Travel

Happy New Year

As 2010 dawns I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Happy New Year. May it bring you all that you wish and dream. I start the New Year with some of my favourite verse from my favourite poet, Sir John Betjeman. I think it fits nicely with the image below.

Verses Turned...

Across the wet November night
The church is bright with candlelight
And waiting Evensong.

A single bell with plaintive strokes

Pleads louder than the stirring oaks

The leafless lanes along.

It calls the choirboys from their tea
And villagers, the two or three,

Damp down the kitchen fire,

Let out the cat, and up the lane

Go paddling through the gentle rain

Of misty Oxfordshire.

How warm the many candles shine
Of Samuel Dowbiggin's design

For this interior neat,

These high box pews of Georgian days

Which screen us from the public gaze

When we make answer meet;

How gracefully their shadow falls
On bold pilasters down the walls

And on the pulpit high.

The chandeliers would twinkle gold

As pre-Tractarian sermons roll'd

Doctrinal, sound and dry.

From that west gallery no doubt
The viol and serpent tooted out

The Tallis tune to Ken,

And firmly at the end of prayers

The clerk below the pulpit stairs

Would thunder out "Amen."

But every wand'ring thought will cease
Before the noble altarpiece

With carven swags array'd,

For there in letters all may read

The Lord's Commandments, Prayer and Creed,

And decently display'd.

On country mornings sharp and clear
The penitent in faith draw near

And kneeling here below

Partake the heavenly banquet spread

Of sacramental Wine and Bread

And Jesus' presence know.

And must that plaintive bell in vain
Plead loud along the dripping lane?

And must the building fall?

Not while we love the church and live

And of our charity will give


Scarborough Fayre
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First Day of Summer

The first day of summer has arrived and I look with dismay that my last update was almost two months ago. Not good for any sort of blog and for this I must apologise. Work is increasing here at Hobbiton Movie Set and that is my only excuse.

I must admit I am also trying to finish my
Blurb book covering our trip to England last June and July and that is also running behind schedule.

My last two months have been gathering an image library of The Shire - some of which I have listed below. Media groups continue to visit on a weekly basis from around the world and it is just so wonderful to share the experiece of the set with them. By way of repetition a
link to some text which I wrote a few weeks ago for the folks at Weta for their newsletter. Apologies if you have read it already.

In the meantime some images of the area and my first attempt at a poster for us.

Hobbiton Poster

Sunset - The Shire

Horse & Foal at Waikato Stud

And one from England.

Tintagel

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Wings Over Wairarapa

This morning I fly to Wellington and catch the train up to Masterton. The next few days I will be “hanging out” with my great friends Phil Makanna, Trevor Graham and Jim Hickey.

Then the weekend will be spent commentating at the
Wings Over Wairarapa Airshow.

Really looking forward to the show. Some special aircraft will be flying, including three SE5A WWI fighters.

I believe this will be the first time three of these fabulous little aircraft have been seen in the air together since about 1925.

In the meantime, my photography has been a little sparse over the last few weeks but here is an image taken of sunset over Lake Taupo taken when we drove to Auckland last December.

Taupo Sunset (II)

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Link Catch-Up

As we approach Christmas I looked at the desktop of the Mac and found some links I had put aside to post on my bog. So, without further ado here they are!

I also would like to thank all visitors to my website for your support. Have a wonderful Christmas and all the best for 2009.

NZ On Screen
A fantastic resource to help you discover the best of New Zealand television and film.

UK Photo Guides
A great idea. Personal and intimate guides to locations through England and the best places to photograph them from.

The Hunt For Gollum
This film will be free to view on the internet next year. Has a nice look and feel to it.


THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM - FULL Trailer 1 from Chris Bouchard on Vimeo.

Born of Hope
This film is currently in production and is a 60 minute Lord of the Rings inspired film that will be released free to view on the internet.


Born of Hope - 2008 Teaser Trailer one from Born of Hope on Vimeo.

