There is a hidden gem just outside Wellington called Kaitoke. This spot has one of the last stands of beech tree in the Wellington area and it is also the filming location of Rivendell for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The campsite is unlike any I have seen; there is a field with tree hedges to shelter you from wind but hardly any picnic tables and no fire pits. Instead there is a toilet and BBQ area which has electric barbecues and heaps of tables so most people gather their food and hang out over at the tables.
Another surprise came when I saw what kinds of tents were set up. These are no mere tents, more like tent mansions with multiple rooms or wings for the kids. The man at the site across from us had rented a trailer and it took him two loads just to get all of his camping stuff out of there. With the cost of fuel around $2.17 per litre this is an expensive camping trip for him!
The hike to Rivendell is short, about 30 minutes from the campground. You find yourself creekside winding your way through a tall forest full of various trees you just don’t see in the city. There are vines that you can imagine Tarzan swinging on and birdsong fills the air. Then you arrive at a beautifully carved post.
As for the set, it is long removed but there is a placard with information about the filming for LOTR. We found out that the buildings were constructed here and the set was used for the actors yet Rivendell doesn’t look like it did in the films with waterfalls flowing off of tall mountain ledges. The background scenes with the waterfalls were actually filmed in the Fiordlands and then later computer graphically placed into the scenes.
I for one think that if they built the set permanently as they did with Hobbiton and the shire, people would pay to see it! Still, the area was beautiful with a clear stream running through that was warm enough for swimming.
There is also a really nice walk complete with suspension bridge crossing. After returning from the land of Middle Earth we settled back into the campground.
After a delicious barbecue supper we set up to find wood to have a fire on the beach. We found the wood but no matter how hard we tried the fire just wouldn’t cooperate. Luckily the family at the neighbouring fire asked us to come join them. Rich and his family have been living in their converted van for a long while and travel to where the work is. They were an amazingly open, warm and caring family and so glad to share what they had with us.
There were supposed to be three families that went camping instead of the two but one family stayed behind because of weather concerns. We, being all the braver said, “Weather, who cares!” Well we did care that night! The wind picked up to twice a gale force and though we had a relatively sheltered spot you can’t really hide from the wind when you are in a tent. Only Andre and Mia slept in the van while the rest of us tented. As I lay there at night I heard the winds picking up. You could hear the wind like waves, giant waves, rolling down the mountain rustling all the trees and coming toward the tent. Then it his us and the tent would shake and lift, even the floor lifted but the weight of me kept it down. Each wave rolled down a few minutes after the last which made for a very sleepless night. Despite all that, we survived! And Kaitoke is a place I will return to visit because it is so worth going to!
joniecsinnz 