Our Pure Glenorchy LOTR Scenic Tour took us to Paradise! What a fitting name for this stunning area in Glenorchy, New Zealand that Sir Ian McKellen said is his favorite place on Earth and is featured as film locations for Isengard, Beorn’s house, and Lothlórien. The drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy along Lake Wakatipu was absolutely gorgeous!
Our Pure Glenorchy Lord of the Rings Scenic Tour stopped at these five locations:
- Twelve Mile Delta – Bob’s Cove Track (Ithilien Camp, Amon Hen) – see separate blog
- Glenorchy-Queenstown Road – Lake Wakatipu overlook
- Arcadia Station in Paradise (Isengard and Beorn’s house)
- Beech forest on the road to Paradise (Lothlórien)
- Glenorchy Wharf
Arcadia Station in Paradise (Isengard and Beorn’s House)
The main reason we selected the Pure Glenorchy LOTR Tour was that it provides exclusive access to Arcadia Station in Paradise (location: 44°42’55.1″S 168°21’13.7″E). It’s bordered by Diamond Lake, Mount Aspiring National Park and the Dart River, and the views were absolutely breathtaking. It’s clear why this secluded and stunning location is used in many films (Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian). The tour provided light refreshments and LOTR props. We of course put on a performance for the tour group.
Isengard
Isengard is the most popular filming spot for Arcadia Station.
Here are our Isengard comparison shots.
Beorn’s House
There are several shots of Beorn and his house from The Hobbit that are easy to pick out at Arcadia Station.
Here is the Gandalf reenactment compilation for our entire NZ trip, including our favorite at Arcadia Station with the costume supplied by the tour.
Road to Paradise (Lothlórien)
The Lothlórien location we visited was along the Glenorchy-Paradise Road (location: 44°43’35.4″S 168°22’40.1″E). The entire beech forest is gorgeous; unfortunately we didn’t have time during our tour to find any specific areas from LOTR. Of course I brought along my Galadriel circlet and elf ears to wear with the shirt I made for my “In place of a Dark Lord you would have a Queen” reenactment.
Glenorchy Wharf
We stopped at Glenorchy Wharf by the historic red shed, where the people of Glenorchy used to store and sort goods that arrived on steamers. The views of Lake Wakatipu from the dock were beautiful.
Glenorchy-Queenstown Road Lake Wakatipu Overlook
We pulled off the Glenorchy-Queenstown Road for a gorgeous view of Lake Wakatipu (location: 45°00’37.4″S 168°26’35.5″E)
No Comments