Headsup: Welly-moot #3.5 is tomorrow! (2:00pm at the Roxy on 26/10)

Just an advance warning for anyone interested in joining the NZ Tolkien group tomorrow. Our meeting will take place this Sunday 26th of October, at the Roxy Cinema, at 2:00pm.

The theme for the meeting is the next (and last!) Hobbit movie. What do we think will be in it, and what will the difference be between the last movie and the last part of the book.

Also - the second Hobbit movie has just been released in its Extended format - has anyone had a chance to see it yet? Come talk to us about it!


Come and speculate with us! Everyone is welcome, entry is free, and you will be a member for life after attending just one meeting!


  - Jack

Stansborough competition!

Last week I was speaking to the good folk of Stansborough Textiles, who made all the beautiful material for the Middle-earth movies (amongst other many things!). Welly-moot visited them last year, and we got to see the ancient looms making "actual" Elven fabric.

www.stansborough.co.nz

Cheryl from Stansborough showed me the new products which will be released for the final Hobbit movie (The Battle Of The Five Armies), notably a new set of fingerless Gandalf gloves - very nice!

Gandalf's gloves - same design, same wool, same sheep. Now also for mortals.

So, we talked for a while, and we thought it might be nice to get these in (on?) people's hands before Christmas 2014.

For an extra incentive, with every purchase you will go into the draw for one fullsized Hat of Gandalf the Grey (a value of nz$320). The Gandalf hat is fully licensed, and authentic down to the last detail, including the patches on top.

Alex the Grey

How do you get into the draw? You get one entry into the draw if you buy any of the following products:

• a set of Gandalf's new fingerless gloves (1x entry)
• the super-cute Gandalf Mini-Hat (1x entry)
• the magical Gandalf Scarf (2x entries!)

 

Buy any of these, and go into the draw to win the world's coolest hat!

To qualify, purchase them straight off their website before the end of November 30, 2014. In the order form "comments" field, make sure you type "Welly-moot".

All prices on the site are in New Zealand Dollars, and world-wide shipping is free, so that's all good!


NB - this draw is open to everyone, you do NOT have to belong to our group (yet). It won't hurt though, and we have a meeting on October 26th, if anyone's interested in joining. :)

Two weeks till Welly-moot #3.5 (October 26th)

The next Welly-moot will be held in two weeks, at the Roxy Cinema as usual. Originally we had hoped to be present at the opening of the new Archway in Rivendell, but it looks like that's still going to be some time away. More on that as I get more information.


The discussion for the meeting will be focussed on the third and last installment of The Hobbit - The Battle of the Five Armies. Specifically will predict the things that WILL be in the movie, things that MIGHT be in the movie, things that SHOULD be in the movie, and things that may hopefully MAKE it into the extended version.

This will be the very last Welly-moot meeting before a related Peter Jackson movie comes out, so I can't think of a better discussion! I'm guessing the followup of this could be the next meeting - what DIDN'T make it into the movie (December moot?) :)


So, everyone, please watch the two previous Hobbit movies one more time, read the last parts of The Hobbit book once more, and come to the meeting with a shopping list of how your version of the script would go.

Venue: The Roxy Cinema, upstairs by the windows

Time: 2:00pm

Date: October 26th, 2014

Report: Welly-moot #3.4 - All about Dain Ironfoot

Our meeting on August 31st was a very active one, and full of passion. In all, eight people turned up, and we all took active roles in the discussion; the history of Dain Ironfoot. In attendance were Alex and Jack, Cinnamon and Ash, Sinead and Luke, Miranda, and Wayne.

From left, clock-wise around the table: Cinnamon, Ash, Luke, Sinead, Jack, Wayne, Miranda. Missing (photographer): Alex.

As usual we started with Jack opening the meeting, and some general updates. First, some news about the Rivendell Archway in Kaitoke Park showing the recent photos. It looks quite beautiful and is nearing completion. The official opening is planned to be on October 11th, which is also the 15th anniversary of Day 1 of filming of LOTR. Hopefully Welly-moot will be invited.

The current hot topic is Peter Jackson's new Biggest Hobbit Fan Contest, and some of the Welly-mooters have applied already. Of course, of any of us win, we won't need to be flown to Wellington!


