Dragons of the Day, July 1, 2023
From the fifth season credits of DreamWorks’ Dragons: The Nine Realms, some charming drawings of what the characters could look like if they were hand-drawn:
What to do about Aaravos?
June 28, 2023. Wonderstorm has released its trailer for The Dragon Prince, Season 5. Boy, that Aaravos is just asking for it, isn’t he?
Coming July 27: The Dragon Prince Season Five
Here’s another interruption in my New Zealand travelogue for this announcement: The Dragon Prince, Season Five, is now slated to premiere on Netflix on July 27, 2023. Here is some key art: And a couple of video previews: And here’s an earlier version of the scene, as presented at San Diego Comic Con in 2019 […]
Eastbound to Dunedin
Friday morning, March 3, 2023. I’m riding the InterCity bus from Queenstown, New Zealand to Dunedin on the South Island’s east coast. It’s a four-and-a-half hour trip. And the bus doesn’t have a toilet. What do passengers do when they get the urge? Fortunately the bus allows for two pit stops. One is at Cromwell. […]
Queenstown Sojourn
While in Queenstown I learned at least a couple things. (1. Electrical outlets have switches. To get the electricity, you have to flip the switch. Image from nzpocketguide.com I found this out the hard way when I tried to recharge my cell phone overnight. I had purchased a new adapter and thought the problem was […]
The Shear Experience of Walter Peak Farm
Thursday, March 2, 2023. On my second full day in Queenstown, New Zealand, I elected to visit Walter Peak High Country Farm, which is on the western shore of Lake Wakatipu. To get there, tourists take a steamboat trip on the TSS Earnslaw, a.k.a. “The Lady of the Lake.” The boat provides a snack bar, […]
The Dragon Prince and the Great Big Wave
We interrupt this New Zealand travelogue with another promotion from Wonderstorm: this impressive poster from Season Five of The Dragon Prince, coming this summer from Netflix. The image is called “The Wicked Depths.” I can believe it. Look closely at the wave. There appears to be something … inside it. What could it be? Click […]
“The Eighth Most Dangerous Road in the World”
I found two companies in Queenstown that offered Lord of the Rings half-day tours: Nomad Safari and Pure Glenorchy. They scheduled an hour or hour-and-a-half break between the morning and afternoon trips. I took Glenorchy’s tour in the morning, but both groups had already booked their afternoon jaunts. (See this previous post for details.) Nomad […]
Isengard in Paradise
Morning of March 1, 2023. Paradise Valley. Otago Region. South Island, New Zealand. East side of the Dart River. Where Peter Jackson filmed scenes depicting the Lothlorian Forest … and Isengard. The Pure Glenorchy Scenic Lord of the Rings Tour took us to Acadia Station, the site of Isengard and Saruman’s castle, placed there by […]
Swords in Paradise
Leaving Glenorchy the tour group next visited Paradise Valley in Mt. Aspiring National Park. We stopped at the site of Middle Earth’s Lothlorian Forest. Francesco Garino, our guide, took out some Lord of the Rings costumes for us to wear. Cloaks, pointed hats … and swords. Don’t know whether these were Weta-made or screen-used. Watch […]
