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6 breath-taking Lord of the Rings locations that can be found in real-life

May 20, 2015 07:14 by author

manikaa

The Lord of the Rings franchise transformed New Zealand’s tourism industry, thanks in the main to director Peter Jackson’s decision to do all of the filming in the country of his birth.

That decision saw large swathes of the country transformed into spectacular film sets, as a team of thousands looked to recreate the magic of J.R.R Tolkien’s novel.

The three films represented one of the largest and most ambitious movie projects to be undertaken, but more than a decade later they remain tremendously popular.

Filming took place across more than 150 locations in New Zealand, and luckily for fans of the films, many of them can be found in real-life even if the extravagant sets have since been removed.

Here are a few of the more spectacular sites that really capture the imagination.

Hobbiton

The home of Frodo and his friends, Hobbiton was mostly grown at a farm near Matamata. It took nearly a year to cultivate but now only sheep roam across the site. While around half of the holes remain, many of the facades have since been reclaimed by the land. Those wishing to see inside the little hobbit homes are out of luck too, as the interiors were filmed in a different place!

The Ford of Bruinen

The location where Arwen summons a magical wave of horses to ward of the Ringwraiths chasing Frodo near the start of the Fellowship is truly spectacular.

Filmed at the Shotover River near Arrowtown, it is arguably one of New Zealand’s most picturesque spots.

Rivendell

Although the majority of the Elvish capital Rivendell was digitally created, its setting in the Kaitoke Regional Park is still magnificent in its own right. Covering some 2,800 hectares of forest and including two rivers, the part used for filming features an exhibition detailing how the set was constructed and filmed.

Edoras

The site of Edoras, the main capital of the Rohan people, was an area in Ashburton District’s high country called Mount Sunday. Nothing remains of the set that took none months to build on the site, but the site retains its magic regardless.

Lothlorien

The stunning forests of Lothlorien were filmed in Paradise – no really they were! The locality in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand was used for scenes when the Fellowship first enters the fairest forest realm of the Elves.

Mordor and Mount Doom

The final destination for the Fellowship is that of Mount Doom and Mordor which was filmed in Tongariro National Park. Mount Ngaurahoe took on the title of Mount Doom, although the landscape also features Mount Ruapehu and Mount Tongariro – three spectacular volcanoes. The ash scattered landscape lends itself perfectly to the dark world of Lord Sauron and is certainly worth a visit for film fans.

Helms Deep and Minus Tirith

The spectacular battle scenes at Helm’s Deep and Minus Tirith were both filmed at sets constructed in Dry Creek Quarry, a huge mining complex at the base of Haywards Hill in Wellington. Unfortunately, since the quarry is a working one, the sets were removed once filming was completed and visitors are not allowed on site. This stunning site deserves a special mention though!