Cinnamon showed off a new keyring with the key of Erebor. It looked pretty cool. We talked about collections and different kinds of "collectors". Some display everything on shelves (like Jack), while others don’t open their items but keep them in the original boxes and just keep them for their own happiness (like Ash). Some do both.


The main activity was Dain Ironfoot aka Dain II. Most of us did some homework and we had active discussion about this mysterious Dwarf Warrior.  Cinnamon brought her reference book The Complete Guide To Middle-earth (by Robert Foster), and read the section on Dain II. This set up some general information about him, and we started bringing any additional background.

Jack brought a couple of Tolkien books as well - The Return of the King, The Hobbit, and The Unfinished Tales - and also added a family tree taken from the excellent LOTR Project site by Emil Johansson. If you haven't checked out this site, you're missing out. Our gratitude to Emil for creating this amazing reference site!

Dwarves, dwarves everywhere (click for larger version). Source: www.lotrproject.com

An unexpected controversy, and a highlight discussion of the afternoon was "What are the Five Armies?". Obviously, the first four are Human, Elves, Dwarves, and Goblins, but what of the fifth???? Wargs?  Sinead and Miranda suggested that it might be Eagles. It is possible. Cinnamon checked her book and it says the fifth one is Eagles. However some of us were not totally convinced. Maybe Orcs? Jack checked The Hobbit, and found that Goblins and Orcs are same kind of creature.

"[...] Orc is not an English word. It occurs in one or two places but is usually translated goblin (or hobgoblin for the larger kind) [...]" - The Hobbit (prologue), JRR Tolkien

Alex suggested that maybe it was Beorn. Did he came with some other bears? Wayne checked his beautiful two-part Hobbit book and found the Beorn’s entrance at the battle, “In that last hour Beorn himself had appeared – no one knew how or from where. He came alone.”

Jack & Alex. Alex is winning the argument.

The Hobbit book is quite clear about the fifth army - it's the Wargs. However, given the lack of importance given to the Wargs in the movie (other than beasts of burden), we must wait to find out Peter Jackson’s decision about the fifth army in the next movie.


The discussion moved on to the actor who will play Dain, Billy Connery. Ash used his iPad, and read out an interview with Connoly. Apparently Billy has never read the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings and he thinks people who read them are weird. :)

Here is a Yoube link to a similar interview from him. Be warned - it goes slightly NSFW after a while, but given that it's Billy Connoly, that's not too surprising.


After wrapping up the discussion, we moved on to some other business. Jack has been working in the background about a new feature for the Welly-moot, an email-list. We agreed that a mailing list will be useful and easy to receive timely notification of updates on the Welly-moot website. When the work is completed, Jack will send a single email to all past and present Welly-mooters - please REPLY to that if you want to be on the Welly-moot mailing list. New Zealand has very strict anti-spam laws (gladly!), so we have to have an opt-in list rather than an opt-out one.

The Hobbit 3 is coming in three months, so we are expecting more information about any events in Wellington, and we are trying to organise a Hobbit movie marathon at Roxy in December. We will keep everyone informed on this website if there is any update.

Next Welly-moot 3.5 meeting is October. We are thinking of having it at the Rivendell site in the Kaitoke forest. The area has been updated with some new poles, paved paths, new signs, and of course the new Archway. Let’s explore Rivendell!


Also Jack will take a Hobbit location tour of Trollshaw's Forest in Piopio (near Waitomo), as well as the new night tour at Matamata's Hobbiton including dinner at Green Dragon. He will report them with photos at next meeting in October!

Till then!

Heads-up: August 31 is Welly-moot day!

On the last day this month we will be meeting again at the Roxy Cinema for Welly-moot #3.4. Since the last of Peter Jackson's Hobbit movies isn't far away, this is a great oppportunity to discuss one of the lesser known characters from it - Dain Ironfoot, or Dain II.

The Dwarves arrive at the Battle of Dale, (clipped from the new Trailer, (c) 2014 NLP)

Dain, son of Nain, son of Gror, lord of the Dwarves of the Iron Hills, and eventually King under the Mountain and King of Durin's Folk. He shared his great-grandfather Dain I with Thorin Oakenshield (aka Thorin II), and his son was named Thorin III. Another title - Dain, Slayer of Azog. Legend has it his last name "Ironfoot" refers to his iron boot holding down Azog's neck as he hewed the Orc's head off.
 
