Filming Lord of the Rings in New Zealand. The Lord of the Rings locations and sets in New Zealand

What Peter Jackson liked the most here was the amazing beauty of nature and the absence of a hint of civilization. So, an American film company purchased a central piece of a farm and built it there for filming. cult film"Lord of the Rings" the city of Hobbiton, which consists of dummies and decorations - forty nor-houses. After the filming of the film, the scenery was removed and for some time there were empty eye sockets, but with the creation of The Hobbit, the scenery was again updated and this time left for the delight of tourists.
At the request of the American owners, local farm workers take care of all the animals that inhabit Hobbiton and the unique garden. From a fairly large cafe along the road with a prominent sign that says "Hobbiton", a bus runs several times a day. The town is comfortably located by the lake, and if you look around, there is no civilization anywhere nearby.
At the entrances to Hobbiton, sheep are all around, hills are common in New Zealand.

Welcome to Hobbiton!

Everyone is given some kind of compound feed, which can be fed to tame lambs. They feel like carpet to the touch. There you can also watch for money how sheep are sheared or feed small ones with milk. This is the boring part.

Outside the cafe window, everything is the same: hills and sheep, hills and sheep.

The photo on the wall seems to hint: it will be interesting, this is how the holes of real hobbits look like.

Actually, a view of a cafe called "Rest in the Shire" or "Shire's Rest".

The loud-mouthed aunt-guide is building tourists, the bus will come soon, and everyone will go deep into the farm, to the Shire.

On a New Zealand farm - fields, sheep and cows.

The bus flies ahead, stopping in Hobbiton.

At the entrance we are met by numerous prohibition signs. You can not litter, climb into holes, touch and take (steal) things. The fence is electrified (for sheep, of course), the current is quite sensitive.

Here it is, here it is the hole of my dreams. Most hobbit holes clean water dummies, there is either nothing at all inside, or, if exactly the amount of space that is needed for a certain number of actors or a member of the film crew for a certain scene. Most doors are just doors.

Kindergarten. Hobbits obviously lived very poorly. Farm workers look after him. Butterflies are flying around and the forest smells.

There, in the distance, you can make out other holes, on top of the hill, under spreading tree stands Bilbo's house.

In the bushes waiting for food and sheared sheep are afraid of everything.

Surprisingly cute hobbit houses. We discussed the practicality of round doors for a long time. A separate subject of controversy was the mallet handle in the center of the door - after all, an exclusively decorative thing.

If anyone carefully read Tolkien's books, then the drawings on mailboxes reflect the profession of the owner of the house. About 30% of visitors to Hobbiton have never read books, and have not seen films either. There are such statistics.

What I liked the most was the amount of detail around the holes: brooms, baskets, benches, cans, bottles, benches - very similar to the village lifestyle, where everything is in the house, everything is in the family.

Classic hobbit hole. Pay attention to the models of windows in the distance. In them you can see the curtains and some dusty bottles.

I was talking about such details: how much everything is on the window and, surprisingly, in the window too, is laid out.

More cans, flasks and a figured window in the door. Each door, each hole, each hobbit house is unique and reflects the character of its inhabitants. Decorators frolic to their heart's content.

In the distance beyond the lake is the city center and the mill. Tourists are not allowed to enter there: it seems that they are still planning to shoot something there. The bridge was designed and built by the military, for some reason it is a special source of pride.

View of the lake, which reflects the clouds.

View of Hobbiton across the lake. It will most likely be in the new movie, remember this angle.

The time to visit was not the best, so at some point I had to take pictures against the sun. I clicked on the triplets, then collected them: I turned off the lights, pulled out the shadows. What happened, happened. Yes, this is what for some reason it is customary to call HDR.

The same hill nearby.

Fishing village, here during the filming there were fishing rods, there was smoke from the chimneys, clothes and fish were dried. This is one of the busiest streets in Hobbiton.

In calm weather, the smooth surface of the lake surface turns into a mirror, I'm sure Peter Jackson took pictures of beauty in the early morning.

The outskirts of the city, sheep graze on the slopes, here, according to the book, the actors walked for four days. In reality, it is only five minutes from the physical center of the city. Mounting magic.

Once again I am amazed at the work of decorators.

