If you've watched The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit series, it's not hard to work out why people are obsessed with the franchises.
Whether it be the characters, the stories, the battle scenes, the special effects or the landscapes, the Middle Earth realm is breath taking. As many people know, LOTR and The Hobbit were filmed in New Zealand and while some of the scenes might have had a bit of CGI added on, the raw beauty of the country is stunning.
Advert
But one super fan wanted to showcase to the world just how beautiful Middle Earth is in real life.
Akhil Suhas travelled both islands with a Gandalf costume and took some incredibly beautiful pictures.
Advert
The 21-year-old told Traveller: "I was watching the Lord of the Rings for the fifth time and figured that New Zealand is famous for two things - its landscapes and Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, so why not combine the two by having Gandalf in the landscapes?
"Once I started my road trip, I realised that I was travelling solo and wondered who would dress up, since I wanted to take the pictures.
"I tried the camera on a tripod with a timer shot, which didn't work since the wizard hat needed careful adjustment because it's flimsy."
He eventually found a few tourists along the way who didn't mind becoming Gandalf the Grey here and there.
His 15,000km journey took him from the beaches to incredible heights, all while looking just as magical as the character we know on the screen. If you don't want to see New Zealand after these pictures then there's probably not much more that'll hook you in.
But if you're gagging for more Lord of the Rings entertainment, well there's been a few details leaked about the upcoming Amazon TV show.
Basically, if you're a big fan of the world of Middle Earth and were expecting a lovely show in which all of your favourite characters were there and having a nice time, you're probably in for a shock.
To be fair, most serious Lord of the Rings fans know that the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien is so vast and detailed that this was never likely to be the case. However, we now might have a couple of pointers as to the scope of the subject matter.
The show's official Twitter account wrote in March: "Welcome to the Second Age."
The Second Age refers to an era in the Tolkien-verse that occurs a long time before the events of Lord of the Rings. In fact, it's even significantly before The Hobbit takes place.
We know this because of certain things that are mentioned on the map (as well as all the Second Age schtick) such as Minas Ithil and Minas Anor. Fans of the films and books might remember them by different names - Minas Tirith and Minas Morgul.
Oh, and there is also a mention of the dwarven city of Khazad-Dun. That was taken over by the Balrog (remember that happy character?) in the Third Age. Get the idea?
If it all goes to plan, the earliest that we'll see the TV show will be around 2021.
Featured Image Credit: Akhil Suhas/InstagramTopics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Interesting, Community, Lord Of The Rings