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NEW ZEALAND HOBBIT SCOUTS SWOOP ON QUEENSTOWN

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January, 2011

New Zealand film director Sir Peter Jackson, of Lord of the Rings fame, and his crew spent a week on a Queenstown-based location scout of the South Island this month.
Five helicopters swooping in close formation against the dramatic backdrop of Queenstown's Remarkables mountain range signalled the end to the first location scout of The Hobbit this month.
The helicopters, carrying the film's director, Sir Peter Jackson, and heads of key production departments, had just returned from scouting locations in Fiordland.
The world's biggest budget movie is scheduled to begin shooting in Wellington next month.
Fiordland Lodge manager Andy Chapman said the convoy of helicopters left Te Anau about 1pm.
The cluster reached Queenstown about 2.30pm, and after gear was loaded into Sir Peter's private Gulfstream jet, the group left the resort about 3pm.
Destination Fiordland manager Lisa Sadler said speculation the film's location recce team had been in the area had been rife for months.
"Every time someone looking vaguely like they could be a film person has been spotted rumours have flown that a Hobbit scout was happening," she said.
"I wasn't aware the group was actually in the area, but no doubt will hear all about it soon."
Many remote Fiordland locations were used as shooting locations in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, including the Waiau River and Kepler tracks, MavoraLakes, Mararoa River and Takaro Forest.
Sir Peter's assistant Matt Dravatski said earlier the location scouting crew, who had landed in Queenstown the previous day had a gruelling schedule, and locations would be chosen ahead of principal photography.
Sir Peter's private jet, a Gulfstream, registration ZK-KFB, landed at Queenstown Airport, where it was parked for the week.
The first of the two films is expected to screen in late 2012 with Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, Andy Serkis as Gollum and Sir Ian McKellen as Gan-dalf.South Island filming locations for The Lord of the Rings trilogy included parts of Fiordland, Arrowtown Recreational Reserve, and the Shotover River.

Source: The Southland Times