One of the views of Bilbo Baggins' house (under the tree). In this hole, the door opens, and inside the space there is just enough four people. And the tree is completely artificial and cost over a million dollars: the book says that Bilbo lived under a tree, and nothing grew on the top of the hill.

We continue to consider the details next to the holes.

This is a wood storage next to the forge. Do you notice anything special near the ax?

Yes, that's it, the ring. It was brought to Hobbiton by fans from England.

It was said that when approaching New Zealand, the ring became heavier.

The elderly couple was very glad to be photographed in the movie set.

The gardeners do their job well: the houses are not overgrown, the flowers are blooming, the butterflies are flying.

The glass in the windows is uneven, the boxes are painted in the corners - if the guide didn’t push you, then you can hang there for a long time, looking at the work of graphic designers.

House with a yellow door. In one of these holes there is a technical room responsible for lighting, smoke from chimneys and much more, which is designed to revive the set.

As promised, there is a butterfly in the frame.

A burgundy door with firewood neatly stacked in a tub and sunflowers growing underfoot. Very nice.

A huge tree under which the hobbits frolicked in the first parts of The Lord of the Rings.

Road sign. Lichens, if you remember from the school biology course, grow very slowly. Moss and other signs of aging on the wooden parts of the scenery, as I understand it, is a separate task for their creators. Looks great.

The most important, the most popular, the most famous house Hobbiton. Bilbo Baggins lived here, Gandalf used to come here.

Very similar to a photograph from the wall in a cafe, the organizers of the entertainment did not deceive.

The famous trilogy, based on Tolkien's book, is the largest and most iconic project in the history of world cinema. Millions of fans who watch their favorite movies dozens of times share their impressions and create fan clubs. And one of interesting questions for every lover of The Lord of the Rings trilogy - "Where was the movie filmed?" Selection of territories for film sets- an amazing story, accompanied by many problems and joyful events.

Difficulties encountered before filming

Peter Jackson, a resident of New Zealand, was first introduced to the fictional world while watching a cartoon based on a book. Then he was only 17, but it was this moment that gave him confidence that he would become a director and would definitely make a film based on Tolkien's work.

And Jackson became a director. At first he made films only in home country. But The Lord of the Rings was 95% financed by the United States, which created difficulties. Perhaps the investors did not know what the director was capable of, or perhaps they did not believe in success, but only $ 70 million was allocated. And when the producer came to New Zealand with a check, then upon his return he said that at least twice as many investments would be required.

At that time, the book was divided into two films. Peter has already prepared a script for each of them. But the sponsors decided that only one film needed to be made, cut out a lot of scenes, removed some characters. Jackson refused to film on such terms. However, Peter did not plan to retreat, he rewrote the script for 2 whole years, invested a lot of effort and money.

New producer and film company

Jackson was looking for new partners for almost a month, he came to film companies and showed scripts, as well as several already filmed videos, getting rejected again and again. But one day he was lucky, he met Mark Ordeschi, and he agreed to become a producer. It is not entirely clear to whom then luck smiled more, the director or the film company.

Mark offered to shoot not 2, but 3 films, otherwise all of Peter's ideas simply won't fit. In addition, Tolkien himself divided his book into three parts. Jackson set about rewriting the script, and a few months later it was ready. The filming of the group began 4 years after Peter began to implement his long-standing idea for the film adaptation of the book "The Lord of the Rings".

Where the film was filmed: panoramic beauty and the green Shire

It is possible to answer exactly where The Lord of the Rings was filmed only superficially - in New Zealand. In fact, there were an infinite number, and it is impossible to say which part of the landscape made the most of the film.

The most attractive is the Shire - a quiet place in the Waikato region. Despite the fact that the shooting ended in 2000, today this place has not lost its popularity at all. Here everything has been preserved the same as it was during the work on the film, all the scenery was left for tourists. You can see a huge tree under which Uncle Bilbo turned 111 years old, and the Baggins' house.

Queenstown - resort town, which is distinguished by its ideal beauty. This was noticed by Jackson and he filmed many panoramic scenes here. In the film, this area is Lorien, a magnificent elven forest. By the way, here Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) was injured. Resting from work, he decided to go surfing. As a result of hitting the water, his face was very swollen, even the make-up artists could not hide it. But the shooting did not stop, Peter decided to shoot Viggo only on one side, less swollen.

