Amoeblog

Back in Bag End Again: Keeping Up with the Hobbit

Posted by Kelly S. Osato, April 15, 2011 01:05pm | Post a Comment
hobbit peter jackson movie epic new zealand lord of the rings bag end hobbiton blog video middle earth film director
Production has begun on Peter Jackson's two film epic adaptation of The Hobbit and what better way to keep geeks (like me) in the know than to keep a Hobbit blog replete with photos and boss video updates:



I love how down to earth (Middle Earth!) Sir Peter is and this first look into what promises to be an unprecedented documentation of modern movie making (3D, yo!) and down-home togetherness (the Maori blessing of the set and hongi greetings portrayed in this, the first, ten minute video blog are heart-warming) the likes of which Ringers the world 'round will lap up with fervor. Keep 'em coming, Kiwis!

New Zealand Day or, Happy Waitangi Day

Posted by Eric Brightwell, February 6, 2008 03:04pm | Post a Comment
Happy New Zealand Day!

 
                                The Haast's Eagle, the largest bird of prey (until extinction) attacking a flightless moa (also extinct)

The islands that make up what today is known as New Zealand were, for centuries, uninhabited by people. Due to isolation, the islands hosted many distinct creatures and were dominated by large birds. There were no land mammals, only bats and the marine variety on the coast.

 
                          a Maori warrior                                                               a group of Moriori

Austronesians came from Polynesia sometime between 800 and 1300 A.D, making New Zealand one of the last major land masses to be settled by people. These people organized into groups called hapu. Over time, they came to refer to themselves collectively as Māori. They called the North Island Te Ika a Māui (the fish of Māui) and the South Island Te Wai Pounamu (the waters of jade) or Te Waka a Māui (the canoe of Māui). Around 1500, a group split off and migrated to Rekohu and developed a culture known as Moriori. These people embraced Pacifism which served them poorly when they were massacred and cannibalized by the Maori in the 1830s. The remaining Moriori, who'd adapted to the harsh climate of Rekohu, died out completely in the early 20th century.

   
                                    Able Tasman                                                                               James Cook