Stars and Signs
Signum University, along with members of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Tolkien Fan Community, invites you to join us on 6-8 February, 2027 (Saturday to Monday) for our first Kiwi Moot. This English-language hybrid event will take place at the Thistle Hall Community Venue in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. For our first Kiwi Moot, we invite you to bring your sense of wonder and imagination to scan the skies for Stars and Signs. Along with the Moot itself, we are also pleased to offer two unique once-in-a-lifetime experiences before and after the Moot:
A pre-Moot excursion and roadtrip in and around the North Island from Monday, 1 February to Friday, 5 February visiting filming sites of The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, starting in Auckland and ending in Wellington, including a banquet feast in Hobbiton and a walk to Mount Doom.
A post-Moot excursion and roadtrip in and around the South Island from Wednesday, 10 February to Sunday, 14 February, continuing visiting filming sites of The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, flying to Christchurch from Wellington and ending in Queenstown, including sites for Edoras, Rohan, and Gondor.
These excursions are additional and extra to Kiwi Moot, and not required to participate in to enjoy Kiwi Moot itself. The excursions will be a group travel experience and will have a mix of paid experiences and our own exploring, with the guidance of The Tolkien Professor, Corey Olsen, and Dr. Maggie Parke, our head of Signum Studios, along side our local and knowledgable Kiwi Moot attendees. We will be using rental cars and vans to travel from site to site while staying in motels, modest apartments, and backpacker accommodations, as many of the sites are far from large cities. There will be self-catering and also sit-down meals at restaurants. Scroll down below to view a full, general itinerary of both excursions.
Register Here Soon for Kiwi Moot!
Cost for Kiwi Moot:
- In-Person Adult Ticket: USD $100 (NZD $172, AUD $143, £76, €88)
- In-Person Student Ticket: USD $45 (NZD $78, AUD $64, £34, €39)
- Remote Ticket: USD $35 (NZD $60, AUD $50, £26, €31)
Required Deposit for Kiwi Moot Excursions: USD $300 (NZD $518, AUD $429, £227, €263)
In the firmament of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imagination, the stars are more than distant suns. They are the first light of creation, the high beauty kindled by Varda Elentári, and a beacon of untainted hope in a world shadowed by decline. Kiwi Moot invites fans and scholars from around the world to explore the dual role of celestial and symbolic guidance in Tolkien’s legendarium: the profound tension between the stars as objective, guiding truths and the signs as subjective, sometime coercive, instruments of power.
Where the stars offer a steady, untouchable light that leads the Elves to awakening and rightful Kings to their hidden crowns, the forces of the Enemy craft a darker semiotics. From the brooding Red Eye of Sauron to the stark White Hand of Saruman, these signs are tools of domination and despair, meticulously designed to make evil feel inevitable. They are the iconography of a manufactured reality, a propaganda of inevitability that seeks to overwrite the world’s original beauty. Kiwi Moot will delve into this dichotomy, examining how Tolkien uses these motifs to explore the nature of truth, the burden of choice, and the power of perception in a fallen world.
We encourage submissions that navigate these themes, considering (but not limited to):
- Cosmic Guidance: Prophecy and foresight, the role of astronomy and starlight in narrative, and the concept of eucatastrophe as a guiding light in the dark.
- Mortal Choice: The intricate dance between fate and free will, the ethics of decision-making, and the process of losing and finding one’s way, both physically and spiritually.
- The Language of Power: Heraldry, symbols, and alphabets as markers of identity, lineage, or domination; the semiotics of evil and its psychological impact.
- Creation and Cartography: The art of mythmaking and storytelling itself, maps and mapmaking as both practical guides and records of perilous journeys, and the alphabets that preserve the words of hope and warning.
Furthermore, in a city synonymous with the cinematic realization of Middle-earth, “Stars and Signs” also winks at the role of film and adaptation. We invite reflections on the “stars” of Peter Jackson’s trilogies, shot in the breathtaking landscapes of Aotearoa New Zealand, and how these adaptations become new “signs” for Tolkien’s world in the modern consciousness. How do subsequent adaptations reinterpret the guiding lights and dark omens of the books? What new meanings emerge when these stories are translated to the screen and beyond?
Set in Wellington, the very heart of “Middle-earth,” Kiwi Moot promises to be a unique gathering where the light of scholarship meets the landscapes that brought the myths to life. We invite you to join us in tracing the constellations of meaning that guide us through Tolkien’s enduring masterpiece.
Submit Your Presentation Proposal Here!
Please note that a conference theme helps tie the day together and optimize fun, and we welcome anyone to respond to the Call for Proposals. Our moots are supportive environments for practicing or developing your presentation skills regardless of your experience.
This Call for Proposals will close after 1 November. We will finalize the schedule then and post it here.
Please read our Regional Moot Recording and Privacy Notice. You will be required to agree to its contents in our registration system before completing your ticket purchase.
