Lord of the Ring Tours from Wellington
In the first half of the twentieth century, an English academic called Tolkien dreamed up a world called Middle Earth, largely based on his childhood in Birmingham, Middle England. The result was the written trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. In the first years of the twenty-first century, a New Zealand film-maker called Jackson took those stories of Middle Earth and made them into visual feasts, a trilogy of films – The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001, The Two Towers in 2002, and Return of the King in 2003. Peter Jackson also turned to the landscapes of his childhood for Middle Earth, but halfway across the world, in the stunning landscapes of New Zealand.
At home in Wellington, Peter Jackson had at his fingertips a diversity of landscape and locations film-makers around the world would envy. He chose the rolling hills of Matamata for Hobbiton, the volcanic region of Mt Ruapehu as the fiery Mt Doom where The Ring was forged, and Queenstown and its surroundings for the Eregion Hills, the Pillars of Argonath and other scenic locations.
His use and adaptation of the landscape was so visionary and so committed, that many sites where filming took place have been kept as he left them – you can visit the Shire, the Gardens of Isengard where Gandalf rode to see Saruman and Orcs felled the trees, the River Anduin where Aragon was washed ashore after the attack of the Wargs, and Helms Deep. The magnificent Fernside Lodge was used for Lothlorien and the white bridge lives on keeping Lothlorien alive. Rivendell, where Frodo recovered from his knife attack, still resounds with storytelling.
Lord of the Rings on film won a total of 17 Academy Awards, a mammoth haul, and firmly put New Zealand on the map as a place to make movies – both for its talented actors and crews and for its amazing natural beauty. Middle Earth became a real and lasting place in the world. Now that’s a testament to good storytelling.
Very good tour guide. I was a little disappointed that the sites used were far from what was depicted in the movie, but that is not the tour's fault at all. Overall a nice and relaxing tour that highlights scenes and places where LOTR was filmed on North Island.
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We had a very knowledgeable and an excellent personality. The tour itself was just amazing, it gives you a behind the scenes look at how creative ideas made the movie. Planning on doing Hobbitown and South New Zealand LOTR tours in the near future.
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Excellent - our quirky, knowledgeable quide made this tour memorable. Our small group of 8, simple lunch and going to many sites with background movie connections made it a good day.
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Lord of the Ring Tours from Wellington Written by Viator
Wellington Suggested Itineraries Written by Viator
