Last week my son and I had one of the most memorable experiences, at The Hobbit VIP Tour Event. It was breathtaking!
Like a lot of events I did not tell him we were attending this event. I just love surprising him and could not wait to see his reaction. I think I may have been more surprised when we arrived than he was. I knew were there to see a life size pop up book, but I really did not know what to expect. As for my son, I did see that glow I was looking for, when he figured out what was going on.
While waiting for what was in store for us. We were given a selection of sandwiches, tomato soup ( that was my favorite), sourdough bread, hot chocolate (hot chocolate bar with several toppings) and a variety of beverages.
The event began with several prizes being raffled off and YES!!! We won a prize pack of games. Thank goodness, because my little man was determined to win.
My son loves when we attend movie events and some of the actors are in attendance. He was pleased to see Actors Aidan Turner and Dean O’Gorman stopped by.
Seeing them was nice, but the fun did not stop there.
As we walked over to the pop-up book. We had the opportunity to take flight on Air New Zealand. Well, it felt like it, because we were about to take part in a magical and memorable journey.
The time had finally come. We were going to see the pop-up book that spanned the size of two tennis courts. The Hobbit Trilogy filmmakers had partnered with Tourism New Zealand to create an amazing pop-up book. We walked into the book and saw four sets – each a principal filming location for The Hobbit Trilogy; all of which feature parts of the original film sets and combine an element of reality from their New Zealand location:
Laketown – Lake Pukaki, Mt Cook
Walk through the set of Laketown where you can stop on a bridge crossing over the lake and admire Mt Cook’s snoy peaks which gleam over the pristine Lake Pukaki in the village background.
Hidden Bay – Turoa, Ohakune
The prominent head of Thror from the set of The Hobbit Trilogy stands guard at the entrance to the Lonely Mountain, set against the moody skies and grassy slopes of Turoa on Mount Ruapehu.
Forest River – Pelorus River Marlborough
Pelorus River’s waterfall cascades down into the crystal clear waters at the set of Forest River, bubbling the water up and pushing the dwarves in barrels down past the lurking Orcs.
Beorn’s House – Paradise, Queenstown
Step into the set of Beorn’s house, and be dwarfed as you climb up onto his magnificently carved chair and admire his view out the window onto the majestic Paradise valley in Queenstown.
It is so funny, we stood outside fascinated by Hidden Bay – Turoa, Ohakune. We were outside for a long time before someone told us the real fun was inside. You will not believe how many pictures we took beside the head of Thor. But, when we went inside, we were shocked. We had been outside all of that time playing with Thor’s head when there was so much more to see. My point is, I was intrigued by literally everything. I could have stood for another hour or so. I still cannot believe I was inside of a book.
While we were inside the book. I was asked by a New Zealand media outlet if they could interview my son. Oh no….he already thinks he is famous, because he is throughout my blog, so when he is asked to be interviewed and he does, later he will ask me, is he famous and how many views will he get now.
This day was a once in a life time experience, that we will never forget. I am so happy I was able to share this day with my son. I was on a high several days afterwards and sharing this experience with you has just made the feelings I felt that day return. I am looking forward to seeing The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. It will be in theaters on December 13th.
Disclosure: Products/Compensation was received in exchange for review.
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