I’ve been watching and loving “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy for the past 20 years. Growing up alongside these films, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to travel to New Zealand and see the filming locations of Middle-earth with my own eyes. This November, after saving up for years, my long-awaited dream finally came true. During a two-week tour with incredibly friendly and expert guides Julie James and Josh Roach from Red Carpet Tours and a fellowship of over thirty passionate fans, we went across the entire country, gaining exclusive access to private lands, insider insights into the making of the films, and even reenacting our favorite scenes with props in the very same spots where filming occurred.
I saw firsthand how the locations perfectly embody J.R.R. Tolkien’s vision of Middle-earth. New Zealand, with its lush forests, snowy glaciers, rolling hills, and sprawling mountains, is breathtaking — a country Peter Jackson captures so magnificently in his sweeping, awe-inspiring landscape shots. In many ways, New Zealand is the true star of the trilogy. More than anything, though, the tour opened my eyes to just how much care and craft went into this monumental series. When Tolkien first imagined his fantasy world, who would have guessed it was actually located over 11,000 miles away from his England home?
“I want to see mountains again, Gandalf, mountains!” Bilbo says in “The Fellowship of the Ring,” and now, after seeing the real-life faces of The Misty Mountains, The Lonely Mountain, and even Mordor for myself, I truly understand the lust for adventure and excitement that comes from stepping outside your door into the great wide world. New Zealand was the farthest away from home I’d ever been, and I invite you along my unforgettable, long-expected journey.
The simple joys of The Shire
The real-life Hobbiton set is surrounded by bright green hills stretching as far as the eye can see, reminiscent of the English countryside that inspired Tolkien. Many of the hills have the facade of a hobbit hole (44 in total), each with a unique personality that Weta Workshop lovingly crafted with fine detail. Several hobbit holes have stands with fake bread, honey jars, or pastries, while others featured chessboards in their yards or tiny hobbit clothes hanging from a drying rope. One home was designed to look like it belonged to a fishmonger, with a table for wrapping their fresh catches, while others had mailboxes adorned with intricate etchings of flowers or bumblebees. In the middle of Hobbiton, there is a seesaw, swings, and a maypole where young hobbits can frolic.
I was moved to tears and reminded of the Tolkien quote, “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” The hobbits’ home had a warmth, comfort, and sense of compassion that I feel is so lost in our divided and fast-paced society. With consuming work obligations, little time to see friends, and families often spread across the country, contemporary adult life can feel so stressful and isolating. Gazing out at those quaint hobbit holes, I saw a close-knit community where everyone could contribute something meaningful — working with their hands instead of rotating between computer, iPhone, and television screens all day long. The hobbits could easily walk to The Green Dragon (an actual pub on the premises) for a crisp pint with their best buddies, then unwind in their snug hobbit holes. These characters have a slow, simple, and nature-filled way of living that I yearn for, especially while living in a city. Being in The Shire reminded me that I need step away from the grind sometimes and enjoy the world around me.
The thrill of conquering Edoras
Edoras, a key location in “The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King,” was filmed on the steep, jagged Mount Sunday, offering a 360-degree view of towering, snow-capped mountains and wide, grassy plains. Climbing it was scary for me because I have approximately zero athletic skills, but it was worth every step. When I reached the peak and felt the wind in my hair, like Éowyn in front of The Great Hall, I was not only proud of myself for conquering my fears, but I got an overwhelming sense of strength and connection to nature. It’s a feeling that only being in such an incredible location can give you.
Standing on the mountain, I immediately thought how helpful it must have been for the actors to be here rather than in a studio with a green screen. It would have been much easier to immerse themselves in their heroic roles, racing toward Rohan or watching for the beacons of Gondor, while actually feeling the blustering wind or the hot sun and taking in these stunning surrounding vistas. Being in the middle of such majestic landscapes affects you both mentally and physically, and we see that shine through in their performances. The arduous climb also made me appreciate the strength of the cast and crew for navigating this rocky, windy, and inclined terrain; many of the locations we visited were surprisingly difficult to maneuver.
Peter Jackson’s commitment to filming on location in New Zealand is a large part of why the films have held up so well for the past two decades. The details, scope, and unpredictability of these gorgeous vistas give the fantasy world of Middle-earth tangibility and texture, as well as a sense of danger and epic wonder that can only be captured by the natural world. Despite “The Hobbit” trilogy also largely being shot in some of the same locations, the effect is largely lost on those films, which frequently have a more glossy, studio-shot look to them.
