Self-guided Lord of the Rings tour in New Zealand
All the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies were filmed at various locations all over New Zealand. Reportedly there are more than 150 locations in both North and South Islands where the movies were shot. With beauty that surpasses anything elsewhere in the world, it doesn’t come as a surprise that New Zealand was chosen to represent the Middle Earth. Through this 7 days itinerary you will be able to see the best of Lord of the Rings & Hobbit filming locations. You can even extend the duration from a week to 2 weeks in case you have more time (you can choose to spend extra time at some major locations like Hobbiton and Mt Ngauruhoe).
To actually see the Middle Earth up close and its spell bounding attractions, a car rental is the only way. Yes, you can join various tours when it comes to the locations, but moving from one city to another would prove to be a lot easier with a car. Even moving from one island to another is an easy process with a hired car; most of the rental companies allow the vehicles to be taken on a ferry. Another great benefit of renting a car is that you can pick them directly from the airport you are using. All major car hire companies have their rental desks at the NZ Airports.
Day 1 Spend day 1 exploring Hobbiton & its nearby attractions
The first location that comes to mind when we think of The Lord of the Rings movies is the Shire – the place where Frodo lives with his uncle Bilbo. The sets were built with utmost details in the Waikato town of Matamata, actually its outer plush-green regions (which are used for dairy farming).
The Hobbiton was not supposed to exist after the filming of the Hobbit movies but thanks to all the fans that kept appearing to have a look at the location, it is still here. After Hobbit movies, the sets were kept intact in all their glory and new additions were also made (which are mentioned in the books, like the pub) for the tourists.
Hobbiton has 44 hobbit holes, one of which is the BAG END (Bilbo’s and Frodo’s house). Hobbiton is located about 1 hour’s drive from Auckland and you can easily spend half a day here. After that, spend the rest of the day exploring the nearby areas.
Things to do near Hobbiton
- Firth Tower Museum
- Opal Hot Springs
- Hauraki Rail Trail
- Waikato River Trails
- Lake District Adventures
In the evening drive towards Mount Ngauruhoe
The drive from Hobbiton to Mount Ngauruhoe is almost 2.5 hours long. We advise you to make the drive on the same day after Hobbiton and stay near Mount Ngauruhoe as it will allow you to save time & witness the sunrise on day 2.
Where to stay in Hobbiton?
Lake Karapiro Lodge, O’Reilly’s Motel and Country Retreat BnB are some of the highly rated stay option near Hobbiton movie sets.
Day 2 Spend the 2nd day exploring the land of Mordor – Tongariro National Park
Many parts of Tongariro National Park were used as the setting for the land of the Mordor. The highlight of the area is Mount Ngauruhoe which was used as Mount Doom – the very place where the ring was forged and then destroyed.
The best thing about this location is that you can actually climb Mount Ngauruhoe. Just hop in your car and get to Mt Ngauruhoe car park, from there you need 5 to 6 hours to accomplish the task at hand.
After spending half a day at Mount Ngauruhoe, you can visit a few other filming locations in the region like Mount Ruapehu which was used as Emyn Muil in the movies, the land between Rohan and the deserted lands of Dead Marshes and the Nindalf.
If you would rather like to visit the place where Gollum was shown catching fish, visit the Mangawhero Falls, just a few minutes’ drive from the town of Ohakune.
Tawhai falls – The waterfall & the pool were also used partially in the scenes where Gollum is shown catching a fish. Tawhai falls is now popularly known as Gollum’s pool. It is in North Island and is just 4km from Whakapapa Village.
Another well known location is Tukino ski field which was used in the movies as Gogoroth & Black Gate. It is located on the eastern side of the National Park.
Where to stay in Tongariro National Park?
In Tongariro National Park, you can stay at a lot of options, but assuming that you will be visiting Tukino ski field at the end, here are a few stay-option suggestions:
- Chateau Tongariro Hotel
- The Park Hotel Ruapehu
- Pipers Ski Lodge
Day 3 & 4 The last stop on the North Island is Wellington
The drive from Tongariro National Park to Wellington is quite long; it will take you about 4 hours via State Highway 1. But the long drive is worth every minute ; you will not be disappointed, Wellington is known to have the best of ALL the LOTR filming locations.