Day to Day Itineraries for Pre-and-Post Moot Excursions
Pre-Moot Excursion: 1-5 February
1 February: Your Middle-earth experience begins in Auckland city midafternoon. Start by learning about the craft of movie making with the Weta Unleashed experience followed by a ‘worldbuilding’ hands-on workshop. Stay at a midpriced hotel a block or two away, and enjoy a communal meal together in New Zealand’s largest city. Jet-lagged folk can skip out and turn in early as needed.
2 February: Take the local train to south Auckland and hop in your rental van, with local Kiwi Moot guides driving you on to a picnic lunch at Hamilton Gardens and then to your accommodation in Cambridge, where you’ll check in and costume up (optional of course) before the big event: an evening tour and banquet at Hobbiton.
3 February: Drive to the Tongariro Plateau. Visit Tawhiri Falls (Gollum’s pool) and Meads Wall (the Emyn Muil) near Whakapapa Village. Complete the drive to your accommodation at Ohakune, where you and your compatriots will lodge for two nights. Enjoy your downtime, stretch you legs by the river, and then dine out with the group.
4 February: Split into two groups, returning past Whakapapa Village to the Tongariro Crossing area.
For keen walkers: Get an early start to catch your shuttle for the eight-hour, 20km (12.4 mi) hike through Tongariro Crossing (Lonely Planet’s “Best One-day Walk in the World”). Pass the foot of Mount Doom and up over craters, steam vents, and beautiful volcanic lakes. Experienced hikers familiar with the terrain will be with you; moderate fitness is necessary. Take the shuttle back and relax.
For everyone else: Enjoy a later start to do the more leisurely three-hour, 6km (3.7mi) first section of the Tongariro Crossing to the Soda Springs, featuring great views of Mount Doom. In the early afternoon, return to Whakapapa Village to take a gondola ride for spectacular views and a hot or cold drink at the top before getting driven back to Ohakune.
Enjoy a shared meal and planned evening entertainment together.
5 February: Get an early start by visiting the ‘Gollum’s fish’ film site, then enjoy a leisurely drive to Wellington. Arrive into Wellington around 3pm. Check into your Kiwi Moot accommodation, then relax for the rest of the evening and prepare for Kiwi Moot..
Kiwi Moot: 6-8 February
Kiwi Moot will start at 9am local time on each day and end before 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, Kiwi Moot ends around 3pm. Your Kiwi Moot ticket covers Elevenses and Afternoon Tea, but not lunch or dinner. Please factor that into your planning. We are also planning on evening activities on Saturday and Sunday evening in addition to dinner which will each cost roughly NZD $25.
Free Day: 9 February
Take a free day before your excursion to the South Island to explore the city, or get out of it to the surrounding area. Spend more time with your new friends (or much needed time by yourself). Informal and optional group activities include Zealandia, Te Papa, a day trip northeast to see Rivendell, the ‘paths of the dead’ valley, plus Martinborough wineries, or more local exploration of the Weta Workshop Cave and extra hands-on workshop activities. Enjoy local hikes, mountain biking, and ferry trips along with shopping or just lazing on the inner city beachfront. Perhaps a cricket match?
Post-Moot Excursion: 10-14 February
10 February: Take an early flight out of Wellington into Christchurch. Get into rental vans and drive out to Mount Sunday (Edoras). Continue the drive to Tekapo for beautiful views and on to Twizel where dinner catering will be arranged after this big travel day.
11 February: In the morning, take a guided tour of the Pelennor Fields locations. In the afternoon, your options include:
- Visiting Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, getting up close to a glacier.
- Visiting various areas where scenes from The Hobbit were shot
- Rest time in Twizel, spending some time by Lake Pukaki.
In the evening, come back together for a communal meal, and enjoy the stars as the Elves do during your stay in a dark sky reserve.
12 February: Drive to Queenstown. During your trip, you’ll visit sites en route such as the Anduin, the Argonath, and various gorgeous mountain scenes. Upon arriving in Queenstown, check into your low-rise apartment. Enjoy all that Aotearoa New Zealand’s premium tourist resort town has to offer with your new friends, which you’ll explore on foot from your central location. Sit down together for dinner and lively conversation.
13 February: Take a day trip to the Glenorchy area, which features the following movie sites: Ithilien, the Mumakil sighting, Lothlorien, and Orthanc. You’ll move on to Arrowtown to visit the Fords of Bruinen and a final shared meal together, followed by the Breaking-of the-Fellowship party. Relax and enjoy your last night in Queenstown.
14 February: The End of All Things. Say goodbye to your fellow travelers and fly homewards… or continue to explore New Zealand either on your own, with friends, or add package trips to further locations from tourist providers in Queenstown, which also serves as the gateway to the gorgeous Fiordland where more adventures await!
Kiwi Moot FAQ
Absolutely, yes. You will have the ability to sign up, and pay for, Kiwi Moot itself without putting down a deposit for one (or both) of the trips.
