Film Locations:

Peter Jackson, the director of JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, filmed most of his film in New Zealand, using the unspoilt varied landscape to recreate the scenery from the book. Different areas of New Zealand proved ideal for the different locations described in Lord of the Rings. These are described below:

Waikato - Hobbiton Taupo Region - Mordor, Emyn Muil Kapiti Coast - East Road Upper Hutt - Rivendell Lower Hutt - Isengard, Minas Tirith, Minas Morgul, Helms Deep Wellington - Bree, The Shire, Moria, Weathertop and Studio scenes Nelson - Dimrill Dale Takaka - Chetwood Forest Queenstown - Lothlorien Canterbury - Edoras, Plains of Rohan Tarras / Wanaka - Golden Plains Twizel - Pelenor Fields Te Anau - The Dead Marshes Milford Sound - Nen Hithoel, Amon Hen, Fangorn Forest Southern South Island - Misty Mountains

Waikato (Hobbiton):

A piece of farmland in the rolling countryside of Hinuera in Waikato was selected for numerous shots of the Shire and of Hobbiton. With the aid of the New Zealand Army, the crews began building the set in April 1998, to allow it to weather for a year before filming began, in late 1999 and early 2000.

Taupo Region (Mordor, Emyn Muil):

Sauron's domain of Mordor is represented by the rocky plateau of Tongariro National Park. However, the volcano Ruapehu, which naturally sits on the plateau, is never shown in the film. For the purpose of the film, a 'stunt-double' was used: With the help of special effects, one of the other volcanos on the plateau was used. This was out of respect for the native Maori people, to whom Ruapehu is a sacred place.

Kapiti Coast (East Road):

Scenes involving the 'East Road' (in Hobbiton) were shot on countryside near Otaki.

Upper Hutt (Rivendell):

Much of Rivendell was computer generated, with a number of sets being built in a Studio and edited/added to on computer. However, there were a few exterior scenes filmed in Kaitoke just a few minutes north of Upper Hutt.

Lower Hutt (Isengard, Minas Tirith, Minas Morgul, Helms Deep):

The Dry Creek Quarry, south of Wellington, was the setting for scenes involving Minas Tirith, Isengard and Minas Morgul. These sets, built a year before filming, were huge out of necessity, but very detailed.

A quarry on Hayward's Hill was used as the setting for Helms Deep.

Wellington (Bree, The Shire, Moria, Weathertop and Studio scenes):

The Capital of New Zealand was the base of operations for the production team. Most of the studio scenes were recorded here, and a lot of postproduction work was performed in Wellington. These include scenes from Bree, The Shire, Moria and Weathertop. Various location scenes were filmed on the outskirts of the city; indeed some of the exterior sound was recorded in the local cemetery. 

Nelson (Dimrill Dale):

A number of locations around Nelson feature in the film. Mount Owen is used for a number of scenic shots of Dimril Dale, and Mount Olymous is used for shots of Eregion Hill and the Rough Country South of Rivendell.  Both locations are in the Kahurangi National Park.

Nelson proved to be very important - all of the beer consumed by the crew was brewed here!

Takaka (Chetwood Forest):

Takaka Hill served as the location used for filming Chetwood Forest.

Queenstown (Lothlorien):

Because of its 'majestic beauty', the capital of New Zealand was an ideal setting, especially for the Elven forest of Lothlorien. Queenstown's Lake Wakatipu was used primarily as the location for Lothlorien.

Canterbury (Edoras, Plains of Rohan):

Edoras, the home to King Theoden and the Riders of Rohan, is described in the books as being built on a mighty hilltop. For this to be portrayed in the film, Edoras has been created on the summit of Mount Sunday, near Methven, on the Plains of Canterbury. Unfortunately, because of the location, the structures built had to be able to withstand 70mph winds, and bad weather. 

Since it is one of the few flat regions in the country, the area is home to a lot of farming and agriculture. This makes it ideal for the filming of the Plains of Rohan, filming wide-open shots of the area. Filming was also done in the neighbouring Otago region for some of these scenes. 

Tarras / Wanaka (Golden Plains):

Open plains without modern day signs of life are hard to come by nowadays, so Tarras was an ideal opportunity for the crews of 'Lord of the Rings'. Wanting open plains with unlimited and uninterrupted views from flat land to snow-topped mountains, Tarras proved ideal. Scenes involving the Black Riders and of the Orc attacks on the Fellowship. 

Twizel (Pelenor Fields):

The fields of Twizel were used to film scenes from the battle of Pelenor Fields, along with a few battle scenes set in Rohan.

Te Anau (The Dead Marshes):

The Dead Marshes were filmed at Kepler Mire, in the Te Anau region.

Milford Sound (Nen Hithoel, Amon Hen, Fangorn Forest):

This remote 22km-long fiord is famous for its breathtaking beauty, sheer peaks and cascading waterfalls. Although it draws thousands of visitors each year, it is relatively unspoilt. Milford Sound provided many scenic shots, including 'Amon Hen' - filmed at Mavora Lake, 'Nen Hithoel' - the river, and 'Fangorn Forest'.

Southern South Island (Misty Mountains):

The Southern South Island was used extensively for location shooting due to the diversity of the area. Beautiful glacier carved lakes and rivers and the Southern Alps mountain range all added something of Tolkien's Middle Earth to the film.