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Books, Travel & Radio

Have just had a wonderful eight days in the North Island promoting Ian Brodie’s New Zealand. Had the great pleasure of talking to some wonderful people at some great radio stations.

We travelled by camper-van from Christchurch to Auckland which allowed me to revisit our backbone - State Highway One. I well remember as a child the slow trips through the Mangaweka but now it is all passing lanes and speed. Makes travelling easier but I think I prefer the older scenic route.

Visited the
Weta Cave whilst in Wellington, a wonderful mixture of retail goodness and museum. You must visit if you are ever in our capital city.

So, my thanks to Kim Hill (National Radio), Wammo (Kiwi FM), Mikey Havoc (95 BFM), Suzy Cato (Big FM), Alice Worsley (Planet FM) and Bill Ralston (Radio Live) for your wonderful comments about by book.

The trip was a real holiday - the camera stayed in its case almost the whole time. The only chance to make a picture was at Lake Taupo (below).

Now we approach Christmas ...... phew!


Podcast (Interview with Kim Hill on National Radio)

Lake Taupo Sunset
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Ian Brodie's New Zealand

After many months of waiting I am thrilled to announce the release of Ian Brodie’s New Zealand. It is now available in all good bookstores in New Zealand or from Amazon in the UK.

I am so pleased with the book, and very proud to have a book that shows the diversity and uniqueness of our country.

Over the next few weeks I will be promoting the book via television and radio in many towns. One interview I am really looking forward to is with Kim Hill on National Radio. If you would like to listen please tune in at 11-00am on Saturday 06 December.



Ian Brodie's New Zealand
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Rievaulx Abbey

Rievaulx Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey, headed by the Abbot of Rievaulx, located in the small village of Rievaulx (pronounced 'Ree-voh'), near Helmsley in North Yorkshire, England.

When Rievaulx Abbey was founded in 1132 by twelve monks from Clairvaux Abbey as a mission centre for the colonisation of the north of England and Scotland, it was the first Cistercian abbey in the north. With time it became one of the great Cistercian abbeys of Yorkshire, second only to Fountains Abbey in fame.

Image processed with Photomatix Pro and Lightroom 2.




Rievaulx Abbey

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England Revisited

Since the release of Lightroom V2.0 and Photomatix Pro 3.0 I am starting to revisit a lot of the images I took in England in 2006. The combination of these two very powerful software tools allow you to realise a depth of image and colour balance that earlier versions just did not allow.

Both photos below were initially processed with
Photomatix as a single HDR image and then the colours were tweaked and balanced in Lightroom.

In
Photomatix I tend to subtly adjust the colour range as I am not out to create a full blown HDR rather just add some colour contrast. I find I use a number of presents within Lightroom - especially those produced by Matt Kloskowski and obtainable from his website.

Neither of these images have had any work done within Photoshop.

Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury

Hay
Hay near Pickering



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The Water Horse: Film Locations

The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep was released in the USA on Christmas Day 2007.

In this multi part Blog I will identify the locations used in Scotland and New Zealand and then follow up with a look at the similarities between the two countries both in mythology and culture.

As the synopsis explains, the film follows Angus, a young Scottish boy, who finds an enchanted egg. Taking it home, he soon finds himself face-to-face with an amazing creature: the mythical "water horse" of Scottish lore. Angus begins a journey of discovery, facing his greatest fears and risking his life to protect a secret that would give birth to a legend.

The film is based on the book by Dick King-Smith, an English author who also penned another well-loved book
Babe, The Gallant Pig. Babe was the basis of another very successful film (of the same name) which was released in 1995. Shot entirely in Australia, Babe had a number of connections with blockbusters made here in New Zealand. Hugo Weaving (Elrond in The Lord of the Rings) voiced Rex the Male Sheepdog, Andrew Lesnie (DoP The Lord of the Rings, King Kong) filmed and Roger Ford (Production Designer The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian) headed Production Design.

The Water Horse story takes place entirely in the Scottish Highlands, but the film adaptation had locations split between Scotland and the “Highlands” of the South Island of New Zealand.

