Australia

Four Rings in New Zealand

New Zealand is known as Middle Earth in many-Oscars-Academy-Awards-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy. The most captivating and magical settings for the world-class movie making are abundant here. Hobbiton, Mt. Doom, Eregion Hills and the pillars of Argonath were all filmed here. So, when I received an invitation to a wedding in Christchurch, New Zealand, I didn’t hesitate. I made the plan to attend the wedding and explore Middle Earth.

Christchurch

As soon as I cleared Custom at Christchurch International Airport, I shopped for the suitable rental car. Avis had the 2009 Audi A4 convertible in its fleet. It would have been a great choice, but the car was not available. Others offered Hyundai Accent or similar Asian cars. My eyes caught an advertisement in the Welcome to New Zealand brochure. There was a car rental company just outside the airport offering older European cars; Audi, Mercedes, and BMW. They happened to have only one European car left. It was a 2000 Audi A3. For relatively the same amount of money, I had to choose between a brand new Hyundai Accent and a 9-year old Audi A3.

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