Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy is considered one of the greatest masterpieces in film history. Combined, the trio couldThe companions
,The Two Towers
andThe Return of the King
won a total of 17 Oscars. Fans and critics appreciate the films, among other things, because they portray the fantasy world of Middle-earth so muchincredibly realisticbring to life.
While many modern film productions rely on landscapes from the computer, the epic landscape shots from the Lord of the Rings trilogy are almost all real - they were filmed in largely deserted New Zealand. Although only 5 million people live in the Pacific state, there is plenty of breathtaking nature.
And also in the new Lord of the Rings filmThe Battle of the Rohirrim
Some of the locations known from the Jackson films play an important role again - above all, of courseEdoras, the capital of Rohan. we'll tell you what the new film is good for.
In keeping with the theatrical release of the Middle-earth anime, our editor Jesko looked around at some Lord of the Rings film sets on his last trip to New Zealand and introduced you to the locations including comparison photos of the films.
Quickly through Middle-earth with a mouse click:
1) Hobbiton: An expensive pleasure
The first and most touristically developed Lord of the Rings set on my list isHobbiton, the hometown of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. This is where it all begins with Tolkien; So it's fitting that I too explore this film set first.
The filming location of the Hobbit village is on a sheep farm around two and a half hours' drive from Auckland. From where New Zealand's largest international airport is locateddaily bus tours to Hobbitonoffered.
The original film set was largely dismantled after the Lord of the Rings films were filmed because it was never intended to be a permanent set. Before filming the Hobbit films, however, the landowner negotiated with Peter Jackson that the film set should be preserved after filming was completed and become the property of his family.
Hobbiton in the first Hobbit film and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. (Images: New Line Cinema).
On this basis, guided tours through the film set are offered today.However, they aren't exactly cheap.The simple tour alone costs an incredible 120 New Zealand dollars (around 66 euros). Travel and food are not taken into account. Do you want the recommended one?Second breakfast
If you go on a tour, you will even have to pay 100 euros. But there is also food and a beer in the innTo the Green Dragon
.
The Hobbiton tour is therefore not for those on a budget. Lord of the Rings fans will definitely be happy here. Who hasn't wanted to stand in front of Bilbo Baggins' green door and look down on the festival lawn? The only thing you should leave behind is the tobacco pipe. Smoking is strictly prohibited on the film set.
By the way, you can't enter most hobbit houses.Hobbiton is a purely outdoor set on a dwarven scale. All of Bag End's interior scenes with actors were filmed in studio in Wellington. Since 2023, however, you have been able to look around the set in two specially built human-scale hobbit caves and take a seat by the fireplace.
Impressions from the tour of the Hobbiton film set.
2) Edoras: Infinite expanses
From the North Island of New Zealand we go to the South Island. This is where most of the epic landscape photos were taken, because the island is even more natural than the north. Just the right conditions, umthe kingdom of Rohan with its harsh landscapesto bring to life.
About two hours' drive from Christchurch, in a side valley of the New Zealand Alps - yes, they're really called that - is the Edoras film set. At the end of the 1990s, the capital of Rohan was built here on a hill called Mount Sunday.
For the filming of the Lord of the Rings films, Peter Jackson's team built King Theoden's golden hall as well as several farm buildings, houses and stables on the characteristic rock. The rest of the city wasthen built around it on the computer.
Photos from a windy afternoon on Mount Sunday.
Not much of the set is left.The area is protected; All buildings were completely removed after filming was completed. However, the view of the snow-capped mountains of New Zealand alone is breathtaking and can be found 1:1 in the films. If you're looking for a place to stare into the distance to the epic violin sounds of the Rohan theme, then you've found it here.
To the right and left of Edoras, mountain rivers wind through the landscape on wide gravel banks. A few sheep graze on the slopes.There's probably nowhere you can get closer to the feeling of being in the middle of Middle-earth.
However, the journey to the set is not entirely without problems. Mount Sunday is literally in the middle of nowhere. The last hour is on an unpaved gravel road through the Highlands. Here it is worth insuring your rental car against scratches. From the hiking car park, a footpath takes you to the summit in 45 minutes.
3) Wellington: The Nazgul in the city park
New Zealand's capital Wellington is not only home to the parliament and the special effects studio Weta Workshop, which is currently working on the upcoming video game, among other thingsworks, but also some unexpected film sets.
Nature sets in the middle of the capital? What seems strange at first has a simple explanation. Because here Peter Jackson and his crew were simply too lazy to go looking for a filming location in the vastness of New Zealand. And why should it be, when you can simply take the relevant shots in the city park behind the film studio.
That's why on Mount Victoria, a hill on the outskirts of the cityThree film scenes from The Fellowship of the Ring were filmed:
Frodo lounging in a forked tree and smoking a pipe; the road where Frodo notices that they are being pursued by a Nazgûl andGet off the streets!
roars and the hollow under a tree into which the hobbits then squeeze themselves to escape the gaze of the black rider. You can watch the corresponding film scenewatch here on YouTube.
All three filming locations are within walking distancejust a few meters apartand are easy to reach from a nearby parking lot. However, anyone who expects to be able to hide beneath the roots in a film-like manner will be disappointed. The tree and its roots were a constructed backdrop. The only thing left is a hole on the path. It's nice to sit on the tree,on which Elijah Wood smoked his pipe in the film.
Frodo Baggins smoking a pipe in a tree. (Image: New Line Cinema). Our author Jesko without a pipe on the same tree - just 25 years later.If you walk a little further, you can enjoy the panorama over Wellington Harbor from a viewpoint at the top of the hill. Also just a short bus ride away, the Weta Workshop showrooms feature some real models and costumes from the Lord of the Rings films.
More information from Middle-earth
The world of JRR Tolkien is currently lively again. We have already linked the film review of War of the Rohirrim at the beginning. In the box above we have picked out three more exciting articles for you.
In it you can find out more about the new building game Tales of the Shire. We'll also explain to you what Aragorn is doing on the plane. And our lore keeper Sören explains in the podcast why he almost never wore a ring himself because of a Tolkien MMO. Feel free to take a look and listen!
