If you're a fan of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogy, don't miss these uniquely Middle‑earth™ activities and tours.
From Mount Doom in the north to Dimrill Dale in the south, these famous film locations are sure to amaze all Lord of the Rings fans.
Experience Middle‑earth™ magic at its finest when you take the Hobbiton™ Movie Set tour(opens in new window). As you wander around The Shire and the Hobbit Holes™ and learn more about the film sets you'll soon feel like you're inside Tolkien’s fantasy world. Complete the day with a Southfarthing™ beer and a banquet meal at The Green Dragon Inn™.
Mangaotaki Farm in the Waitomo region was used as a filming location for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". The pivotal troll campfire scenes were filmed in this area. During a tour with Hairy Feet Waitomo(opens in new window), you will explore the area and learn about what it was like having Peter Jackson and a film crew on the farm. You'll explore the secluded Mangaotaki valley and its magnificent limestone cliffs and ancient forest.
The fascinating Waitomo Caves were used to record parts of the audio for The Hobbit Trilogy™. A truly otherworldly experience, many of the caves have stalactites and stalagmites growing inside and the cave walls are covered by glittering glow worms. Abseil or walk into the caves and explore the underworld with Discover Waitomo(opens in new window), they offer a range of tours including blackwater rafting, abseiling and boat tours.
Interested in the movie-making geniuses that brought Middle‑earth™ to life? Don’t miss the Wētā Cave(opens in new window) and Studio Tours. Wētā Workshop is the Academy Award-winning company behind the special effects of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogy. The Wētā Cave is a mini-museum that showcases the props and characters that create movie magic.
The Nelson region is home to both Mt Olympus (South of Rivendell) & Mt Owen (Dimrill Dale). Helicopters Nelson(opens in new window) pilot Bill Reid personally flew location scouts to Mt Olympus, where they fell in love with the landscape. Dimrill Dale was where the members of the Fellowship of the Ring escaped Moria and grieved the loss of Gandalf.
Queenstown is home to some of Middle‑earth™’s most spectacular filming locations, including Isengard and Lothlórien. It’s a region known for its majestic alpine peaks, turquoise blue lakes and fields of golden tussock. Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopter flights(opens in new window) will take you on a Middle‑earth™ inspired scenic flight above Queenstown and Fiordland. Pilot Alfie Speight did most of the aerial filming for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, so an authentic Middle‑earth™ experience is guaranteed.
Combine off-road adventure with Middle‑earth™ magic on a tour with Nomad Safaris in Queenstown(opens in new window). Bring the films to life with the use of props and costumes. Plus experience various filming locations including the battle of the Wargs, Argonath (Pillars of the Kings), the Ford of Bruinen, Isengard and the Paradise Forest, amidst the stunning alpine beauty of the Queenstown region.
The glacier of Earnslaw Burn has created a number of waterfalls that cascade down an enormous rock face and this is where Bilbo and The Company were filmed continuing on their quest after departing Rivendell in "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". Take a tour with Heliworks(opens in new window) they are the only operator licensed to visit.
Walk in Bilbo's footsteps and journey to the Misty Mountains. During the heli-hike tour with Eco Wānaka,(opens in new window) you'll get a Great Eagle's eye view of the terrain below, before landing on Fog Peak (a glacial peak). From there you can view three trilogy sites. On a clear day see Mt Aspiring and the Southern Alps. Then hike down through cliffs, canyons and rivers as Bilbo and the dwarves did. If you're lucky you might bump into some mischievous kea.
