Our adventure in New Zealand was amazing! We are huge LOTR fans and visited many of the filming locations for the Lord of the Rings, Hobbit, and Rings of Power. Explore the film locations and side-by-side comparison shots from our journey through New Zealand’s North and South Islands, arranged in travel order.
Our Skippers Canyon Jet Tour was the perfect adrenaline-charged finale to our New Zealand adventure, beginning with a heart-stopping drive down Skippers Canyon Road, one of the world’s most dangerous routes – made even crazier when a speeding motorcyclist nearly flew off a cliff avoiding our van. At the canyon floor, we boarded a high-powered jet boat and tore through the narrow Shotover River gorge, skimming within inches of the rock walls in a spray-filled blur of speed and excitement. Adding to the thrill, this spot is also home to the Lord of the Rings Ford of Bruinen filming location and even appears in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Our driver, Elliott, topped it off by revealing he’d been an Uruk-hai extra in The Two Towers. It was the most exhilarating – and perfectly epic – way to end our once-in-a-lifetime New Zealand adventure.
Queenstown, set along the shores of Lake Wakatipu and framed by the dramatic Southern Alps, made the perfect base for exploring this part of the South Island. The town itself buzzes with energy –mountain views in every direction, endless adventure activities, lakeside walks, and a lively food scene – while still being close to several iconic destinations. From here, we took an easy day trip to the charming gold-rush town of Arrowtown, with its preserved historic streets and autumn-colored trees. On our way into Queenstown, we stopped at Wānaka, home of the famous “That Wānaka Tree.”
We hiked the Lake Alta Track in The Remarkables, the dramatic mountain range used as the filming location for Dimrill Dale, where the Fellowship emerges from the Mines of Moria. True to their name, The Remarkables are absolutely stunning – jagged, towering, and visible from nearly everywhere in Queenstown. The trail led us to the serene, glacier-carved Lake Alta, surrounded by cliffs and rocky peaks that felt straight out of Middle-earth.
We visited Deer Park Heights, a phenomenal working farm with sweeping views of Queenstown and The Remarkables, and home to several iconic Rohan filming locations from The Lord of the Rings. After standing atop Mount Sunday (Edoras) earlier in our trip, it was easy to see why this equally dramatic landscape was chosen for so many scenes in Rohan. At Deer Park Heights, we explored the exact spots used for the Rohan Refugee March (where Gimli falls off his horse), the Rohan Refugee Camp (where Éowyn offers Aragorn her stew), the Warg Scout sighting, Legolas killing the Warg, Legolas’ lookout over the valley, and the cliffside area where Aragorn is swept over the edge. Walking through each location with the movie moments in mind made the whole experience feel like stepping straight into Middle-earth.
Our fly-cruise-fly excursion to Milford Sound with Milford Sound Scenic Flights was one of the most spectacular experiences of our trip. Instead of the long bus ride, we opted for a small prop plane – and it was absolutely the right call. With guaranteed window seats, we enjoyed nonstop views over the Southern Alps and Fiordland National Park, with scenery every bit as dramatic as our helicopter tour but spread across a much larger area. At Milford Sound, we boarded a small boat that cruised all the way out to the Tasman Sea, passing countless waterfalls and even a pod of dolphins along the way. This particular cruise goes farther than many others, which was one of the reasons we chose it. From start to finish, the journey was just as breathtaking as the destination.
Our Heliworks Queenstown Earnslaw Burn Explorer tour was one of the most unforgettable experiences of our entire trip. We first landed on top of the Grant Glacier, surrounded by pristine ice and sweeping alpine views. Then we flew to Earnslaw Burn, an otherworldly valley at the base of the Earnslaw Glacier that’s accessible only by helicopter or a very long hike. In summer, the melting glacier creates countless cascading waterfalls, making the landscape even more breathtaking than we imagined. This spot is also a bit of cinematic history – briefly seen from above in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and featured prominently in The Rings of Power as the dwarven entrance to Khazad-dûm. It was, without question, one of the most phenomenal moments of our New Zealand adventure.
Our Pure Glenorchy LOTR Scenic Tour truly lived up to its name – it carried us straight into Paradise, the breathtaking Glenorchy region that Sir Ian McKellen famously calls his favorite place on Earth. The drive from Queenstown along the shimmering shores of Lake Wakatipu was stunning enough, but the real magic unfolded as we stepped into iconic filming locations: 12 Mile Delta (“What’s taters, Precious?” and “It’s an oliphant!”), the sweeping landscapes of Arcadia Station used for Isengard and Beorn’s house, and the ethereal beech forest along the road to Paradise where Lothlórien came to life. As a perfect finishing touch, our guides even brought out costumes and props, turning our Middle-earth adventure into something wonderfully immersive and unforgettable.
We visited 12 Mile Delta on our Pure Glenorchy Lord of the Rings Scenic Tour to explore the filming locations for Amon Hen and Ithilien, where Gollum and Sam argue over “What’s taters, Precious?” and the hobbits witness the mighty oliphants. Set along the Bob’s Cove Track in the Mount Creighton area, this peaceful reserve looks surprisingly close to the film version of Ithilien, with its rugged hillsides and forested nooks. We loved it so much that we returned later on our own to spend extra time wandering the exact spots where Frodo, Sam, and Gollum cooked their “stew with taters” and watched the Haradrim pass. (Check out our Paradise [Arcadia Station] blog for more stops from the same tour!)