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An
amazing achievement, three films in The Lord of the Rings
trilogy filmed simultaneously, against the varied backdrops of
director Peter
Jackson’s
native New Zealand, standing in for Tolkien’s ‘Middle
Earth’. Be aware, though, that the locations are spread over
both of New Zealand’s islands, and some are pretty inaccessible.
The
private Alexander Farm, near Matamata , toward Karapiro
in the Waikato area, represented the rolling, bucolic greenery
of the Shire, home of Bilbo (Ian
Holm)
and Frodo Baggins (Elijah
Wood).
In
order for ‘Hobbiton’to blend naturally into the landscape,
the extensive set was planted with crops and flowers a year before
the cameras rolled. Matamata, which now proudly advertises itself
as Hobbiton, has a Tourist Information Centre at 45 Broadway.
You can visit what remains of the Hobbiton set (on guided tours
only) with Rings Scenic Tours Ltd (tel: 64.7.888.6838; www.hobbitontours.com).
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Rivendell:
Kaitoke Regional Park, Upper Hutt City, North Island
Photograph:
Paul Lambert & Peter McDonald, Upper Hutt City
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In
Kaitoke
Regional Park, about 8 miles from Upper Hutt
City, the elvish realm of ‘Rivendell’ was built.
This is where Frodo recovers from his wound and the Fellowship
is formed. The ‘Silverlode River’ and Galadriel’s
swan-boat also filmed here. The ‘Great River Anduin’
is the Hutt River between Moonshine Bridge and Poets Park (rail:
Wallaceville)
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The
woods of Lothlorien: Fernside Lodge, Featherston
Photograph: Fernside Lodge, Featherston |
The
woods of ‘Lothlorien’, where Frodo gets help and advice
from elf queen Galadriel (Cate
Blanchett),
are the gardens of Fernside
Lodge, a homestead inn about two miles from Featherston,
Wairarapa, about 40 miles east of Wellington. Here you can see
the White Bridge. And, yes, you can stay here (tel: +64 6 308
8265).
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Saruman's
realm of 'Isengard': Harcourt Park, Upper Hutt
Photograph:
Paul Lambert & Peter McDonald, Upper Hutt City |
Harcourt
Park, Akatarawa Road, Upper Hutt, 20 miles north
of Wellington, became’ Isengard’, the realm of the evil
Saruman (Christopher
Lee),
who has an army of Orcs use ropes to pull down trees to fuel his
forge (don’t worry, they were old trees shipped in and erected
for the movie). In June 2002, the remains of the tree, with bolts
still embedded, could still be seen (rail: Upper Hutt,
bus to Brown Owl shops).
There's
plenty more to visit. Also on North Island you can find the dark
and savage landscapes of 'Mordor' and 'Mt Doom', where the Ring
was forged;' and the quarry which was transformed into the huge
fortress city of 'Minas Tirith', and where the battle of Helm's
Deep was staged; and the site of the Bree set (where the Hobbits
were supposed to meet Gandalf (Ian
McKellen) at the Prancing Pony Inn, but instead meet up with
the mysterious Strider (Viggo
Mortensen).
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Spectacular
South Island scenery: Fjordland |
On
New Zealand’s South Island you’ll find ‘Chetwood
Forest’ near ‘Bree’, where the Hobbits first flee,
which was filmed on Takaka Hill, between Golden and Tasman
Bay near Nelson.
Mt
Olympus, in Golden Bay in Kahurangi National Park,
provided scenes in the ‘Eregion Hills’ and the rough
country south of ‘Rivendell’. Mt Owen became
the ‘Dimrill Dale’ hillside and ‘Chetwood Forest’.
The
spectacular Fjordland
region, on the western coast, supplied several locations:
‘Weathertop’ camp, where the ring wraiths catch up with
the Hobbits and Frodo is stabbed in the shoulder, is Te Anau.
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