Functional Waiau River and Geographic Center of New Zealand

Not far from the town of Queenstown lies a colorful plain. The battle between the orcs and the soldiers of Rohan was filmed here. The plain belongs to national park. She meets twice - during the second scene here Gandalf rides a horse in Minas Tirith.

The River Anduin that appears in every part of the trilogy is the Waiau. This is where the ring lay until Gollum discovered it. This river was the boundary between light and darkness, of course, until Sauron was destroyed. Crossing the Waiau, Arwen saves Frodo from the Nazgûl. And also a raft with the body of Boromir is launched along the river. In a word, this place is full of nostalgic memories, which is why it is so loved by tourists.

The town of Nelson also has a location where The Lord of the Rings was filmed. This is the geographical center of New Zealand, which has a magical charm. It is likely that this is why Peter cast the ring of omnipotence here in his film. A helicopter tour takes place in this city, which shows tourists the hard-to-reach sights of the Lord of the Rings painting.

Where the film was filmed: the lifeless plains of the outskirts of Mordor and other gloomy places

Watching a movie, it's hard to imagine that all the variety of natural landscapes, from the green Shire to the terrifying gates to Sauron's lair, are located in New Zealand alone. This is true, and most of the dark scenes were filmed in Tongariro Park.

Filming of The Lord of the Rings took place near the Orodruin volcano. Here Isildur first destroyed Sauron, but could not cope with the curse of the ring and put it on his finger. Here is the Fire Mountain - the final place of Frodo's nightmare. Gollum, along with the ring, plunges into the lava, destroying the border between darkness and light.

Another pretty dark place in the shooting - Lake Te Anau. This is the Dead Marshes, where Frodo falls under the power of the dead. Perhaps Te Anau is the only place where there were no computer graphics, since it actually completely copies the description from the book.

Cast members

With some guest actors, Jackson had difficulties, but luck was always on his side. For example, the performers of the roles of Frodo and Sam are Americans, but the director wanted to see only British in the hobbits. Therefore, two other short little men had to bring them closer to him for several months. English culture, correct accents.

The role of the elf Arwen was originally written for but before filming she became pregnant. Liv Tyler did a great job with the character. Perhaps even better than Thurman would have done.

The actor who was supposed to play Aragorn was too young. The future king is wiser and older. Then, right during the filming, Peter invited Viggo Mortensen, with whom he had never worked before. At first he was refused, but the situation was corrected by the son of the future Aragorn, who literally idolized the book "The Lord of the Rings". Where the film was filmed, what kind of work was ahead, what the fee would be - all this went by the wayside for Wiggy. He immediately got on a plane and set off on his journey.

Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies were born for their roles. They not only perfectly got used to the images, but also played in such a way that it is impossible to imagine someone else in their places.

Associated with wizards Interesting Facts. who got the role of Saruman, would like to take the bright side. Moreover, he was blessed for her by Tolkien himself, with that Christopher was personally acquainted. As soon as he found out about the filming, he immediately rushed in, because he was perfectly versed in the work of the writer. Now it no longer mattered to him which wizard he got. Unlike Lee, Ian McKellen (Gandalf) had never read Tolkien and had no idea what he was about to play.

And, of course, Andy Serkis - real star movie. Gollum in his performance was perfect. A lively character and surprisingly correctly conveyed emotions - that's what the actor managed to do.

Interesting incidents on the set of the film

Such a large-scale project was obliged to be accompanied by funny and amazing stories. For example, some of the injuries that were received by the actors during the filming ended up in the frames of the film. Gandalf hit his head several times on the low ceiling of the hobbit dwelling. In one of those scenes, he actually got hit. But it was so believable that the director decided to leave the scene. Also, Aragorn, when he went out into a clearing with a bunch of burnt orcs, had to kick an iron helmet in a rage. They filmed several takes, but the actor managed only when he broke two toes on his foot. He fell to his knees and called for help without losing his role. Viewers can also see this unique frame in the film.

