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There was just time for a quick 'refresher' (drink at the bar) after the press conference before heading off to find the 'Press pen' for the Premiere Parade that we were told was to feature most of the cast and crew.
		According to our New Line itinerary the parade was scheduled for a 3.30pm start, with our 'press pen' being located approximately half way along the route. We were advised that we should congregate there at 1.30pm, which gave me time for a quick bite to eat at one of Wellington's many small cafe/restaurant bars en route. I made it to the designated area around 1.20pm to find several TV and photo journalists gathered along the barriers, but no obvious press pen. It arrived about an hour later - apparently the guys marking out the barrier areas had lost their way?!!! It was getting very hot very quickly - we couldn't have wished for a better day, with clear blue skies and no Wellington wind to put a cold chill on things. The only downside to this was that I'd left my sunscreen and baseball 'bald patch protector' cap back at the hotel, and suffered over the next few days as a result. At the time I arrived the crowds were pretty thin and there were large spaces all along the route near us, so that some of us wondered why we were sticking to the designated area, which had the double misfortune of facing into the sun AND lying on a curve (bending the wrong way). However nobody wanted to be anywhere other than the 'official' area so we stayed where we were, wondering if the turnout would be a disappointment based on the numbers of people we were seeing. We had not taken into account the fact that today was a normal working day for most Wellingtonians, and that many would not appear until the parade was actually due to start. By the time the barrier people arrived at around 2.30pm the crowds had already grown and there were no real 'front row' places to be found. Numbers soon swelled thereafter, such that there could be no doubt that the 'hoped for' crowds had indeed turned out for the big day. A group of cameramen tried to argue with the staff setting up the press area that we needed to be on the other side of the road where the curve made things easier AND faced away from the sun, but they were having none of it. "That's a shop thoroughfare. We can't block public access" was the response. It seemed churlish to point out, on what was otherwise such a nice day with a general feeling of bonhomie despite the heat and crowds, that the side they were insisting we use was also a shop thoroughfare and that we were already blocking public access on that side of the road anyway! I got talking to the camera crew next to me - who were apparently covering the event for New Line Television (a completely separate entity from New Line Cinema) and it sounded like they had to jump through the same aggravating hoops most of the other press members complained about having to jump through where getting information and access were concerned. They were very interested to see the copy of the fan club magazine I had with me, especially by the ten page interview with New Line Executive Mark Ordesky ("It's so nice to read a proper, detailed interview instead of just silly sound bites"). As is often the case at these events, I was asked how they could get hold of copies so, at the risk of being accused of being a total tart, a reminder to any readers of these web logs that you can find out more about the magazine and subscribe online at www.lotrfanclub.com! The 'low fly over' by the Air New Zealand plane was, unfortunately, wasted on the press. We got little warning, although its time had been advertised in our itinerary, and with tall buildings all around by the time we realised it was happening, the plane had gone. I suspect down at Courtney Place, where the buildings were lower, the whole thing will have looked far more impressive. The TV people all showed their nouse by having stepladders with them to 'see over' the photographers leaning over the fence effectively blocking everyone's view lined up along the barriers behind them. When the parade itself arrived photographic opportunities were limited to say the least, because it sped by so fast. A friend tells me that the TV news reported that the parade arrived way ahead of schedule, such that people had to hang around at the Red Carpet for about an hour. All I know from a personal point of view is that it was a case of 'blink and you miss it' with too many chances of a good photograph being lost because you literally had time for a single shot.. and if another photographer was leaning out ahead of you....! Photo's of the backs of people's heads do not make for great viewing! Most, if not all, the cast took part, chauffeur driven in 'classic' open-topped cars. In one instance I spotted Weta's Gino Acevido actually doing the driving, but whether or not the other drivers were Weta folk, I couldn't say. The loudest cheer was undoubtedly for Peter Jackson, who led the procession of cast and crew, which was interspersed with characters from the movie marching along in unison or on horseback, with a garland of flowers around his neck. He looked genuinely moved by the huge numbers of Wellingtonians who'd turned out for the parade, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he is a hugely popular figure. Other celebrities followed, invariably smiling and waving, if not having the time to stop and sign autographs. Some brave souls, like Andy Serkis, tried to actually shake hands with people as the cars moved forward, but were not entirely successful. All the time there were screams of recognition and calls for the celebrities to 'look this way' for those who wanted a photographic record of the whole experience. Despite all the problems with the speed of the parade and the poor positioning for photographers, the professional journalists were all very upbeat about the parade - how good it had looked, even though very few had good pictures. The whole thing felt like a BIG event, and the number of marchers in genuine Weta costume really helped make it feel special, with streamers and thin strips of plastic emulating confetti turning it into a huge celebration. A friend who found himself six deep at a barrier (a not unusual situation if aeriel photographs in the paper the next day are to be believed) reported that he had been unable to see anything except for Sir Ian McKellen who stood up waving, which is a shame if his experience was typical. However my own experience indicated that if you got to the barriers an hour or so before the parade was due to start you would have had a pretty unrestricted view of the whole parade, even if it did speed past at quite a pace. With the parade over there was a mad rush to the 'Media bus' waiting to drive us down to the end of the parade - the red carpet just outside The Embassy Theatre. The bus seemed fairly quiet and I was surprised how few journalists appeared to have actually lined up to record the parade, especially as it had been pretty impressive. I was soon to find out why! Click here to continue on to Red Carpet Report and Pictures Click here to go back to Press Conference Report and Pictures Stay tuned for future reports (indicated by a photo appearing in the main Itinerary calendar) Back to Day 7 report Forward to Day 9 report
Don't forget you can check out reports of lots of other Lord of the Rings -themed events in the Web Logs section

Email: ian@iansmith.co.uk