Hey everyone! Lauren here. If you have read any of our other New Zealand posts, you might realize Gerrod and I are both big fans of Lord of the Rings. We had a blast tracking down some of the filming locations. There are quite a few around Queenstown, so this is a bit of a long post. Also, even if you aren't a fan of the movies, you can appreciate the incredible beauty of New Zealand!!
Fangorn Forest
We saw two different locations that were used for the Fangorn Forest scenes.
The first location we saw was along Takaro Road, and was the location of the scene where Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli meet Gandalf the White. The woods along the road were very thick, but there were several signs posted along the road that said “Private Property”. Gerrod and I didn't want to trespass, or get lost in the thick Fangorn Forest so we just appreciated the woods from the road.
There are apparently some hikes in the Snowdon Forest Conservation Area, but unfortunately we did not have time to do any of them. Honestly, I would skip visiting this filming location unless you have time to do the hikes. It was hard to get to and not much to see.
The second Fangorn Forest filming location is the edge of the Fangorn forest. This is the scene where the Riders of Rohan left the mound of burnt orc bodies and Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli follow Merry and Pippin's trail into the woods. We didn't spend too much time exploring, but you could picture the scene right from Mavora Lakes Road.
Silverlode and Anduin Rivers
There are several filming locations near Mavora Lakes Park. The first location we visited is Silverlode and Anduin River Junction, which is where The Fellowship left Lothlórien after receiving gifts from Galadriel. To get to this location, we had to drive on gravel roads for about 30 kilometers. We parked in a parking lot near the marked Google Maps location, and headed on a short walk to a swing bridge over the Mararoa River at South Mavora Lake.
As we walked across the swing bridge, we were swept into a peaceful and serene landscape. There were very few people on the trail, and it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. We walked along a trail further upstream and tried to find the exact place where The Fellowship departed in their boats. It was a little hard to find the exact location of the scene, but we could definitely picture it.
Next, we decided to stroll around South Mavora Lake a bit and enjoy some scenery. Gerrod, funny enough, had his Nintendo Switch in his bag with him. He said you never know when you will need some entertainment.
Nen Hithoel
Next we drove to North Mavora Lake to Nen Hithoel. This is where the Fellowship docks their boats on the river shore, and then they are attacked by Uruk-Hai. It is a very significant part of the movie because it is where Frodo and Sam leave The Fellowship. Fun Fact: if you watch the Lord of the Rings movie appendices, Sean Astin, the actor that plays Samwise Gamgee, cuts his foot on glass while running into the lake!
After walking along the shoreline, we walked up into the woods nearby. This is where the Boromir dies trying to save Merry and Pippin. Both the shoreline and woods looked just like the movie scenes!
While poking around in the woods, we came across some really cool blue-green cup mushrooms that stained a log blue! I later identified it to be a Chlorociboria species. Very cool!
Next, we then ate lunch at nearby picnic tables and enjoyed the incredible scenery.
Dimrill Dale
The next day, we visited Dimrill Dale. This location is where the Fellowship exits the Mines of Moria after Gandalf falls to the shadows. Dimrill Dale can be found just outside of Queenstown along the Lake Alta Track. The short hike starts at The Remarkables ski area, and winds through alpine wetlands to Lake Alta. The trail wasn't very maintained, but we enjoyed hopping from rock to rock on our way up the mountain. There were a few signs along the trail with information about the Alpine landscape near the lake, and tons of wildflowers along the trail.
The scenery at Lake Alta was gorgeous. We took some pictures and tried to relax and enjoy the view while eating snacks. However, it was very windy and cold so we didn't hang out for too long.
On our drive back to Queenstown, we stopped to take bird's eye view pictures of the town. Queenstown looked so small nestled between the surrounding mountains!
Ithilien Camp
Only a 15 minutes drive from downtown Queenstown, we found the Ithilien Camp filming location. This is where Frodo, Sam and Gollum watch the battle between Faramir's Rangers of Gondor and the men/Oliphaunts of Harad. The Ithilien Camp is along the Twelve Mile Delta to Bob's Cove Track, which is a great little hike even if you aren't interested in Lord of the Rings.
We got a little turned around finding the start of the trail, but soon we were on our way! The GoogleMaps location for the camp was a little off, but after looking around we found the right spot. This was one of the most obvious filming locations we found. It looked just like the movie! We crouched down and pretended to see some Oliphaunts before continuing our hike.
The trail was fairly easy, and the walk through the “New Zealand bush” was peaceful. The end of the trail was uphill to a viewing area where you could see both Bob's Cove and the lake. We ate our lunch and enjoyed the view before heading back to our car.
Isengard
The filming location of Isengard is located about an hour northwest of Queenstown, and was not the easiest place to get. It was a very scenic drive but we made a few wrong turns along the way.
On our drive, we drove past a lake called Diamond Lake just south of Paradise Valley. The area north of the lake was used as the filming location for Beorn's House in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Gerrod and I snapped some pictures near the lake and at a sign marking Paradise Valley. The valley was stunning, with lush green grass surrounded by snow capped mountains. The valley was used for several locations in The Hobbit movies.
As we continued our drive past Diamond Lake, we ran into a few small stream crossings. We made it across a few, but as we got closer to the filming location we ran into a very deep crossing. We pulled off to the side of the road, and got out to assess if we could make the crossing. As we were checking it out, we saw a few vehicles make it across. We were tempted to go for it, but then noticed some car bumper wreckage in the creek. We were only ~2.5 km from the location, so we decided to just leave our car and walk.
There weren't many cars on the road, so the walk was quite enjoyable. When we got to Isengard, we snapped some pictures and envisioned Gandalf riding to Saruman for council. The trees in the valley were so interesting and made such a serene setting. I'm sure glad the Uruk-hai didn't actually destroy the forest!
The Argonath on the Anduin River
While driving around Queenstown, we made a quick stop at The Argonath on the Anduin River. This location is also called the Gates of Argonath or The Pillars of Kings which is from the Fellowship of the Ring movie. The river was right off of the road, and had very steep cliffs. If only the king statues were real!! We also decided to stop at the Chard Farm Vineyard nearby for a wine tasting. Beautiful views and wine are a great combination.
Until next time!
Lauren (and Gerrod)
