Discover New Zealand, Home of Middle Earth
There is a discrepancy between the written account of the journey and the one in the film. According to the story, Strider and the hobbits met Glorfindel and other elves as they emerged from the Trollshaws. In the film version, they met Arwen. Either way, this is where they did it, where the Great East Road crosses the stream from the Trollshaws. This is the beginning of the wild area between the Ettenmoors and the Misty Mountains (where black riders chased Arwen).
The highway clings close to the hills at this point, following a track established by early travelers who wisely avoided the tough going in the wild lands just north of the river. It is perhaps fifty miles directly cross country to the Ford of Bruinen, with some smaller hills between. To the right is the grove of evergreens where Arwen (Glorfindel?) narrowly escaped the black riders while carrying the delirious Frodo to the safety of the land across the Ford and Rivendell.
The photograph on the left shows the Misty Mountains south of Rivendell from the north bank of the Bruinen, which takes a little loop northwest at this point before turning southwest once again on its way to the River Greyflood. Arwen may have ridden close to this very spot. The hobbits were forced to stick to the road because their short legs could not have accommodated the tall grass of the wild land. They spent three days on the 70 mile journey along the highway to the Ford.
The Bruinen flows in a shallow, stony channel at the very foot of the Misty Mountains. It is joined by a deep stream from the high pass through Rivendell. I believe that the flood that destroyed the black riders came down this channel, from Rivendell, from the snows of the Misty Mountains. If the flood had come from upstream, it would have dissipated westward across the plain. From Rivendell, confined by the steep gorge, it was a mighty torrent indeed!
The Ford itself is shallow and easily crossed. Gold has been found in these waters, and we actually panned for some but didn't find any. We did find the remains of a road that wound up from the ford and then down towards the area of Rivendell. At its topmost point the ground is level and resembles the terrain of the lower plain on the west bank of the Bruinen. This is the route taken by Frodo and company, Bilbo and his dwarf companions, and perhaps Boromir and Gimli as well.
The part of Rivendell that was built by the power of Vilya, mightiest of the Three Rings, vanished along with the power of all the Rings when the One was destroyed. Thus the fortress and Last Homely House are completely gone, and only a sign shows where once Frodo's bedroom looked out over the quiet stream. But the land itself is alive with beautiful growing things, and those artifacts that were built not by Rings but by human and elvish hands and talent are there still.
The lawns and courtyards still have a tended look, as if the elves still look after them and care for them, yet there is no sign of the artificial order often imposed by men, disturbing the natural falling of the leaves or the growing grass. These beautiful clearings, cloistered by multi-hued trees, are perfect for romantic walks, the planning of legendary deeds, the pondering of one's manifest destiny, or the exchanging of undying devotion and commitment and everlasting love.
The gardens and walkways are perfect for picnicking, napping, gardening, storytelling, singing, or just sitting and thinking, or a pleasant mixture of them all. Here and there are statues, birdbaths or fountains, some of them laughing with trickling water, cold from the snows of the mountain tops far above. In one area, the woodland opens out into a large courtyard, surrounded by a high hedge and a row of multi-colored bushes, with a fountain at one end, bejeweled with sparkling spray.
The courtyard is wide, flat and incredibly smooth. The walkway within is made of flat, rectangular stones, most carefully laid. It leads from the fountain at one end to the doorway in the hedge at the other, but beyond is only another open area that might at one time have been occupied by a building, although no trace of such a structure remains now. An ivy covered gate nearby leads to another, smaller circular courtyard with a wide walkway enclosing a statue in the center of a carpet of grass.

It was not possible to imagine what the grounds must have been like with the elvish buildings on them, but it certainly must have been beautiful, especially with the changing of the colors of the trees.

All through the cultivated wilderness are reminders of the glory that was once the Last Homely House East of the Sea and the last fortress of the elves against the evil of the coming darkness. Here and there are low pools surrounded by potted bushes, walkways and intriguing statues of strange and exotic design. There is every color of the rainbow, green and red and brown and gold, all tastefully blended. What a wonderful location to recuperate and rest from care!
We were unable to find the exact spot where Arwen pledged her life to Aragorn in exchange for her elvish immortality, but it must have been very much like the spot on the left. The Elves chose a truly beautiful place to build Rivendell, and it is unbearably sad that such wonder and splendor had to perish with the evil power of the One Ring. We were so enchanted by the natural beauty of this magnificent park land that we were happy that the time had come to stop and spend the night.

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