Hobbit-loving Londoners fly in again for fifth tour
Jane and Lorraine Chadwick have no qualms about admitting that they’re diehard Lord of the Rings fans. Last Thursday Lorraine and Jane Chadwick went for their fifth tour at Hobbiton Movie Set Tours. Katrina Tanirau caught up with them during their visit.
You don’t have to talk to the Lorraine and Jane Chadwick for too long to work out how much they love the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The Chadwicks sisters, who hail from London, have been self-confessed ‘‘Ringers’’ since attending the premiere of The Fellowship of the Ring at Leicester Square in 2001.
‘‘When we went to the premiere of The Fellowship of the Ring there were about 200 people there. When we attended The Return of the King premiere there were about 12,000 people there. That shows how popular the trilogy has become.’’
They first came to New Zealand in 2004. After seeing the beautiful scenery in the movies, they both agree they just had to come and check it out for themselves. They returned to New Zealand in 2006 and 2009.
They arrived in November last year two days after the world premiere of The Hobbit – An Unexpected Journey.
‘‘We’ve watched The Hobbit twice since we’ve been here, once in Oamaru and once at The Embassy in Wellington.’’
The Chadwick sisters have also met their fair share of celebrities during their visits, including Sir Richard Taylor and John Rhys Davies.
They visited Weta Workshops in December 2006 where they were taken on a behind- thescenes tour by Sir Richard’s assistant.
They even got to hold four real Academy Awards.
‘‘ They were so heavy. There aren’t many people who can say they’ve held a Oscar, let alone two of them,’’ Jane said.
During their most recent visit to Hobbiton they were amazed at how real everything looked.
‘‘Honestly, we were like two little kids. We could easily go and live in one of those hobbit holes,’’ Lorraine said.
There is one thing they still have on their wish list – the opportunity to meet the man who made it all happen, Sir Peter Jackson, who the sisters call Lord Hobbit.
‘‘If I got to meet Lord Hobbit I would tell him that he’s the reason why we came to visit New Zealand,’’ Jane said.
‘‘All of you (Kiwis) have no idea how lucky you are to be able to call this beautiful place home.’’
The Chadwick sisters have also taken their love of New Zealand to a new level by supporting the All Blacks instead of the English rugby team.
‘‘We would like to meet Richard (McCaw) some time, he seems like a very nice, down-to-Earth chap.’’
real