Another interesting event happened to Sean Bean, who played Boromir. The fact is that he had to get to the location of the filming of The Lord of the Rings by helicopter. And he has flights on a similar technique. Resting himself, he told the project workers that he would rise on his own, on foot. This was done in a couple of hours acting group she watched with delight how the brave Boromir climbed the rocks, although this was not required by his role. The descent was even more difficult, it took almost 3 hours. Undoubtedly, this day was one of the most difficult in Sean's life.

Another, no less fascinating, story is the creation of Gollum's juice. Initially, Andy Serkins came to the place where they filmed The Lord of the Rings, only to voice a unique creature. But the entire film crew decided that computer graphics were not capable of giving life to the character, human participation was needed here. As for the voice acting, the actor imitated the sounds that his cat made when it coughed up fur. But such a voice literally tore his throat. To cope with the pain, a drink made from honey, ginger and lemon was created.

Conclusion

It is impossible to convey the fascination of the stories associated with the place where they filmed The Lord of the Rings. Photographs of characters against the background of endless green plains or panoramic shots of some of the most beautiful scenes, gloomy and terrifying rocks where Frodo and his faithful Sam passed, or beautiful elven forests - all this contains New Zealand. And, perhaps, the dream of every fan of the cult trilogy is to visit this wonderful country bringing your favorite characters to life.

New Zealand

The film "The Lord of the Rings" is the famous trilogy of Peter Jackson, based on novel of the same name Tolkien. The novel "The Lord of the Rings" is a classic of modern fantasy, and the film based on it is very popular with people all over the world.

New Zealand was the main filming location for the film. scenic landscapes became the best scenery for The Lord of the Rings. And every year, thousands of fans visit New Zealand just to see the places where the legendary trilogy was filmed.

A little about filming

New Zealander Peter Jackson got the idea to make a film based on Tolkien's book at the age of 17, inspired by Ralph Bakshi's cartoon. By the beginning of work on The Lord, Jackson had already shot the Hollywood film Scarecrows. He immediately decided to shoot the film in New Zealand, with the help of local companies. Funding came from American studios, but even the special effects were done by a local studio. And the work was done so well that the heads of the American studios grudgingly admitted that they could learn a lot from their colleagues from New Zealand.

Thus, it can be said that although The Lord of the Rings is considered American film, his appearance is entirely the merit of New Zealand.

Excursions

In a number of travel agencies of the world, anyone can book a tour of the memorable places of the "Lord of the Rings". Such excursions usually last a couple of weeks, and their cost ranges from five to ten thousand dollars. Usually these excursions include other memorable places New Zealand.

However, you can do without an excursion - in almost all memorable places there are conditions for accommodation, and camping is also welcome in New Zealand.

Wakaito - Hobbitshire

Wakaito is a very picturesque place just south of Auckland. It was it, or rather, the town of Matamata, that became the prototype of the hobbit village.

After filming, the name “Hobbiton” was very firmly entrenched in this place, even a sign appeared at the entrance to the city. Moreover, after filming, almost all the hobbit houses in the town were preserved. Unfortunately, you can’t get inside them - but you can at least look from the side.

As soon as The Hobbit, the prequel to The Lord of the Rings, was released, the Green Dragon bar opened in Wakaito, the one where the film's characters liked to gather to drink and talk. In a real pub you can drink the favorite drinks of the hobbits: beer, Barton's Oak ale, ginger ale and much more. The bar is planning to open a hotel soon.

"Hobbiton"

Tongariro - Mordor

The Tongariro National Park, as well as the nearby lakes of Rotorua and Tuapo, are the places where the most terrible territory of Middle-earth, Mordor, was filmed. In the landscapes of the desert of Rangipo, one can easily recognize the area around the Black Gate of Mordor, and ski resort Fakapapa is the Gorgorot Plateau and the Emin Muil Highlands.

There are in this park and active volcanoes. One of these volcanoes, Ruapehu, became the prototype of Oroduin, Mount Doom.

Volcano Ruapehu

Wellington - Troll Grove and Old Forest

Of course, there were no shootings in the capital of New Zealand itself, but there are many picturesque places in its vicinity that were used to show the Old Forest, Troll Grove and Helm's Deep - places that are very important for the plot of the film.

