A hobbit hole with a round green door and a sign on a grassy slope

In the footsteps of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit in New Zealand

· Travel · 2 min read

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For me, as for millions of people, New Zealand is Middle-earth. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were one of the reasons I wanted to come here. So on my road trips I set off in the footsteps of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, from the Shire through Mordor to Edoras. Here are the places you can visit.

123456Hobbiton (the Shire)Mount DoomRivendellPaths of the DeadEdorasGlenorchyMiddle-earth in New Zealand41°22′ j. š.S250 km
Mapa: Middle-earth in New Zealand
  1. Hobbiton (the Shire) – Matamata 37.872° S, 175.683° E
  2. Mount Doom – Tongariro, with Gollum's pool nearby 39.157° S, 175.632° E
  3. Rivendell – Kaitoke 41.083° S, 175.183° E
  4. Paths of the Dead – Putangirua Pinnacles 41.450° S, 175.240° E
  5. Edoras – Mount Sunday 43.663° S, 171.337° E
  6. Glenorchy – Isengard and Lothlórien 44.850° S, 168.390° E

The Shire: Hobbiton near Matamata

The only set still standing. 44 hobbit holes, Bag End and the Green Dragon inn. In detail in dreamy Hobbiton.

Mordor: Tongariro National Park

The volcano Ngauruhoe played Mount Doom and the barren land around it Mordor. The lava slopes of Ruapehu served as the Emyn Muil. Below Ruapehu is also Tawhai Falls, where Gollum caught a fish ("Fishes, fishes!"). More in the Desert Road and Tongariro.

Around Wellington

Wellington is home to Peter Jackson and the Weta Workshop studio, so a lot was filmed here.

  • Mount Victoria: the forest where the hobbits hide under the roots from a Black Rider.
  • Kaitoke Regional Park: Rivendell. A replica of the elven gate stands on the spot.
  • Harcourt Park: the gardens of Isengard.
  • Putangirua Pinnacles: the rock towers where Aragorn takes the Paths of the Dead.

More about the city in Wellington.

The South Island: Rohan and the Misty Mountains

  • Mount Sunday: a lone hill in the Rangitata valley where Edoras, the capital of Rohan, stood. The sets are gone, but the view of the mountains around is the same as in the film.
  • Glenorchy and Paradise: valleys near Queenstown where Isengard, Lothlórien and Amon Hen were filmed.
  • Twelve Mile Delta: Ithilien, where Gollum cooks the rabbit.
  • The Arrow River: the Ford of Bruinen, where Arwen calls the water down on the Black Riders.
A red wooden shed with the word Glenorchy by a lake
Glenorchy, the gateway to a valley full of film locations
Brown mountain ridges above a lake at sunset

Why New Zealand

Peter Jackson is a New Zealander, and he knew his country offers all of Middle-earth's landscapes in a small space: green hills, volcanic wastelands, rainforests, glaciers, mountains and rivers. New Zealand still relies on film tourism and calls itself the "Home of Middle-earth" in its campaigns.

Faq

Where was The Lord of the Rings filmed?

The whole trilogy and The Hobbit were filmed in New Zealand, at more than 150 locations around the country.

Is Hobbiton the only set that remains?

Yes, the Hobbiton Movie Set near Matamata is the only set preserved. The other places are natural locations.

Where is Mount Doom?

Mount Doom was played by the volcano Ngauruhoe in Tongariro National Park on the North Island.

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