Waikato Harbor – Weathertop
New Zealand’s longest river is the Waikato River at 425 kilometres, and Port Waikato is where the river meets the sea. Lord of the Rings Weathertop Hollow was filmed in the rock formation.
Kiwis visit this seaside town for the beaches, surf and fresh seafood. The beach is also called Sunset Beach, where you can watch New Zealand’s most spectacular sunset spectacle.
Matamata-Hobbiton
Matamata is a small rural town known for its breeding and training of Thoroughbred horses. Now, it is known more as the Hobbiton, thanks to the movie The Lord of the Rings.
As the actual film site is on private land, personal visits are not permitted. To get to Hobbiton, you’ll need to take a guided tour. Registration can be done at Matamata I-Site.
Tongariro National Park – Mordor
This is the first National Park in New Zealand and the fourth in the world. It is also a World Heritage area with important links to Maori cultural and spiritual associations, as well as its volcanic features.
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is New Zealand’s most popular day trip. This route is part of the Tongariro Northern Circuit, one of New Zealand’s 9 Great Walks. This trek takes around 7 hours of steady walking and requires a good level of physical condition.
Whakapapa Ski Field – Mordor and Emyn Muil
Whakapapa and Turoa form New Zealand’s largest ski resort during the winter. But during other seasons, Mount Ruapehu is just an area full of mountainous volcanic rocks, with little activity.
Alpine weather conditions are unpredictable and changeable throughout the day. Even if you go in the middle of a summer day, you can still find unmelted snow around the area.
Ohakune – Ithilien and Mordor
Ohakune has rich volcanic soil, allowing it to claim the largest production of carrots in New Zealand. Try to see the Big Carrot around town; You will look so small next to him!
Ithilien is located on Turoa Ski Field Road, also known as Ohakune Mountain Road Scenic Drive. To get to the movie site, you will need to travel all the way to Mangawhero Falls.
Rangitikei River Gorge – Anduin River
The river begins in the Kaimanawa Ranges (southeast of Lake Taupo), flows through the Central Plateau, and exits at South Taranaki Bight in Tangimoana, 40 kilometers southeast of Wanganui.
Steep vertical cliffs, deep canyon boulders and ancient shellfish create a unique setting for adventure activities. The world famous attraction, Gravity Canyon, is located here.
Waitarere Forest – Trollshaw Forest and Osgiliath Forest
Waitarere Forest is south of Foxton on the Kapiti Coast. This is one of the least known forest tracks and not so common among tourists. If you want to go in, bring enough food, water, and a GPS.
Kapiti Coast, on the other hand, is a popular vacation spot for many Kiwis. It is about an hour from the city of Wellington and you can get spectacular sea views, glorious sunsets, untouched native forests and spectacular scenery.
Otaki and Otaki Gorge – Leaving the Shire
I had the impression that once I went somewhere in Otaki for a camp. It was an outdoor camp and they recommended not to bring valuables. There is also no reception for any mobile phones.
There are several tracks leading from the Otaki Gorge Road to the gorge. However, the actual locations used to show the Hobbits leaving the Shire in The Fellowship of the Ring are not accessible to the public.
Paraparaumu – Pelennor Fields
It is a small suburban town near Wellington. The Maori name parapara means scrapings of food and umu is an earth oven. It probably refers to the arrival of a war party and only a few crumbs of food were found in abandoned earthen ovens.
Close ups of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields in The Lord of the Rings were filmed in Queen Elizabeth Park near Paraparaumu and the paddocks near MacKays Crossing. You can also visit the Wellington Tram Museum here on weekends.
Mt Victoria – ‘Off the Trail’ and ‘Escape the Nazgul’
Climb Mount Victoria (Mt Vic for short) for a great view of the city, Cook Strait, and harbor. It’s quite a long uphill walk. Try the #20 Metlink bus on weekdays if you don’t drive and really want to see the sights.
I think I drove up once or twice, enjoyed the view and the wind while I was there, but not much of an impression now. You can also go through the Mount Victoria Tunnel when traveling between the city center and the airport.
Mount Victoria and Lyall Bay – Dunharrow
If my memory is correct this was one of the sites I went to on Wellington Rover Tours. Since I can’t even remember the exact scenes from Lord of the Rings, I don’t have much of an impression of this place.
The close-ups of Dunharrow were filmed at this location, while the wide shots were filmed on the South Island. Movie effects have a way of seamlessly blending different scenes together!
Fernside–Lothlorien and Gladden Fields
Fernside Gardens were established around 1870 and are attributed to the English designer Gertrude Jekyll. The peaceful and tranquil gardens and man-made lake were perfectly suited to LOTR’s representation of Lothlorien, home of the Elves.
Please note that this site in South Wairarapa is not open to casual visitors. You’ll need to go on their organized tours of the garden to get in.
Putangirua Pinnacles – Dimholt Road
The special feature of Putangirua Pinnacles is the “erosion of the badlands”. It is a spectacular landscape that was formed over time when a river bed exposed layers of gravel to rain and flooding. The most resistant rocks formed the pinnacles.
Take a look at the observation deck near the base of the pinnacles. The upper track to walk through the bushes to the observation deck over the Pinnacles formations has already been closed for safety reasons.
Kaitoke Regional Park – Rivendell
Out of all the movie sites in the North Island, this is my favourite. Maybe I really like the Rivendell fantasy. Somehow Kaitoke Regional Park has an ethereal aspect to it, I’m not sure if it’s because this place was used as Rivendell.
The park is located in the foothills of the Tararua Ranges, with many mature native trees such as beech, rata, and rimu. The best thing about this place, the “magical tranquility” remained almost the same for centuries.
Harcourt Park – Isengard Gardens and Orc Tree
Apart from the beautiful park, the unique feature of Harcourt Park is that it displays an example of the Wellington Fault, one of the 4 main active faults that run through the Wellington region.
The Wellington Fault last ruptured about 200-450 years ago, with intervals recurring every 500-1000 years, moving 4-6 meters each time. In addition, the vertical movement of the ground causes differences in the heights of the terraces.
Hutt River – Anduin River and Rohan River
Scenes are filmed at various locations along the Hutt River, with the main location being between Moonshine and Totara Park. Activity on the Wellington Fault over the past 2 million years has weakened the bedrock and formed the river floodplain.
One way to follow the river is to hike all or part of the Hutt River Trail. It will be accessible by a short walk across the Moonshine Bridge to the edge of Totara Park. The long walk (~24 km) will be from Petone towards Upper Hutt.
Fort Dorset-Bree
Bree is filmed at a former military base in the suburb of Seatoun. Nothing remains of the set and this place is also not accessible to the public. The closest view is from the end of Burnham Street and walking around the beach.
Dry Creek Quarry – Helm’s Deep and Minas Tirith
Dry Creek Quarry is located on Western Hutt Road to Haywards Hill Road. Please note that the set has been removed and the quarry is now operational again. Yes, it is also not accessible to the public.