Tag Archives: New Zealand

Gandalf has a blog

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Starting in 1999 with his casting as Gandalf and continuing through 2003, Ian McKellan wrote a blog called The Grey Book about his experiences starring in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. If you are a fan, you’ll find … Continue reading →

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Australia or New Zealand

Posted on November 24, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

I recently had the opportunity to spend three weeks roadtripping around New Zealand. While I was there, I discovered that there were quite a few Australians living and working in the neighboring nation. However, I frequently could not tell the … Continue reading →

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Little Bookshop, Big Mountains

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

On my recent road trip around New Zealand, I stumbled upon what has to be the smallest bookstore that I have ever visited. The owners of the Twizel Bookshop describe their homey establishment as “a little shop, in a little town, close … Continue reading →

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Bookstore Tourism : New Zealand

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Some followers of TBTP are aware that I recently returned from a three week roadtrip around New Zealand. Since I was hellbent on seeing as much as I could of Aotearoa as possible, I vowed to limit my time in … Continue reading →

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New Zealand : Littlest Free Library

Posted on November 20, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

If you are familiar with the BBC television series Top of the Lake, you may also know that much of the outdoor shoots were in and around the tiny New Zealand village of Glenorchy. The mountain community quite literally sits at the … Continue reading →

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Postcard from a volcano

Posted on November 11, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

“A Postcard from the Volcano” by Wallace Stevens Children picking up our bones Will never know that these were once As quick as foxes on the hill; And that in autumn, when the grapes Made sharp air sharper by their … Continue reading →

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From New Zealand With Love

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

I’m currently in the middle of trip planning for a three week visit to New Zealand, so I have been reading lots of local media and blogs. In the process, I stumbled upon this heartwarming story about the generosity of … Continue reading →

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There and back again

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

I’m in the midst of planning a road trip around New Zealand for later this year and was exploring Lord of the Rings and Hobbit related film sites. In the process, I stumbled upon these wonderful cross section drawings of Bag End—the ancestral home … Continue reading →

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Books are there for you

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

This encouraging message was recently spotted on the sidewalk chalkboard outside of Books A Plenty indie bookshop in Tauranga, New Zealand.  

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Gimme Some Peace

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Over the years, readers of TBTP have pointed out to me that I seem to be obsessed with Iceland. While I cannot dispute the charge, I can justify my fixation on the magical island with a lengthy list of exceptional … Continue reading →

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