The resultant location mix comes together seamlessly showing the scenery similarities of the two countries and also because of the fantastic work of Joe Letteri and his hard working team at Weta Digital in Wellington.

Locations use in The Water Horse were;

New Zealand
Mt Nicholas Station

1. Main Base Camp
2. Gun Emplacements
3. Military Encampment
3. Roads around the Loch
Note the departure point for boats travelling across to Mt Nicholas with cast and crew was Twelve Mile Delta which was a location in The Lord of the Rings (notably where Sam cooked the coneys).
Stone St Studios (Wellington)
1. Interior shots
2. Water shots
General
1. Coastal Scenery

Click on the TomTom button below to download the Queenstown locations to your TomTom GPS.

Add-To-TomTom

Scotland
Ardkinglas Estate
1. Killin Lodge
2. Military Encampment
Drumnadrochit
1. Loch Ness Visitor Centre

Click on the TomTom button below to download the Scottish locations to your TomTom GPS.
Add-To-TomTom


Tours are available in Scotland showcasing the locations there as well as (obviously) visiting Loch Ness. In New Zealand, Mt Nicholas Station is not able to be visited but as you drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy it is possible to look across the lake to the station.

Scottish Tours
Ardkinglas Estate
The Trail of the Water Horse
Family Travel Scotland
Dooley Vacations Water Horse Tour


The Water Horse Locations in Google Earth

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View of Lake Wakatipu from Mt Nicholas. (C) Ian Brodie All Rights Reserved.

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The Scottish Crofters hut built by Dan Hennah and his team at Mt Nicholas. (C) Ian Brodie All Rights Reserved.

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Gun Emplacement (Mt Nicholas). (C) Ian Brodie All Rights Reserved.

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Filming at Ardkinglas Estate

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The military encampment at Ardkinglas. (C) Ian Brodie All Rights Reserved.
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Lincoln Cathedral

Consecrated in 1092, Lincoln Cathedral is one of those “must see” places when travelling in England. I spent a night in Lincoln a few years ago and found myself drawn there in the evening, the next morning and then back again for a tour inside.

These two images were captured as single frames and then processed straight from RAW as single tone-mapped HDR. Saved as a Tif file they were then imported into Lightroom V2.0 for final processing.


Away from time, always outside of time!
Between east and west, between dawn and sunset,
The church lies like a seed in silence, dark before germination.

Silenced after death, containing birth and death potential with all the noise and transitation of life, the cathedral remains hushed, a great, involved seed whereof,
The flower would be radiant life inconceivable,
But whose beginning and whose end are the circle of silence.

Spanned round with the rainbow, the jeweled gloom folds music upon silence,
light upon darkness, fecundity upon death, as a seed folds leaf upon leaf
And silence upon the root and the flower,

Hushing up the secret of all between its parts,
The death out of which it fell, the life into which it has dropped,
The immortality it involves, and the death it will embrace again.
Here in the church, “before” and “after” are folded together.

DH Lawrence 'The Rainbow'


The Walk



Lincoln Cathedral

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No 10 Downing St Visit

The Prime Ministers Office has posted a You Tube video of our visit to No. 10 Downing St to promote the Spitfire.

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A Proud Tradition

A brief update. We return to New Zealand today but I just had to post these two images taken at the wonderful Kemble Air Day last Sunday.

One of the highlights of this trip has been commentating the amazing Typhoon which is now in service with the RAF. The aeroplane is special in itself but what makes it amazing is the display pilot this year. Flight Lieutenant Charlie Matthews is from Wanaka, New Zealand. This is cool as well but the really special thing is that Charlie is the nephew of my closest friend Tom Middleton.

Tom was sadly killed in a tragic accident in Wanaka. He would have been so proud of Charlie but as I commentated I could feel Tom standing beside me with one of his favourite quotes - this is fantastic matey.

What a magical moment to see Charlie carrying on the proud tradition of his family and aeroplanes and the proud tradition of New Zealanders flying with the RAF.

What a wonderful time it has been. More updates when I get back to NZ.

