Discover New Zealand, Home of Middle Earth
	Ah, fair Lothlorien, the "blossom dream land," heart of elvendom on earth! Established and maintained by the power of Nenya, the Ring of Adamant, Lothlorien and its incomparable mallorn trees shared the fate of all the works of the Rings of Power, and vanished with the breaking of the power of the One. Yet much of the beauty of Lothlorien still remains, for the works of elves which were not wrought by the power of the Rings were wonderful indeed, and endure still.
	There are many open spaces smooth and soft, almost like a spacious park. Could this be the ground from which once the lofty mallorns sprung? There are many other trees here, evergreens and birches, and many other species. One can hear their leaves rustling, making a music of many different notes in chorus with the thin clear voices of the birds, flying and soaring overhead, as if looking for their homes and nests in the great trees that are no more.
	We found a silver stream issuing from a low fountain on a small hill. It runs murmuring down a series of rocky steps through a deep hollow. The steps seem made for nothing other than to make the water sing. A low wall surrounds the hollow, as if to separate it from the surrounding glade, almost as if it were some kind of shrine, dedicated to some special purpose. Not far downstream, surrounded by green bushes and slender golden trees, and separated by them from a broad, smooth lawn, is a stout stone pedestal, carved with a design that resembles a branching tree. The top is a shallow stone bowl, now partially filled with rainwater. Could this have once contained the silver basin that was the Mirror of Galadriel?
	So close to the edge of the woods that it actually borders the wide vale of the Anduin, is a majestic hill that can only be Cerin Amroth. On the broad green top, surrounded by a series of ornamental hedges, is a smooth grassy mound, obviously a gravesite, elevated by four low steps. From here one can see along the Anduin all the way to the Mountains of Mirkwood. Yet there is no plaque or inscription, or any other memorial to the identity of the great hero who lies here in anonymous honor.
	Trees border the Anduin on both sides of its confluence with the Silverlode in an open glade, the green lawn of the Tongue. Not far from here is the hythe where the boats the Fellowship used to continue their journey down the Anduin were moored. The junction of the two rivers makes a natural harbor of sorts where the water is quiet. Those who are wary of boats, such as all the hobbits except Merry, could get settled before they rowed out into the flowing river.
	The Anduin at this point is broad and sluggish, somewhat more muddy upstream than after it is joined by the sparkling Silverlode. One can see across it to Mirkwood. In the distance, the Mountains of Mirkwood, where Bilbo and his companions had so many of their adventures, stand stark and majestic along the horizon. It was from the bridge shown on the right that Galadriel waved farewell and bestowed her blessing on the departing Fellowship.
	The banks of the Anduin at the beginning of the expedition down it were wooded on both sides, although due to the time of year many of the trees had lost their leaves. We found it lush and green, and a fine area for sightseeing, even though, like the Fellowship, we could see little on either side but the trees. The current here is swift enough that one can make only little better time paddling, so Aragorn was prudent to allow everyone to conserve their energy by drifting with the current. We found that the wooded area extended down to the junction with the River Limlight, even though these are known as the Brown Lands and Wolds. The Limlight marks the northern boundary of the Kingdom of Rohan.
	In places the Anduin cuts through folds in the earth that might otherwise block its way, obviously following a fault or fissure in the underlying bedrock. We were able to find some of the places along its length shown in the film, although we were traveling overland along the banks and periodically were forced away from the river for short stretches. We did not see any vessels on the river, or any docks or ports they might have used. The Brown Lands are now mostly green, and are not nearly so vast and desolate as described in the Red Book, even though they do not seem to be much inhabited. We could imagine the isolation the Fellowship felt, sailing into unknown danger in an empty land.
	As nearly as we could tell, it was about this point that the Fellowship realized that Gollum was following them, and Aragorn wisely decided to use their combined strength to outdistance him. They would have done it, too, if they hadn't encountered the Sarn Gebir rapids unexpectedly in the dark of the new moon. The photo on the right shows the river just upstream from the rapids. The portage path here swings away from the river for about four miles.
	I believe this is the spot shown in the film where the Fellowship made camp and saw Gollum on the log. This is one of the few spots where we could actually approach the river bank. It is just before the Gates of Argonath, where the river enters a narrow ravine through the hills of the Emyn Muil before flowing through the Gates and out into the vastness of Nen Hithoel. There are trees above the steep grey slopes of the hills on the far side.
	There is no trace of the Pillars of the Kings now, only an abrupt opening of the swiftly flowing Anduin out into the tranquil waters of Nen Hithoel. There are three peaks at the southern end, Amon Hen, Tol Brandir and Amon Lhaw, which are all to the right of the area of the northwest beach shown on the left. On the right is a more direct view of Tol Brandir, which is not nearly as tall as described. Could it have weathered or suffered some similar geological fate?
	Moving down the western side of Nen Hithoel, we encountered the woods where the orcs attacked the hobbits and then carried them off toward Isengard. We were unable to establish the exact spots where all the action took place, because the woods and paths within them have surely changed since those unhappy times, but we believe that the tree on the right is the place where Boromir was slain and the Fellowship of the Ring was broken.
	The photo on the left shows Parth Galen, as nearly as we could tell, where the Fellowship pitched its camp, as did we. There were once broken stone works here, and ancient ruins, but they are now all gone, and only the gravelly beach remains. Stefanie is standing where the boats were, where Frodo and Sam left the others and continued on toward Mordor. Behind her are the steep, green slopes of Tol Brandir and to her left, about three miles away, the Falls of Rauros.
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