Family farms became a part of film history
Speaking of “The Hobbit,” we did visit some of the locations from that trilogy, too. Many sites we visited are farms that have been owned by families for generations. All of the landowners we spoke to were fascinated by the logistics and infrastructure involved in filming. Part of Ian Hayman’s farm included the dazzling Lake Tekapo with bright turquoise water which was used for the Lake-town refugees. But Peter Jackson had to work with the New Zealand government to lower the lake and expose more of the shoreline to accommodate the 700 extras.
The refugee camp took months to build, and there were still pieces of fake wood from the set scattered around all these years later. They were surprisingly light, and finely detailed with grooves and lines. In the end, the set was only used for 13 minutes of footage. It was exciting to see how Jackson and his crew put so much effort into bringing scenes to life, even if they ended up being brief on screen.
Another perk about having an entire film crew show up at your home? The craft services! Ian Hayman joked that it was “like going to a wedding every day.” Warrick Denzie, owner of the property near Piopio that was used for Trollshaw Forest, said his family also got to indulge in the feast on a daily basis. His sons would even take samples to share with their friends on the school bus. The Denzies’ property has rows of massive limestone cliffs that were originally seen as eyesores, but they were exactly what caught Jackson’s eye.
Locals helped out in a big way
Priscilla Cameron owns the farm that would become the site of The Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where golden-hued grass stretches all the way to the horizon. Just as the Rohan soldiers come together in the movies, the entire New Zealand community rallied to create one of the most epic, action-packed battle scenes ever.
In the tiny town of Twizel, the production team literally knocked on the doors of local homes and even hotels to find 1,500 extras. Cameron even ended up playing one of the orcs, as did many of the locals we came across. The New Zealand Infantry also played orcs; “They finally got to be in a battle,” Cameron joked. Peter Jackson traveled to a Wellington cricket game to gather sounds of the orcs stomping, growling, and the men shouting “Death!” — which the crowd had to practice saying without the ‘I’ sound typical of the New Zealand accent.
Ads were placed in equestrian magazines and local newspapers to encourage people to bring their horses. Although Peter Jackson originally wanted 500 horses and riders for Rohan, he ended up with 286, most of whom were young women who had to transform into bearded men. Coordinating all these extras and animals was no easy feat, especially since the horses had to spend three days training for the charging scene. The crew had to make sure the horses would move at the same time and wouldn’t fight with each other. This was all for a close-up shot that only lasts a few seconds. We never think about this when we see it on screen, but there is so much manpower and time put into every shot in “The Lord of the Rings.”
Andy Serkis was inches from death
Another fascinating aspect of visiting the real-life locations was seeing the differences in how they appear on screen. What’s just outside the frame often becomes as exciting as what’s in it, and vice versa. The famous “Get off the road!” forest is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the bustling city center of Wellington. Nearby the breaking of the fellowship riverside, other tourists were innocently strolling by, unaware they were footsteps away from cinema history. There were often conservation areas or walking trails right near the filming locations.
Some locations were quite precarious. The hill the Uruk-hai ran down screaming “Find the halfling!” was very steep and slippery, making it remarkable that the actors in bulky armor, prosthetics, and heavy makeup could actually navigate it and run down without slipping (which I did several times while trying to get my picture).
But one of the most dangerous locales was where Gollum tries to catch a fish in “The Two Towers.” The area is filled with tons of pointy, wet rocks. Maybe the hobbit feet gave Elijah Wood and Sean Astin some cushion, but I couldn’t believe that they simply walked and performed the scene without wincing or having to look down at their feet! What was even more impressive was that Andy Serkis, while writhing in his white suit trying to catch a fish, was literally inches away from falling off a deadly cliff into a freezing waterfall. The location opened my eyes to how much Serkis truly threw himself into the role, and just how much athleticism was required overall to be a part of this trilogy.
Forever under The Lord of the Rings’ spell
Like my Middle-earth heroes, I feel a great sense of accomplishment having journeyed from The Shire to Mordor across the gorgeous country of New Zealand. The locations the entire production team discovered were hidden gems that were perfect for bringing Middle-earth to life. It’s genuinely awe-inspiring to see how Jackson brought so many people together to create a film that will stand the test of time. I can’t wait to watch “The Lord of the Rings” again (extended editions, duh!) now that I’ve been to the locations — something I’ve dreamed about ever since I first saw the films all those years ago. Seeing how the films were made didn’t break the magical spell “The Lord of the Rings” has over me; instead, it only made me more awestruck by the effort every single one of the filmmakers put into it. One of the tour members described the films as “miracles,” and in many ways, they are. It took an incredible amount of planning, ingenuity, and teamwork to put Tolkien’s saga onto film, and I feel lucky to have experienced even a little part of that in person.