Kaitoke - Rivendell

This national park also located near Wellington. Thanks to modern computer technology, which emphasized the rich local nature, the film crew managed to recreate Rivendell described by Tolkien almost perfectly. The Battle of the Izen Fords was also filmed here.

Mount Sunday - Edoras

All previous locations have been in New Zealand's North Island, but the film was not exclusively filmed there. In the central part of the South Island is Mount Sunday, which became the location of the capital of Rohan - Edoras.

You can get to the South Island using ferry crossing that works for both people and cars. This part of New Zealand is notable for its beauty, with amazing pristine beaches as well as massive mountain peaks and crevices.

Mount Sunday

Marie Kepler - Dead Marsh

Another attraction of the South Island of New Zealand is the largest lake Te Anau on the islands. Near this lake, which in itself is a fairly popular attraction, there are mari Kepler. Here were filmed those episodes where Frodo goes through dead swamps with Golum and Sam. By the way, Kepler's mari are almost perfect for Tolkien's Dead Marshes, so the crew almost didn't have to use computer graphics.

Fiordland - Anduin River

Southland is one of the most picturesque places in New Zealand, located in the southwestern part of the country. It is located on the coast and is notable for the fjords of the Tasman Sea. On the territory of Southland is located Fiordland - a New Zealand national park with rare representatives of fauna and flora.

Along the Fiordland, between the lakes of Manapouri and Te Anau, the Hutt River flows. During filming, this river became the Aduin, the river that members of the Fellowship of the Ring traveled down from Lorien. If desired, tourists can sail along the route of the heroes by renting a motor boat. And further up the river are also the very remarkable Misty Mountains.

fiordland

queenstown

Even further south is Queenstown - the place where the Misty Mountains, the hills of Eregion, the stopping of the hobbits and Ithiliene, and several more very memorable episodes were filmed: the rescue of Frodo and Arwen from the Nazgul, the battle of Faramir's troops against Harad, etc. By the way, although the Misty Mountains were filmed in Queenstown, passing through them is part of the Southern Alps.

Queenstown has a unique nature, so it is not surprising that many panoramic scenes were filmed here. Not far from Queenstown is Lorien - a forest where wood elves live.

Nelson

Also on the South Island, but already on its southern coast, is the city of Nelson. First of all, this city is notable for the fact that it is the geographical center of New Zealand - you can learn about this from the memorial plaque, as well as from guides.

However, after the filming of The Lord of the Rings, the city began to attract tourists even more. The fact is that it was in Nelson that they brewed beer for the Prancing Pony, made the Ring of Omnipotence and generally made many details and trifles that created the image of the Middle-earth saga.

From this city, you can order a helicopter tour to those filming locations that are not so easy to get to. For example, from here you can fly to the hill, under which the Fellowship of the Ring hid from the spies of Saruman, and where they mourned the death of Gandalf. There are others interesting places, which are worthy of a visit, but getting to them is not so easy - for this, there are helicopter tours.

Mackenzie

Mackenzie County is where Mount Cook is located - the most high point New Zealand. In honor of this mountain, the national park located here, which is part of the UNESCO treasury, is named.

In this park you can see with your own eyes the places where the large-scale battle of the troops of Gondor and Rohan with the army of Sauron took place on the Pelennor Plain.

The small town of Matamatu, which is located in the Waikato region, is currently a place of real tourist pilgrimage. After all, it is in the vicinity of this city that the Shire is a wonderful land where the people of hobbits live. Waikato, with its small farms, green rolling hills, and heather, was the perfect setting for this shoot. Most of the scenery is still preserved in the vicinity of the city, so here you can see hobbit holes with green round doors, a huge one where Bilbo Baggins celebrated his birthday and other memorable places from the film.

In the vicinity of Wellington (the capital of New Zealand), the shooting lasted for three whole years. Here you can see incredible scenery, which surrounded the elven valley of Rivendell in the film, and nearby - the plains on which Orthanc stood. If you walk through the hills of Wairarapa, you can reach the gloomy peaks of Pitanguirua, the Path of the Dead from the third film.

Not far from the famous resort city of Queenstown, which is located in a unique natural area, the golden forests of Lorien were filmed - the places where the beautiful mistress of the elves Galadriel reigns. And ten kilometers from this city there is a wonderful national park, which is Deer Park Heights, where Rohans were filmed with orcs.

