The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings

Middle-earth might have been a figment of author JRR Tolkien’s imagination but New Zealand - the youngest country on earth - bears an uncanny resemblance

To view the recently released Hobbit trailer click here.

Tolkien used the term Middle-earth to describe the imaginary world he created and which features in the majority of his books. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are based entirely in Middle-earth.

The Hobbit

For Sir Peter Jackson, the man who turned Tolkien’s famous books into famous movies, the land he lives in - his home country of New Zealand - provides the perfect setting to produce moving picture adaptations of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy and The Hobbit, which is shooting now.

After entirely filming the 'Lord of the Rings' in New Zealand, Jackson said there would be no reason to look outside the country for film locations for The Hobbit as he considered New Zealand "the perfect Middle-earth".

More than 150 different locations throughout New Zealand were used to film the ‘Lord of the Rings’, after Jackson and his team scoured the country for the most beautiful and diverse areas.

The rolling hills of Matamata became Hobbiton, while the volcanic region of Mt Ruapehu transformed into Mordor, the blasted land that was home to Sauron and where he forged 'The Ring', and Queenstown - New Zealand's adventure capital - was the setting for numerous scenes including Eregion Hills and the Pillars of Argonath.

Here’s where you can find your own perfect slice of Middle-earth in New Zealand.

North Island locations

The Waikato region - where Hobbiton and the Shire are located in lush farmland near Matamata - is probably the most memorably linked with LOTR.

The working sheep farm with its rolling green hills and spectacular views to the Kaimai mountain range has been transformed back into The Hobbiton Movie Set for The Hobbit.

Further south, in Tongariro National Park, hikers tread the same path as Frodo and Sam by walking the Tongariro Crossing, often described as one of the best one-day walks in the world. The 17km trek passes volcanoes, steaming fumaroles, jagged lava flows and crater lakes.

From Wellington, LOTR tours include helicopter rides over the limestone formations that formed the Dimholt Road where Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli rode to meet the 'Army of the Dead'.

Wellington is home to Peter Jackson’s Weta Workshop, Weta Digital and the Miramar film empire which is again be central to The Hobbit production. While the movie business centre is off-limits to visitors, LOTR pilgrims can experience the Weta Cave.

South Island locations

In the South Island, specialised LOTR tours let you travel by luxury 4WD into the remote back country of Canterbury and the Rangitata Valley to Mt Sunday and Mt Potts high country station which was transformed into Edoras, the capital of the Rohan people.

From Queenstown it’s possible to fly, drive, cycle or trek to many of the locations that provided the most dramatic LOTR scenery - guided by companies and locals who worked on the movies and have insider knowledge.

Spectacular natural scenery - such as The Remarkables mountain range, nearby lakes, vast valleys, forests and fiords - which has enthralled millions of movie-goers as Isengard, the Misty Mountains and the Ford of Bruinen - is an integral feature of the New Zealand tourism experience.

This southern region is home to rare wildlife, ice-age glaciers, rugged mountains, deep lakes, meandering rivers and native forests - much of it unchanged since ancient times, yet all within a short distance of civilisation.

Other Middle Earth tours cover the Nelson region which provided locations for Chetwood Forest, rough country south of Rivendell and Dimrill Dale.

In virtually every region of New Zealand, you will be reminded of Middle-earth and the movie trilogy - all filmed in one hit, making it one of the longest and most massive productions in movie history.