That is a little difficult to pin down, as costs can easily fluctuate between now and Kiwi Moot, but we will do our best so you can make the best educated decision on whether this experience is in your budget.
Our best estimations for the experiences themselves, not counting your travel costs to Aotearoa New Zealand, any souvenirs you purchase, additional snacks and drinks outside of our planned-for meals, and any pocket money, are as follows:
Pre-Moot North Island Trip (1 -5 February): NZD $1500, AUD $1250, USD $900, £650, €800
Kiwi Moot (6-8 February): NZD $790, AUD $650, USD $460, £435, €400
Post-Moot South Island Trip (10-14 February, including rest day on 9 February): NZD $2000, AUD $1650, USD $1200, £950, €1050
Estimated Total Costs: NZD $4300, AUD $3560, USD $2580, £2135, €2310
Note that the Kiwi Moot costs are also including your estimated accommodations costs.
“Cost” means experiences, accommodation, transport, and food. We are estimating 60-75% of people will twin-share rooms. Those who want their own room will be looking at an additional (NZD $250 for the North Island and NZD $450 for the South Island, to be finally confirmed later this year. Let us know your preference when you sign up. Please note that many of the places we are going are far off the beaten path and do not have large hotels with many sleeping rooms. We highly encourage you to consider sharing a room with someone.
You will want to have money for extra snacks and drinks, souvenirs, and for your entry visa.
We are still working on a few items to get firm confirmations on, such as the price of airfare from Wellington to Christchurch and a few final quotes from some lodgings on both legs of the overall trip. We expect to have everything sorted quite soon, but wanted to open registration up so those that want to put their deposit down, or just sign up for the Moot itself can do so. We’ve estimated high for you to avoid anyone being blindsided by a cost higher than expected. We are working to have your total cost be lower than what we estimated above.
The balance of your trip must be fully paid by 1 November. When you put your deposit down, we will be in touch with you via email about full, exact costs for each leg of your trip.
Yes, should you not be able to attend any part of the Kiwi Moot experience and have already put down money, we will refund anything you have sent us 100%.
Yes, you can pay the excursion deposit on a later date after you’ve paid for Kiwi Moot. Make sure the information you put down for the deposit is the same information you put down for Kiwi Moot.
Possibly. You can click this link to be directed to Immigration New Zealand’s website dealing with their NZeTA program (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority). Citizens of many countries can use an NZeTA to enter the country without applying for a full visa. Most travelers who apply for an NZeTA are also required to pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy at the time of application. The levy will be added to the cost of your NZeTA when you apply.
Yes, we will work with you as much as possible and plan the trip for the people who are coming.
Maybe. Email both [email protected] and [email protected] and tell us more. Remember, you can always do more holidaying without the group.
There will likely be some semi-planned activities we do in the evenings. Ideas we have include watching the Lord of the Rings films, Corey’s Textual Analysis Dice Game, and various card & board games. We want to leave it more up to the group. We also expect people will also be tired and want to go to bed so any of these activities will always be optional. We are planning on have one evening of programmed discussion, music, and other activities during the pre-Moot North Island trip, and one evening for the post-Moot South Island trip.
If you are coming for the pre-Moot excursion, book your travel to Auckland. If you are coming just for Kiwi Moot, or planning to stay for the post-Moot excursion (and didn’t go on the pre-Moot trip), book your travel to Wellington. We’ll provide details via email on how to get from the airport to your lodging or the Moot.
When heading for home, if you are not staying for the post-Moot excursion, book your travel out of Wellington. If you are coming for the post-Moot excursion, book your travel out of Queenstown.
We are actively menu-planning and, when you register, will ask you for your dietary requirements, if any. Meals for the road trip sections are included in the cost and will include some standard breakfast foods and (mostly) picnic lunches. Dinners will be in local restaurants. Kiwi Moot itself will have light fare for elevenses and afternoon tea for free. Lunch and dinner, while planned for, are not part of your Moot ticket and will be extra.
These trips will require a reasonable amount of walking under your own power without the benefit of an assistive device such as a walker or mobility scooter (ECV). Trekking poles may be useful if you wish, but not required. Check with your airline on the proper packing method. If you are unsure if your legs are up for either trip, you can click this link here to be taken to the accessibility page of the Hobbiton Film Set Tour, one of our stops on our pre-Moot excursion. This will give you a good idea of what to expect. Many sites, such as Tongariro National Park and Mount Sunday (Edoras) do require walking and can be a three kilometer round trip (a little less than two miles).
We would encourage you to get your own travel insurance, as that is not covered by Signum. If you have medical issues you have concerns about, you can click this link to learn about the The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), which provides free, comprehensive, no-fault personal injury cover for everyone, including visitors. The link will also tell you what ACC New Zealand does not cover.
Email both [email protected] and [email protected]. Those emails go to the event planners at Signum and the local Kiwi Moot organizers. Between both emails, we can answer your question.