Rohan and Mordor

Canterbury - largest island"Southern". On its most beautiful plains in the film, the Rohan city of Edoras from the second part of the epic was located, it was here that Theoden's palace called Meduseld stood.

Southland is one of the most picturesque corners of New Zealand; the Fiordland National Park is located here. The Hutt River, which flows through this region, became the great Anduin in the film, and the film sailed along it as they left the golden forests of Lorien.

Volcano Ruapehu Peter Jackson (film director) cast in the role of Fire Mountain, or Orodruin. With the flame of this volcano in the film, everything began and ended. There is a whole walking route for fans of the film, tourists can see many places familiar from the film, go to the Ohakune River, where Gollum fished, see amazing mountain scenery.

The variety of climate zones, stunning nature and beauty of New Zealand made it an ideal location for filming a fantasy epic.

Here in Auckland, I came across a great map listing the locations where the Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed. I have already shown somehow the heart of the Shire - the town of Hobbiton, which we will all soon see in the new Hobbit, and the elven forests from the South Island. In connection with the availability of air tickets and free tourist visas for Russian citizens, today I am throwing links on the topic for fans and fans. Tolkiens, go ahead!

Do not judge strictly if I am mistaken somewhere. I love the author with all my heart and admire his work, however, like some of my acquaintances, I cannot notice the wrong color of the plumage of elven arrows in the flickering of the battle scene.

Hobbiton

So, let's start with the mecca of any roleplayer who respects the Ring of Omnipotence. The farm where Peter Jackson filmed The Shire for all of his films is about a two and a half hour drive from Auckland. This pleasure costs 60NZD, excluding the road from Auckland. You can rent a car, or you can take a bus: there are plenty of tour operators. Detailed with photos.

Anduin River

Filmed on the Waiau River. Open spaces, the water surface, the banks of the Anduin River overgrown with dense forests.

Mangawhero River

Gollum fished here.

The same location Mordor (Mordor). Frodo and Sam pass by a broken pillar.

Whakapapa skifield

Here Isildur cut off Sauron's ringed finger.

Ibid: Frodo and Sam caught Gollum and he led the hobbits to the Emyn Muil

Tukino skifield on Mt Ruapehu

Frodo, Sam and Gollum look out over Mordor before they start looking for a way around.

Dimholt Road

Putangirua Pinnacles

Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli the dwarf ride to meet the army of the Dead

Film frame

Dimrill Dale

Mount Owen

The Fellowship of the Ring (without Gandalf) flee Moria.

Elven Valleys in Rivendell

Mount Olympus and Boulder Lake (Mount Olympus/Boulder Lake)

The Fellowship of the Ring hides here from the black ravens of Saruman.

Ered Nimrais

Mount Gunn, near Franz Josef Glacier

Smoke signals light up on the tops of the White Mountains, bringing news from Gondor to Rohan.

Edoras

Mount Sunday

Capital of Rohan and native home Meduseld, King Theoden's castle.

Brook Bruinen (Ford of Bruinen)

Skippers Canyon

Arwen drenches the Nazgûl, causing a flash flood on their heads.

Isengard

Pasture Dan (Dan's Paddock)

Gandalf rides to Isengard through the valley of Nan Curunír.

Overnight in Ithilien

Channel Twelve Mile (Twelve Mile Delta)

Frodo, Sam and Gollum watch the battle between Faramir's warriors from Gondor and their enemies from Harad. Then Sam and Gollum discuss cooking fish.

Film frame

Kawarau Suspension Bridge

The Fellowship of the Ring sails through the King's Gate on the River Anduin.

North Mavora Lake

Members of the Fellowship of the Ring sneak along the lakeshore at the end of the Anduin rafting trip. Hobbits hide from the Urukhai.

Film frame

Suspension bridge across the Mararoa River at South Mavora Lake

The Fellowship of the Ring leaves Lothlórien.

Film frame

Mavor was filmed in the Fangorn Forest. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli follow in the footsteps of Merry and Pippin after discovering the charred corpses of Orcs left behind by the Riders of Rohan.

South of Rivendell