New Zealand’s lush natural environment has seduced scores of Hollywood film directors in recent years. Blockbusters like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Peter Jackson’s version of King Kong have all been shot in incredibly beautiful locations in the country. The tourism sector has managed to tap into this successfully, and many of the locations have now become pilgrimage sites for onlookers, fans and geeks in general. Here, we’re going to focus on some of the places from the first Middle Earth trilogy that made it to the big screen.
We’ll start with some locations on the North Island like Matamata, perhaps the most iconic of them all. It was chosen as the film set for the Shire and Hobbiton, the home of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins. The intense, deep green landscape is surrounded by dairy farms very close to a village called Waikato.
One of the most interesting points is Wellington, and Mount Victoria, which is within walking distance of the city centre. The forested areas of the mountain were used to depict Hobbiton Woods, where the hobbits hid from the black riders. Close by; we also have the Hutt River between Moonshine and Totara Park, which played the part of the River Anduin.
Another mythical spot from the movies is Rivendell, the home of the elves, in Kaitoke Regional Park. Local authorities have known how to capitalise on it, and all the paths to the exact locations where the movie was filmed are carefully signposted.
Wellington is also home to Weta Workshop and Weta Digital, the mechanical and digital special effects company that managed the visual extravagance for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This has meant that it has also become a tourist attraction with a huge number of souvenir shops related to the films and the surrounding areas located close to their studio.
Nelson, in the South Island, is a must visit. The location of the Chetwood Forest, Dimrill Dale, home of the ‘One Ring’. From Nelson, you can head west over Takaka Hill to see where the Ranger ‘Strider’ led the hobbits into the rugged countryside in an attempt to escape from the Black Riders. You’ll need to take a helicopter ride if you want to see where the fellowship hid from Saruman’s black crows. From the air, you’ll have a bird’s eye view of the region’s three national parks – Abel Tasman, Nelson Lakes and Kahurangi.
Other must-sees: Canterbury, which is the setting for Edoras, the main city of the Rohan people, or Fiordland, where you’ll need to find Takaro Road and witness with your own eyes the mythical Fangorn Forest. So,”my precious”… if you’re a traveller and a geek, you’re taking way too long to jump on a plane and head down to New Zealand.
