New Zealand was a ready-made land of stunning vistas to fit those of J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy epics. As aka Gandalf has said, “Middle Earth is a real place and it is New Zealand.”
And you’ll see plenty of Middle-earth-worthy scenery in SBS’s slow TV journey of New Zealand, North to South.
Spectacular filming locations for Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies are spotted everywhere about the North and South islands making for a dream trip for Middle-earth fans.
North Island
Matamata, Waikato: Hobbiton movie set
A great place to start for Middle-earth fans is the big kahuna, the iconic set of Hobbiton at Matamata, three hours south of Auckland. Here, you can visit Bag End, home of the Baggins’ Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and have an ale at the Green Dragon Inn and a jig under the party tree.
Or feel the fresh grass under your furry feet in the Waikato region’s lush dairy farming pastures that surround the set, doubling for The Shire.
Mangaotaki Valley, near Piopio: Trollshaws Forest and Staddles Farm
Bofur and Gandalf (not the real ones) in front of the Denize Bluffs. Source: Warner Bros.
On their aptly named , you’ll see key locations for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey including majestic limestone cliffs, Denize Bluffs, and native forest. Scenes filmed here include Bilbo being given the elven blade “Sting” by Gandalf and the dwarves rotating on a spit for hungry trolls in Trollshaws Forest.
Tongariro National Park, Ruapehu: Mount Doom and Hidden Bay
Mount Ngauruhoe: fact vs. fiction. Source: Warner Bros.
Most famously though, the volcanic Mount Ngauruhoe was digitally touched up as Mount Doom in Mordor in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, where the One Ring was forged and destroyed.
Forgive us, but we just have to say it: “My precious!”
Kaitoke Regional Park, Wellington: Rivendell
Steal a kiss like Arwen and Aragorn in Kaitoke Regional Park aka Rivendell. Source: Warner Bros.
Now all that exists is the brilliant scenery marked by lush rainforest, although there is a replica of an elven archway. And if the moment strikes you, you can reenact a romantic interlude from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring with a loved one – the kiss between Arwen (Liv Tyler) and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) at Rivendell.
Putangirua Pinnacles, Wairarapa: The Paths of the Dead
Putangirua Pinnacles appear unvarnished in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. Source: Warner Bros.
They served as the eerie setting for the haunted “Paths of the Dead” in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King where Aragorn, Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) make the journey to face the “Army of the Dead”.
Waitomo Caves, Waitomo: Eerie soundscapes for The Hobbit
Given Tolkien’s use of subterranean settings for the epics, it makes sense that Gollum himself, Andy Serkis, abseiled to the depths of Ruakuri Cave in Waitomo to get under Gollum’s skin in preparation for the original trilogy.
The cave, along with Cathedral Cave, served in a behind-the-scenes capacity for The Hobbit films where eerie audio was recorded to accompany subterranean scenes set in Gollum’s pool and Smaug’s Hall.
South Island
Kahurangi National Park: South of Rivendell, Dimrill Dale, Exit from the Mines of Moria
You’ll need to catch a helicopter to Mount Owen that features in ‘The Lord of the Rings’. Source: Warner Bros.
Mount Sunday, Canterbury: Edoras
Mount Sunday as it appears in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. Source: Warner Bros.
Twizel, Canterbury: Battle of the Pelennor Fields
The flat grassy expanse near the charming mountain town of Twizel is famous as the setting for the Battle of Pelennor Fields, a major set piece of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Here, you can take a tour and cosplay it up with sword or orc mask to reenact the epic battle between good and evil.
Lake Pukaki, Canterbury: Lake-town
Lake-town smoulders on Lake Pukaki in ‘The Hobbit’ trilogy. Source: Warner Bros.
Fiordland National Park: Giant eagle rescue
The stunning Sutherland Falls underneath giant eagles in flight. Source: Warner Bros.
New Zealand’s tallest waterfall features in the rousing sequence in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey where giant eagles save Bilbo, Gandalf and co. from orcs by sweeping them up onto their backs and soaring over the Fiordland.
Kawarau Gorge, Central Otago: Anduin River
The iconic ‘The Lord of the Rings’ scene filmed at Kawarau Gorge. Source: Warner Bros.
Pelorus River, Marlborough: River barrel escape
Bilbo (Martin Freeman) rides a wine barrel on Pelorus River in ‘The Hobbit’. Source: Warner Bros.
This is where, in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the band of dwarves barrel down the rapids in wine barrels all while fighting angry orcs, dodging arrows and contending with Legolas using their bobbing heads as stepping stones.
The Remarkables, Queenstown: the Misty Mountains
The stunning mountain range The Remarkables forms the background to Queenstown. Source: Getty Images/Tim Clayton
In the latter, the stunning mountain range known as The Remarkables surrounding Queenstown, is the external stand-in for the Misty Mountains. Far beneath, Bilbo Baggins “finds” the One Ring to rule them all, before a face-off with a very angry Gollum.
Forgive us, but we just have to say it (again): “My precious!”
North to South airs on Sunday, 27 January at 7:30pm on SBS as part of SBS’s Slow Summer.
