Sydney is an incredible city that seems to offer endless places to see and things to do. Prior to coming to Sydney, I had known of the Sydney Opera House but nothing other than that it was a beautiful building in the Sydney Harbour. I learned that it is a world class performing arts venue that many international stars dream … Continue Reading →

Cheryl, Tyler, Max, and I enjoying the views of Bondi Beach from our walk.  tashburnMore Posts

The aspect of New Zealand culture that I found most interesting was how the All Blacks brought and continue to bring the entire country together, even though there is so much diversity in New Zealand. This is something very unique to New Zealand in that they have been the best national rugby team in the world. I think it is … Continue Reading →

The filming of Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit did a number of spectacular things for the country of New Zealand. Peter Jackson in filming these six movies did a phenomenal job portraying the breathtaking geography of the country in a way many cannot imagine. Personally, prior to watching the films and doing further research about their production, I … Continue Reading →

The Hobbiton tour taught me how challenging it is for location scouts when searching for the best film locations. Specifically, it must have been extremely frustrating for the location scouts who worked for Peter Jackson for The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings trilogies. Since J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels were so detailed and Peter Jackson was such a perfectionist, he … Continue Reading →

  Me and my fellow hobbits Scott, Jack and Jordan hiding from the Dark Rider.  tashburnMore Posts

The most interesting thing I learned during the Wellington tour that I immediately linked to our class this fall was the story of Paddy the wanderer. The story is known throughout Wellington and it reminded me of the film “Red Dog” from the very beginning. Paddy was a dog whose owner passed away who he was extremely fond of. Without … Continue Reading →