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Today’s international Hobbit Day, for me an auspicious date to complete a project over a year in the making. You see, last October I traveled to New Zealand with my sister Brooke, my son Myles and my cousin Traci for what was ostensibly a Lord of the Rings tour, more realistically a celebration of life.
Not every international trip is motivated by a near-death experience of course, but our journey to the Land of the Long White Cloud certainly was — at least for me. In June 2014, Myles was nearly killed during a camping trip when a car he was riding in ran off a narrow mountain road, overturning several times before smashing into the tree line. At first we didn’t think he’d live. Then we didn’t think he’d ever walk again, consigned forever to a wheelchair. When he was still lying in the hospital, I told him if he found a way to get back onto his feet I’d take him to New Zealand.
His face immediately brightened. “That’s a pretty good motivator,” he answered.
By the following month, Myles was standing with assistance. A month after that he was living (mostly) on his own in a rehabilitation facility. A month after that he moved into a house he had rented with friends, now walking for short distances. By the following Spring, the wheelchair had disappeared for good.
Not every international trip is motivated by a near-death experience of course, but our journey to the Land of the Long White Cloud certainly was — at least for me. In June 2014, Myles was nearly killed during a camping trip when a car he was riding in ran off a narrow mountain road, overturning several times before smashing into the tree line. At first we didn’t think he’d live. Then we didn’t think he’d ever walk again, consigned forever to a wheelchair. When he was still lying in the hospital, I told him if he found a way to get back onto his feet I’d take him to New Zealand.
His face immediately brightened. “That’s a pretty good motivator,” he answered.
By the following month, Myles was standing with assistance. A month after that he was living (mostly) on his own in a rehabilitation facility. A month after that he moved into a house he had rented with friends, now walking for short distances. By the following Spring, the wheelchair had disappeared for good.
The Land of the Long White Cloud had proven to be a more powerful motivator than I might’ve ever hoped. To be fair, I can’t credit the lure of New Zealand entirely for Myles’s recovery. Certainly some very skilled surgeons, nurses, rehab specialists and Myles own will power had much to do with a recovery his primary care physician characterized as “extraordinary.” If all those people and circumstances were points along the path, then New Zealand was the finish line.
But why New Zealand at all?
When Myles was a boy, he formed an abiding interest in fantasy stories. He loved dragons and gryphons, he loved movies and he loved books. Although he’s never read any J.R.R. Tolkien, he did devour the work of young adult authors from the same school of literature, in particular Christopher Paolini and Kathryn Lasky, As for movies, he watched and rewatched titles like Reign of Fire, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Tuck Everlasting. Then, in 2002, I took him see Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and he officially he lost his mind.
Afterwards, there was a brief period where Myles career goals included “anointed knight.” Every year he enthused about our day-long pilgrimage to the Arizona Renaissance Festival where he would buy medieval tapestries for his walls and dragon pendants which he never seemed to wear but always wanted to collect.
Initially, I don’t know that Myles connected New Zealand to the LOTR movies. More likely, the Kiwi countryside was just the backdrop for the films' epic battles. But as he aged, he became more and more interested in seeing the film locations for the first trilogy, his fascination stoked by my sister who’s literally a walking encyclopedia of Tolkien lore. Brooke was the first to propose a trip to New Zealand. Myles injury compelled that trip forward and ultimately gave us over two weeks on the islands where we skipped from LOTR site to LOTR site.
So starting on this International Hobbit Day and continuing over the next two days, join me as I post my top three choices for must-see LOTR sites in New Zealand. You can get started by clicking the links below.
But why New Zealand at all?
When Myles was a boy, he formed an abiding interest in fantasy stories. He loved dragons and gryphons, he loved movies and he loved books. Although he’s never read any J.R.R. Tolkien, he did devour the work of young adult authors from the same school of literature, in particular Christopher Paolini and Kathryn Lasky, As for movies, he watched and rewatched titles like Reign of Fire, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Tuck Everlasting. Then, in 2002, I took him see Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and he officially he lost his mind.
Afterwards, there was a brief period where Myles career goals included “anointed knight.” Every year he enthused about our day-long pilgrimage to the Arizona Renaissance Festival where he would buy medieval tapestries for his walls and dragon pendants which he never seemed to wear but always wanted to collect.
Initially, I don’t know that Myles connected New Zealand to the LOTR movies. More likely, the Kiwi countryside was just the backdrop for the films' epic battles. But as he aged, he became more and more interested in seeing the film locations for the first trilogy, his fascination stoked by my sister who’s literally a walking encyclopedia of Tolkien lore. Brooke was the first to propose a trip to New Zealand. Myles injury compelled that trip forward and ultimately gave us over two weeks on the islands where we skipped from LOTR site to LOTR site.
So starting on this International Hobbit Day and continuing over the next two days, join me as I post my top three choices for must-see LOTR sites in New Zealand. You can get started by clicking the links below.
CHOOSE YOUR DESTINATION:
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