Bag End: The whole in the ground at Hobbiton, where it all started. Photo / Supplied
Bag End: The whole in the ground at Hobbiton, where it all started. Photo / Supplied
Today marks 20 years since New Zealand took a starring role in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings.
It's been two decades since Frodo left Bag End on an adventure that would arrive on cinema screens around the world and change the way Aotearoa is seen and sees itself.
Being typecast as Middle-earth has had its blessings and 'not-blessings'. However, it was the role that put our fantastical landscapes in the hearts of moviemakers and film lovers from here to the edge of the Tolkienesque map.
Here are seven Hobbit-famous places around New Zealand that are marking the movie milestone.
At the top of the Rees and Dart rivers you'll find fantasy film landscapes. Photo / Supplied
Hobbiton's big birthday bash
Nestled in the rolling Waikato hills outside Matamata was a natural home for Hobbiton. As the films come into a third decade, the stand-in Shire knows a thing or two about throwing a party. The Party Field where Bilbo the hobbit celebrated his birthday is being converted into an open air cinema for an anniversary screening of the original Fellowship of the Ring film.
Wellywood's Hobbit-sized celebrations
In a hole not in the ground, but in a Wellington film studio, you'll find another home for hobbits. Wētā Workshop is holding a Bag End experience running an exhibition of the props and places used in the filming. Giant props, shrinking guests down to the size of a halfling, and immerse them in the more practical story of putting Middle-earth on the big screen.
Flight of fantasy with Queenstown's Glacier helicopters. Photo / Supplied
Swoop over silver screen locations
Alfie Speigh, the principal film pilot for all of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films, is taking guests on an anniversary flight with Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters. Approaching the filming locations with a bird's-eye view with the pilot that took the shots, is a chance to see the Wakatipu scenery as it was for the filmmakers.
Ride into the big screen
The ribboned rivers of the Rees and Dart at the top of Wakatipu were the backdrop to many scenes in the Lord of the Rings - and countless spin-offs since. Glenorchy's Lord of the Rings Scenic Tour is a chance to don pointy swords and pointier ears on a costumed tour, to try on the costumes and props from the films.
Barrels of fun: Rafting on the Pelorus River. Photo / Supplied
Barrel through the river rapids
Pelorus River near Havelock found film fame as the site where thirteen dwarves and a plucky hobbit made their escape in barrels. Today Picton Kayak Tours takes visitors through the rapids to relive the scene in thrilling mountain spring water.
Mt Sunday in Canterbury is a good place for a fairytale castle like Edoras. Photo / Supplied
Scale a fairytale castle
On the Rangitata River at Mt Potts High Country station is the epic rocky outcrop which was the site of the fantasy castle of Edoras in the movies. A couple hours' drive from Christchurch Mt Sunday, Hassle-free tours will take visitors on their all-terrain Alpine-Safari vehicle to scale the sides of the imaginary fortress.
Mt Ngauruhoe AKA Mt Doom in the Tongariro National Park. Photo / Supplied
The Mordor Gondola
At the top of the Whakapapa ski field, you'll get fantastic views of Mount Ngauruhoe - referred to in the films by the appropriately fierce name of 'Mount Doom'. The most breathtaking - and leisurely - way to get to the top of Ruapehu is on the Ruapehu Alpine Lift's dramatic Sky Waka.
Home to New Zealand's most popular great walk the Tongariro National Park and the Alpine crossing is an adventure worthy of JRR himself. To find sites used in the films, Visit Ruapehu has an intricate guide to the park, taken shot by shot. Visitruapehu.com/explore-the-region/lord-of-the-rings