Who was he, what were some of his amazing achievements, and how is his character changed in the movie versions? Dain II will be played by Billy Connoly, who as far as I can tell is anything but dwarf-like, and yet so perfect for the role! I can't wait to see how he will look!

I think we can easily fill an afternoon with that, plus coffee.

So, come and join us for a Dwarven filled meeting, and if anyone's got any Dwarven artifacts to show off, please bring them - I may bring a couple of axes!

The time and place:

Sunday, August 31st, 2:00pm

downstair at the Roxy Cinema (Miramar)

As always - free to attend, but bring coffee-and-cake money. Note, attendance will make you a member of Welly-moot for life). See you there!

News: Hobbit 3 BOTFA Contest starts August 25

Halfway through the mad busy time of finishing the last Hobbit movie, Peter Jackson takes out to go to San Diego Comic-Con. Halfway through the insanely busy time at Comic-Con, he takes time out to announce a fan contest, to bring "the ultimate fan" to Wellington, to watch the third movie "[...] with me, at the first official screening of The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, right here in Wellington".

What are we to make of this? Is Wellington getting the Red Carpet World Premiere after all? Possibly; possibly not. It does mean, however, that SOMETHING will be happening here, as we had expected. Very exciting!

As for the contest - obviously, we're already IN Wellington, so I probably won't be entering it, hehe. If you're a past member of Welly-moot, and have left NZ's shores, this might be an awesome way to return!

The contest starts on August 15th, and we don't know what it will entail yet. Keep watching Facebook/YouTube, etc.

In the meantime, enjoy this fantastic poster, from The Hobbit blog:

Report: Welly-moot #3.3, a quiet but fun meeting

Today's meeting was a relatively small but fun get-together. Everyone brought their own experiences in Middle-earth and we shared our stories.

Jack opened the meeting of eight people; Jack, Alex, Franziska, Martin, Annabel, Wayne, and Ash & Cinnamon. We took turns giving updates about current Hobbit related events; everything from Hobbit 3's first viewing date, to the planned expansion of Wellington's airport runway.

Jack, and a rare photo of Alex, who usually takes the photos (thanks Annabel for sneaking this one in!)

Martin brought a copy of The Hobbit 2 Official Movie Guide (by Brian Sibley), and shared his Laketown experience as an extra. He does end up appearing in the movie, so that was all worth it.

Martyn (right) shows his scenes in the movie to Franziska (left) & Cinnamon (centre)

Ash brought his Sting replica, which is a beautifully made United Cutlery weapon. Compare with many unofficial replicas, it is so well made; beautifully decorated and gorgeous Elven patterns, and the real leather sheath still smells fresh.

Martyn, and Ash with Sting

Cinnamon shared her photos with the actors and crew from the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. It seems she's managed to meet quite a few of them, including John Rhys-Davies.

The highlight of the day was Franziska’s presentation. She brought her laptop and had prepared a slideshow of her experiences in New Zealand's Middle-earth. She has been to many Lord of the Rings and Hobbit filming locations in NZ, and has met many people who have been involved these movies. You can find her wonderful experiences on her blog, Hebin thîr lîn mi nguren, as well as (a lot!) of fan-art about Middle-earth's elves.

Franziska has had a great year in New Zealand

Sadly, Franziska is leaving NZ and will return to Germany soon. Franziska, from everyone at the Welly-moot, thank you for bringing your enthusiasm and passion. We will miss you…at least until you return, which I'm sure will happen at some stage!

Franziska also baked some Lembas for the group. None left, sorry.

We had some discussions about what activities we can do or join for the release of the last Hobbit movie this December. There are some possibilities, however none of them are certain yet. We will keep everyone informed of any updates on this website.

After the meeting, we paid a visit to the Weta Cave. Some of members have not been there for a while and as it was the 60th anniversary of the release of LOTR, they had some great specials on some of their books. We had a quick chat with the staff and a number of Lord of the Rings tour guides who were just at the shop, and we took a photo with Franziska, and Tom the Trolls.

Wayme, Cinnamon, Ash, Jack, Alex, and Franziska, with Tom the Troll outside the Weta Cave

Till next meeting!