What a great day that was. We truly feel that Rivendell's Elven Archway's 10th birthday has been celebrated in style!
Alex & I arrived a little earlier since we wanted to catch up with local park ranger Steve, who has been instrumental over the years in ensuring the preservation of the film site and in arranging the permissions for the archway to be built in the first place. He has recently also replaced the information boards placed on the filming location, and kept the old ones for us; they'll be looked after by Kathy from The One Room LOTR Fan Museum in Newton.
Steve and his team have been working very hard these last few years with various funded and volunteer groups, on a predator eradication program around the spectacular Kaitoke forest area - work which has been paying off in spades. We saw (and heard!) numerous Tui, Bellbirds, Fantails, and lots of other natives - and that's despite all the noise we undoubtedly made as the rowdy group of Tolkien fans traversed through the area.
The group started to arrive soon after our meeting with Steve, and amongst them Kathy and Pete as well with the museum's collection of costumes for all those who didn't have their own. Sasha also arrived, and with her were members of her stunt-troupe of Rohan Knights, decked out in full leather armour. They "convinced" me to don some as well, so in the photos I'm not in my usual gear from Kathy's collection, but in a slightly less comfortable and heavier collection of kilos of leather, with a full metal helmet.
When everyone was ready, we set out across river to for our walk on the Swingbridge Track. Officially it's an hour's walk, but in reality it's usually a bit less; 30-45 minutes tops. It tracks through a gorgeous part of New Zealand's temperate rain forest, with ancient rimu and rātā and koru and mosses everywhere, and the sounds of the river complemented by birdsong. Somehow it's even more special when everyone is wearing medieval styled costumes.
At the end of our walk, the picnic was spread out, on many blankets, and the food and drink was presented. What a feast! There was Emily's apple-cake, Richard's home-made mead, sandwiches of all descriptions, salads, fruits, meats, drinks - everything a weary group of travellers needs after a hard day's march (ok, after only a thirty minute walk, but it still counts!).
New friendships were made, old bonds reforged, and the fellowship whiled away the afternoon in the sun. The weather was 100% on our side - it was never too hot or too cold. When we first arrived, there was a moment's worry with a gentle drizzle, but it stopped minutes after we arrived, Then, when everyone was packed up and ready to drive away, it started to rain properly, so we got the utmost best window of sunshine for our day. When it's meant to be, it's meant to be!
One thing we completely forgot - we had a few small prizes to hand out for best costumes, and it utterly slipped our minds on the day. It would have been a difficult task in any case - a lot of efforts had obviously gone into everyone's looks, and special mentions of Sasha and especially Kathy for bring extras for those who didn't have their own! The group looked fabulous, and we had more than a few passers-by asking for permission to take photos of us during the picnic!
All in all, a very successful day, and one we all enjoyed immensely. We're already looking forward to the next event!
Special thanks go to Steve the Kaitoke Park Ranger for looking after the area all these years, to Ted Guise for building the archway ten years ago, to Kathy for bringing her collection of costumes once again, to Sasha for bring her collection and her re-enacters, to everyone who provided me with the photos to add to this post, and to everyone else for making the effort once again and coming out with all your enthusiasm and energy to make the day so special for all involved. It's you we do it for every time!
