Finally – this was the day I’d been waiting for – the day of my tour of the Lord of the Rings movie locations around Queenstown! I came back from the Skyline Gondola just in time for an afternoon excursion conducted by Pure Glenorchy. Regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of the books and movies, this beautiful scenery is definitely worth seeing. Our guide talked about the area farms, animals and birds as well as the movie locations.
It is not an overstatement to say that Peter Jackson is revered in New Zealand. He hired New Zealanders as extras who were paid a full day’s wage no matter how long they worked, and the movies have created a boom in tourism among fans (like me) who want to visit “Middle Earth” and see it for themselves. The movies have been “a gift that keeps on giving”.
This is Twelve Mile Delta – the site for the “Oliphants” and “Stewed Coneys” scenes in The Two Towers. Across Lake Wakatipu, but out of site from the shore, is the site for one of the Amon Hen scenes, also in The Two Towers.
Dead Marshes site, The Two Towers
Not far from the small town of Glenorchy is the site of the “Lothlorien woods” and “Boromir’s death” scenes in The Fellowship of the Ring. This was also the site of our picnic lunch (and no, in case you’re wondering, no Elvish archers sprang out the woods demanding to know why we were eating our lunch there).
This tree served as the model for Treebeard
Arcadia guesthouse, Paradise
In Paradise (yes, that’s its name), the viewpoint near Scott Creek looks into the “Wizard’s Vale” (Isengard scene from The Two Towers). Fans can visualize the Tower of Orthanc against the backdrop of the mountains.
Mt. Earnslaw is the location of the Company’s trek to Moria scene in The Fellowship of the Ring.
This location was the backdrop for the “Beorn’s House” scene in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
Paradise Ducks
