I'm hearing a few rumours in the last few days, all of which have been about separate South Island locations that are allegedly to be used for The Hobbit.
Note though - none of these rumours are confirmed, or investigated any further at this stage. I thought I'd share them with you in the meantime though - if nothing else, it shows that New Zealanders are also starting to get Hobbit Fever!
The first one concerns the possible location of Laketown, somewhere between Timaru and Oamaru. Somewhere in the Waitaki Valley there is supposed to be a large set either being considered, or already built (unlikely, I think - we would have heard about that, surely).
On further exploring the location via Google Maps, and considering that Luke Evans and Stephen Fry have just arrived into NZ, it seems a likely match. They are both major players in the Laketown scenes.
Also, Te Anau (south-west of Queenstown) is looking likely to be used again for Middle-earth - anonymous sources are reporting that "Hobbit people" are looking for accommodation in the area for late this year.
And finally, I've heard a small report from a further unnamed source that the town of Middlemarch (inland from Dunedin) is being considered as a Hobbit location.
Again, for the full story on these two reports, check my full report on the
NZ Noldor Blog.
Nothing solid so far, but all interesting none the less!
- Jack M.