Mount Victoria
Of all the LOTR filming locations in Wellington, the main highlight is Mount Victoria, which is a few minutes’ drive from Central Wellington. The forested areas of Mount Victoria were used as Hobbiton Woods during the scenes where the hobbits are shown hiding from the black riders.
Harcourt Park
The next on the list is Harcourt Park which was used as the Gardens of Isengard. If you feel like you can even visit Hutt River ; it is just a small drive away by car. It was used as River Anduin which lies between Moonshine and Tōtara Park.
Kaitoke Regional Park
This Wellington Park was used as Rivendell. The place where Frodo recovers from knife attack can be reached from the nearby car park by following the sign boards.
Queen Elizabeth Park
A few minutes’ drive from Wellington lies Queen Elizabeth Park; drive towards its west coast near Paraparaumu, you will find Nazgul and mumakil where the Battle of the Pelennor Fields was shot.
Waitarere Forest
Waitarere Forest (Osgiliath Wood) is also nearby – the place where Frodo, Sam and Gollum are shown walking off as they leave Faramir.
Putangirua Pinnacles
The hills to the Wairarapa region were also used in the movie; it has a place called Putangirua Pinnacles which was used as Paths of Dead.
Day 5 Look for the One Ring in Nelson Tasman
The drive from Wellington to Nelson is quite long; it will take you around 6 hours including the time on the ferry.
The rings used in the movies were forged by a goldsmith called Jens Hansen – he lives in Nelson Tasman. All the 40 rings used in the production were created by him.
From Tasman, drive west and go on to visit Takaka Hill
Takaka Hill is about 1 hour drive from Nelson. This place was used as Chetwood Forest in the movies – the scenes where hobbits are taken towards east of Bree by Ranger ‘Strider’ in order to escape the Black Riders.
Where to stay near Takaka Hill?
After spending some peaceful time moving about, we suggest you rest after the long drive between the two islands. Kairuru Farm Stay, Terraced Chalets
& Moonraker House, are some of the places where you can stay for the night.
Day 6 After Takaka Hill, drive towards Canterbury
The next stop is Canterbury whose Mount Sunday was used as Edoras, the main city of the Rohan people. On this place a set was built (it took them nine months to do so), which was not as lucky as the Hobbiton set; nothing of the set remains for the visitors to see.
However don’t be disappointed, the place still is magical. Most of the people park their cars at Hakatere Potts Road and visit this site. In case you would like something to eat afterwards, Mount Potts Station has a restaurant and also offers accommodations in case.
After Canterbury, Mackenzie Country’s Twizel is the next stop
The drive from Canterbury to Twizel is 2 hours long via State Highway 8. The grassy fields of Mackenzie Country near Twizel were used during the filming of the battle of Pelennor Fields. It is the very place where the orcs are shown clashing with men of Gondor and Rohan.
This is part of a private land, but you can still book a tour in the town of Twizel to see this location (which matches the description given in the LOR trilogy books in case you have read them).
Where to stay in Twizel?
Here are a few highly rated accommodation-options in Twizel that you can use for the night stay:
- Mountain Chalet Motels
- Lakestone Lodge
- Matuka Lodge
Day 7 Lakes, forests & quaint towns
The drive from Glenorchy to Twizel takes 3 hours to complete. So if you start early you will be in Glenorchy by 11 or 11:30 AM. In the village of Glenorchy, from the banks of Lake Wakatipu, you can see Mount Earnslaw which was used in the opening sequence of the Two Towers.
Next location is Mararoa River; it is located 2 hours drive from Glenorchy. It was used for the scenes when the Fellowship leaves Lothlorien – few locations were used as the beech forest that falls on the way to Paradise.
Another great filming location you should visit is Arrowtown near Queenstown whose Ford of Bruinen was used in the movie. It is about a 2 hours drive from Mararoa River. It is the only crossable part of the River Bruinen which was used for the scene where Arwen called a flood in order to kill the horses of the Ringwraiths.
Where to stay in Arrowtown?
Some of the best stay options in Queenstown’s Arrowtown area are listed below:
- Arrowtown Holiday Park
- Millbrook Resort
- Arrowtown Lodge