Full Day Lord of the Rings Mavora Lakes Adventure

Allie and I enjoyed an adventure on South Island of New Zealand (Te Waipounamu) where we retraced the steps taken to film Lord of the Rings trilogy. We toured with Trails of Middle Earth on their Full Day Lord of the Rings Mavora Lakes Adventure.  The tour included multiple filming locations for Lord of the Rings in the general Mavora Lakes region, including the famous Orc Mound, Anduin River and Nen Hithoel.^[1][2] At Mavora Lake, we had a chance to cosplay with Hobbit outfits and authentic replicas of many battle weapons from the Trilogy. Overall experience was positive.

However, while visiting these filming locations was great, the travel between them is a bit rough. This is the nature of travelling around the South Island of New Zealand in this region, especially when you are leaving paved highways behind for a time.  The tour length definitely adds to discomfort as much as the roads themselves since this is a 10 hour tour, with long stretches between locations.  Just be prepared.  One bit of advice is to pack your own lunch, as I found the location where food was available to purchase to be rather lacking.

 

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUefP6dgWfQ/?img_index=1 and https://www.instagram.com/p/DUego49AVOc/?img_index=1

Besides the thrill of discovering so many filming locations in one tour, we also got to see much of the beauty of South Island's mountains and lakes. It feels like New Zealand was always meant to be the location of Middle Earth.

Eki Stamps from Japan Vacation 2024

In this world of digitality, having physical proof that you actually went somewhere and did something is a great souvenir to bring back from your travels. In Japan, there's "station stamps", called eki sutanpu. In English, you can simply call them eki stamps. They are rubber stamps for which you have to hunt. The goal is to add as many as you can to your eki stamp book. Although they are called station stamps, they aren't just found at train stations. Many tourist locations have specials stamps too.

My stamps from around Japan during my vacation in 2024

Here's the stamps I was able to collect during our vacation to Japan in 2024.  Some stamps are very clear, while others have poor quality due to dry ink pads or worn rub. Such variation is part of the charm of this physical activity.  I hope to collect many more on future journeys in Japan. 

 

Also see:

Japan Vacation 2024
Japan Vacation Photos Part 1

Japan Vacation Photos Part 2

Japan Vacation Photos Part 2

Various photos from around Tokyo and Yokohama.

Also see:

Japan Vacation 2024
Japan Vacation Photos Part 1

Eki Stamps from Japan Vacation 2024

Japan Vacation Photos Part 1

Various photos from Fukuoka, Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo.

Also see:

Japan Vacation 2024

Japan Vacation Photos Part 2

Eki Stamps from Japan Vacation 2024

Japan Vacation 2024

Allie and I travelled around Japan from Sept 15 to Oct 1.  We visited Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (including Mauka Market) on a layover in Honolulu while heading to Japan.

Fukuoka

Fukuoka Airport, Fukuoka, Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk, Nanzoin, Solaria Plaza, Yoshinoya, Gyushin, Hakata Seafood Restaurant Uokichi, Mitsukoshi, Fukuoka Tower, Shin Shin, Hakata Kawabata Dosanko, Grand Hyatt Fukuoka, Canal City, Kits, SoftBank Hawks game at Mizuho PayPay Dome, Hakata Station, Kokura Station, Amu Plaza, Bookstore at Amu Plaza and Hankyu Ferry from Kitakyushu to Osaka.

Osaka and Kyoto

Aloft Osaka Dojima, McDonalds, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Craft Burger Co, Osaka Castle, Pablo, Sanrio Gift Gate, tutu anna, Canon Plaza Osaka, Kame Sushi, Naruto Taiyaki Honpo, The Warehouse, JP Tower Osaka, Kitte Osaka, Sugi Bee Garden, Osaka Station City, Hanshin Dept Store, Ichiroku Saryo, Kiddy Land, Snoopy Town Stop, Hankyu Dept Store, Shin-Osaka Station, Kyoto, Kyoto Station, Shichimiya, Niomon Gate, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Asahido, 株式会社 山本商店 龍栄堂, snoopy chocolat, Soba Shiki and Osaka Station, Kintetsu Railway ~ Hinotori ~ Osaka-Namba to Kintetsu-Nagoya.

Nagoya

Courtyard by Marriott Nagoya, Nagoya, Oasis21, Donguri Kyowakoku, Beep! Aichi, Harry Potter Magical Spot, Nigiri No Tokube, Baskin Robbins, Naka Ward, Buruburu Aiai Bookstore, Nishinomaru Okura Museum, Nagoya Castle, Hommaru Palace, miffy style, Delica Kitchen, Rope Picnic, Cascade at Esca, Meitetsu Dept Store, Nagoya Station and Mermaid Cafe.

Tokyo

Shinagawa Station, Tokyo, Ginza, AC Hotel Ginza, Ginza Six, Tsutaya Bookstore, Uniqlo Flagship, Imperial Viking Sal, Tokyo Skytree, Koconoha, Chums, Neue, Donguri Republic, Plaza, SoraTora-ya, Ginza Itoya, Ueno Station, Ueno Park, Ueno Zoo, 3coins Ooops!, Kyukyodo, Shibuya Stream, Kaldi Coffee Farm, Kobe Teppanyaki Hakushu, Tsutaya Bookstore Shibuya Sakura Stage, AC Bar, Ginza Karen, Denny's, Bic Camera, Akihabara Radio Kaikan, K-Books, Hub, Shinjuku Station, Kizuna Sushi, NewoMan, Lumine Est, Giant 3D Cat, Godzilla Street, Krispy Creme, Ginza Food Garden, Kabukiza Theater, Tokyo International Airport (Haneda), Hyakuzen, Saryo Itoen, Observation Deck and Sky Lounge.

Yokohama

Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, NeNe Chicken, Lamplit, B-Side Label, Yokohama World Porters and Yokohama Air Cabin. 

Select Photos

Japan Vacation Photos Part 1

Japan Vacation Photos Part 2

Eki Stamps from Japan Vacation 2024

(Facebook, backup)

Ground Squirrel keeping an eye out for threats or treats

 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C7Xce64vGj-/

Vancouver, BC with Joie

Alice, Joie & I visited Civic Hotel, Surrey, BC, Vancouver, BC Ancora Waterfront Dining and Patio, Dominion Bar + Kitchen, Vancouver Chinatown, Crystal Mall in Burnaby, Tae Tea at Crystal Mall, Granville Island, Granville Island Public Market, Circle Craft Gallery, Nooroongji Books, Paper Ya on Granville Island, Parade Shop, Make at Granville Island, Ukama Gallery, Granville Island Pet Treatery, Ten Granville Island, West Vancouver Lighthouse Park. This trip was a bit difference since we did have our little dog with us. This means some places couldn't be visited while other places that we'd typically overlook came to the top of our list. (Facebook, backup)