again, I think the photos tell the whole story.

The photography session was followed with a long bus ride up the country passing various LoTR filming locations as Reese would give us fun facts about the country and the locations. Unfortunately, it was difficult to see a lot of the locations from the road/bus, but it was still fun to imagine the movies playing out right in front of us.Read more