Takaka Hill

We reluctantly left our wonderful guesthouse on Monday and began the winding drive back to Nelson. However, Lynn and Jay indulged us with an important stop along the way - a Lord of the Rings filming location. The scene is from The Fellowship of the Ring, when Aragorn leads the hobbits into the wilds after they meet at the inn at Bree ("No second breakfast? What about elevenses? Afternoon tea?"). After parking we eagerly tramped up a steep hill and through an uninviting forest path looking for the spot, all the while quietly wondering why it looked so different from what we pictured. After giving up and driving on we realized we were in the completely wrong spot. The real place was actually quite lovely, and we enjoyed some tea and pie on the spot where the film catering once stood.

Nearby, a hike through a forest brought us to Harwood's Hole, the deepest hole in the southern hemisphere and the 10th deepest in the world. We couldn't get a view all the way down without falling to our deaths, but our impressions of the size of it were impressive enough.

Our last couple of days in Nelson were spent hiding from the rain and preparing to leave. We did have a most excellent wine tasting experience at two local wineries with some gracious (and generous) German hosts. We were a little reluctant to leave; Nelson was a nice home away from home and we had a great time with Lynn and Jay.