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The Best Beer in the World

There are a lot of things I really like about England. One of my real favourites though is the beer. None of this Fosters or other imports for me - give me real English ale. Yesterday we visited Hook Norton; a beautiful village in the Cotswolds that has the added advantage of having a real ale brewery. Hook Norton produce a number of different brews and it was a real treat to see where they are made. A fine old building steeped in history and a great little pub around the corner. What more could you ask for.


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No 10 Downing St

Today, the opportunity of a lifetime. To visit No. 10 Downing St and the Prime Minister. The feeling of walking through the doors was amazing, all the most powerful people in the world had walked through them. History inside breathes from the walls; Churchill, Thatcher, Blair. It was great to meet Prime Minister Brown but unfortunately no cameras allowed inside so will have to wait for the official photo from the Prime Minister's Office.



IMG_0048

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London in Summer

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London in summer is a fantastic escape from the winter chills of Wanaka. To recap, travelled across from Hong Kong to London with Air New Zealand on Monday. How do I start to describe this flight. We were so fortunate to be able to travel in Business Premier. I mentioned previously about the joys of Premium Economy but Business Premier is the only way to travel!

The 12hr 45min flight seemed to pass by in a blink. There is just so much room in these huge seats with multiple recline positions that it really does feel you are on a magic carpet. After take off the meal starts to be served and with such attentive service and expertly prepared and cooked food there is no way this feels like you are on an aeroplane.

Then it's time to watch one of the many hundred films available on your own personal screen before an English afternoon tea of sandwiches, scones and clotted cream.

The lie flat bed provides an easy afternoon nap before dinner is served and then in the twinkle of an eye our descent begins.

I should add that whilst all this is happening in the air, outside the window is a continuing geography lesson. China, Russia, Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands and then the North Sea glide by with easy pinpointing of landmarks provided by the on-screen navigation system.

The above does not even start to adequately explain what Business Premier is like. After this all other forms of travel will be a disappointment. Thanks, Air New Zealand for the flight of a lifetime.

Our arrival in London was typical of their summer I guess. Drizzle, low cloud base and mirk everywhere.

We had another day of this on Tuesday but spent the day quite easily exploring the shops of Oxford Street. I must admit, being a bit of a country boy the number of people were totally overwhelming. Yesterday was more my style. We awoke to clearing skies so decided to take a stroll in Hyde Park. Sun, flowers and coffee by the lake are much more my idea of a holiday. A visit to the New Zealand Memorial at Hyde Park Corner was a highlight. Placed gently beside one of the memorial stones was a tribute to a New Zealand fighter pilot.
Warrant Officer Burke from Matamata, killed in France flying a Typhoon and remembered in London. Truly from "The Uttermost Ends of the Earth".

We had a commentator meeting last night for the
Biggin Hill Air Show this weekend and what an eclectic mix - an American, an Englishman and a Kiwi. I can see we are going to have a lot of fun.

Today the sun shines again, time for a coffee al fresco I think.

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Land of Hope & Glory

Off to the UK again! I can't wait. This time we have decided to travel via Hong Kong. Never been here before and it has been an interesting diversion. Really a cross between Singapore and Bangkok. The Air New Zealand flight on Friday was excellent. Wonderful staff on board and the joy of traveIling Premium Economy. For not a lot more that normal economy you get a cabin of your own with much more room, the seats recline a LOT more and you get great food. Highly recommended!

We arrived yesterday morning in Hong Kong and spent the normal first day walking zombie-like around as the jet lag clicked in. Today much better and the opportunity to actually photograph something.

Tomorrow morning on to Heathrow. This trip is a bit of a busmans holiday as I will be commentating at two airshows. Biggin Hill this coming weekend and Kemble the following. A great opportunity to see some different aeroplanes and see how things run on the other side of the world.

Early start tomorrow as we leave at 0845hrs . In the meantime some images from today.

Crossing

Intersection near Nathan Road


Red

Red


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Travelling the Typhoon Shelter at Aberdeen.

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