The 8 most important locations on the Frodo & Co. trail.
Germany, Ireland, Canada or New Zealand – where are the filming locations for The Lord of the Rings? If you’ve ever asked yourself this question, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve rounded up eight of the most important filming locations in the legendary film series for you.
- Shire and Hobbiton – Matamata, Waikato District, New Zealand
- Rivendell – Wellington Kaitoki Provincial Park, New Zealand
- Lothlorien – Paradise, Glenorchy, New Zealand
- Mordor – Tongariro National Park, New Zealand
- Moorea Caves – Mount Owen in Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand
- Paths of the Dead – Putangiroa Peaks, New Zealand
- Edoras – Mount Sunday in the Ashburton area, Canterbury, New Zealand
- Pelennor-Twizel Fields in Mackenzie District, New Zealand
Small spoiler straight away: The Lord of the Rings was filmed entirely in New Zealand. The diverse landscapes of the North and South Islands provided the makers of the successful trilogy with a more than adequate choice of suitable scenery. On the other hand, author JRR Tolkien was inspired by a European country. More specifically from the Burren in Ireland. It seems that the idea of \u200b\u200bGollum came to the writer through the cave, which received this name Bol Na Gollum (Gollum Hole) She wears.
Shire and Hobbiton – Matamata, Waikato District, New Zealand
Model hobbit caves can still be visited today on the filming location of The Lord of the Rings in New Zealand. (© bebeball/AdobeStock 2018)
“Lord of the Rings” fans know that Frodo and his hobbit friends come from the Green District. Movie fans can visit their home in Hobbiton today. The filming location in Matamata in New Zealand’s Waikato region has long become a popular tourist destination.
Rivendell – Wellington Kaitoki Provincial Park, New Zealand
Want another ‘Lord of the Rings’ filming location in New Zealand? Rivendell, among others, was filmed in Wellington. (© Anna Goren/Getty Images 2018)
The Wellington area is one of the particularly popular filming locations for the makers of The Lord of the Rings. Among other things, Frodo’s recovery at Rivendell was filmed in Kaitoki Regional Park. The exact location in the middle of the dense forest is especially marked for tourists.
Lothlorien – Paradise, Glenorchy, New Zealand
The makers of “Lord of the Rings” couldn’t have chosen a better filming location for Lothlórien. (© Radius Images/Getty Images 2018)
What better location could there be for Lothlórien than a place that itself bears the name of Heaven? But we do not know whether this fact alone motivated the makers of the film “The Lord of the Rings” to film the wonderful scenes of the elven kingdom in this part of Glenorchy in New Zealand…
Mordor – Tongariro National Park, New Zealand
Movie fans can enjoy Mount Ngauruhoe as Mount Doom in the movie “Lord of the Rings.” (© Anna Goren/Getty Images 2018)
Almost all the filming locations for the different parts of Mordor can be found in Tongariro National Park in New Zealand. No wonder: Three volcanoes located in the park’s arid region provide the perfect setting for Mount Doom, Emyn Muil, the Gorgoroth Plateau, and the Black Gate of Mordor.
Moorea Caves – Mount Owen in Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand
After the companions made their way through the Moria Caves, they stumbled back into daylight rather shakily – and emerged (at least in real life) on the side of Mount Owen in Kahurangi National Park. The scene in which the group hides from Saruman’s Crow spies was also filmed in a New Zealand national park.
Paths of the Dead – Putangiroa Peaks, New Zealand
The Butangiroa Mountains serve as a filming location for Paths of the Dead in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. (© Laetitia Fernandez/Getty Images 2018)
In order to secure the support of the Army of the Dead, Aragorn must find access to the Paths of the Dead in The Lord of the Rings. The makers of the film about Peter Jackson found the right filming location with the eerie-looking Putangiroa Peak in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand.
Edoras – Mount Sunday in the Ashburton area, Canterbury, New Zealand
Edoras isn’t just a vast grassland in “The Lord of the Rings.” (© Mlini/Getty Images 2018)
The Riders of Rohan love their vast grasslands, so of course Edoras needed a suitable landscape as a filming location. Mount Sunday in the Ashburton area of New Zealand is an idyllic place at first glance.
Pelennor-Twizel Fields in Mackenzie District, New Zealand
The Fields of Pelennor is the setting for the final great battle between good and evil in The Lord of the Rings. (© Uwe Moser/Getty Images 2018)
When JRR Tolkien described the great Battle of the Pelennor Fields, he must have been thinking of Twizel in New Zealand. Not only does the set in Mackenzie, Kiwi’s South Island, look like it’s straight out of the Lord of the Rings author’s novels, but it also gives the numerous actors more than enough space to battle it out. Humans goblins.