It’s the home of rugby players, the Maori, laid back snowboarders and gruff farmers. It has a wealth of untouched beaches, rolling hills and snow-capped mountains.
But, it is also the home of Middle-Earth. Peter Jackson knew there was nowhere better to film The Lord of the Rings trilogy and his vision of the country undoubtedly sparked its craze for ‘Tolkien Tourism’. Not only this, but it has now re-opened its arms to the filming of The Hobbit, which is set to come out this December. There is no better way to celebrate its imminent release by a guided tour of its filming locations.
Most New Zealand newcomers usually start off in Auckland, on the northern island of the country and a great place to start off a Lord of the Rings Tour would be the nearby countyof Matamata. Matamata is the home of Hobbiton where both Frodo and Bilbo Baggins would start their quests. Peter Jackson spotted Alexander Farm in Matamata during an aerial search of the North Island and immediately thought it was a perfect home for the hobbits. Still a working farm, it now gives guided tours around the set in which the film crew left Bag End and the ‘party tree’ intact.
Head south along the desert road from Matamata and you will find Taupo and Tongariro National park. There are three volcanoes in Tongariro and it was on the slopes of Mount Ruapehuthat Sam and Frodo first encountered Gollum. Not only this but, the park’s Mount Ngauruhoe played the iconic part of Mount Doom. There is a 7 hour hiking trail along the Tongariro crossing will show you many of the films locations, taking you past both the Emerald lakes and the Lava flows of the volcano.
The most southern part of the north island is home to the capital of New Zealand, Wellington, well known for its art galleries and nightlife. The region around Wellington saw the filming of locations such as, Isenguard, Rivendell and Lothlorein in the trilogy. Arguably the most easily accessible film location from Wellington is on Mount Victoria, which is walking distance from the city centre and was used for the scenes surrounding the escape of the Hobbits from the black riders in the first film. Mount Victoria also offers stunning views of the city and the harbor.
A good way to travel from Wellington to the southernislandofNew Zealandis the Interislander Ferry, which will take you across the Cook Strait to the town of Picton, which is an ideal base if you fancy doing a few wine tasting tours. On the southern Island you will discover that it is less rolling hills and more about the steep gradients and icy pinnacles of the Alps.
The region of Nelson is a stones throw away from the Picton crossing and is known for its beautiful beaches and wide open spaces among its three national parks. Nelson provided the locations for Chetwood Forest, Rivendell and Dimrill Dale in the trilogy and is also home to many of the local artisans that worked on the films with the ‘one ring’ being made by a Nelson craftsman. You can also sample the stout served over the bar to the Hobbits in the ‘Prancing Pony’, by visiting Harrington’s Brewery in the district of Richmond.
Down the east coast from Nelson is the city of Christchurch and the Canterbury region. Nestled amongst a ring of craggy mountains is Mount Sunday, which was the setting for Rohan in the films. Here in Edoras you can take tours of the area over mountain rivers in a four wheel drive.
No trip to New Zealand would be complete without visiting the ‘adventure capital’ of Queenstown, where you can channel your inner daredevil like Orlando Bloom and go bungee jumping or kite surfing. If you head up to Glenorchy, you can go on a “Ride of the Rings” horseback trek and discover the setting to Isenguard among amazing views. Some of the horses used even starred in the films. Queenstown lays amongst the Remarkables mountain range, where helicopter tours can show the setting of the Misty Mountain in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was the star of the ‘lighting of the beacons’ scene in The Return of the King.
Flights from Heathrow to Auckland start from £700
To find out more about planning a trip toNew Zealandvisit www.newzealand.com/uk
