21 days in Middle-Earth

Day 1: Auckland Welcome to New Zealand, the country of the Hobbits, Elves, Orcs and Dwarfs. You will arrive at Auckland Airport, and be welcomed by our REST NEW ZEALAND representative who will transfer you to your accommodation. Until the following morning you have time to explore the “City of Sails” the biggest Polynesian City in the world. The motto for your first day in Middle Earth is the kiwi saying: “come in, chill out.” Details Day 2: Auckland – Hobbiton - Rotorua First thing in the morning your car will be transferred to your accommodation and your journey can begin. Mirroring the “Lord of the Rings” plot, your first destination will be Hobbiton in the Shire. Driving through rolling grassy hills you arrive at Matamata. Here you can take part in a local tour through the home of the Hobbits, experience the view through the windows of the Shire and wander where Bilbo wandered under the grand Party Tree. Afterwards the journey will take you to Rotorua – well known as a hub of Maori culture and for its geothermal activities. Details Day 3: Rotorua Explore this unique city and enjoy some of the many attractions. Look at the thermal ground to imagine how the world of Middle Earth must have appeared. Prepare to be mesmerised by geysers, hot pools and bubbling mud.  Alternatively you can participate in an exhilarating hike into the Whirinaki Forest, the crown of the New Zealand rain forest. Check out the ancient native trees, some of which reach heights of more than 65m. Details Day 4: Rotorua - Taupo Mordor – the empire of darkness is waiting…. Drive along Lake Taupo, a Crater Lake in the “Caldera” known as the world’s biggest volcanic eruption (heard as far away as China). Highlights on the way are the fast flowing rapids of Huka falls, and the city of Taupo, one of three Bungy jumping centres in New Zealand. In Tongariro National Park three giant volcanoes are visible, easy to see why the region received it’s alias as Mordor. Do you recognise Mt Doom? Details Day 5: Taupo - Ohakune To experience the remoteness and isolation of this territory and recreate the illusion of Mordor, we recommend you undertake the Tongariro Crossing (weather dependent). It is a very popular and beautiful hike. Make your way through changing landscapes with two active Volcanoes in the vicinity. Take in the cold mountain springs, a lava flow, and turquoise coloured lakes and hot pools. If you feel this 7-8 hour hike may be too strenuous, you could also explore the region by car, where you can experience the locations where “Ihlien Camp” and “Henneth Annun” were produced. Details Day 6: Ohakune – Featherston – Kapiti Coast A rafting trip through the “Grand Canyons” of the Rangitikei River will bring you to the exact film spots on the “Anduin” river. Later visit the pine forests near Tarras on the Kapiti Coast where Arwen’s escape from the black horsemen was filmed. You will spend the night in the Kapiti region. Details   Day 7: Kapiti Coast - Wellington  Discover secrets about the “Lothlorien” location, and depart the Shire before you reach the capital city of Wellington in the afternoon. Stop past Otaki and the picturesque Otaki Gorge on the way. The highlight of this evening is a visit to the venue of the world Premier of “Lord of the Rings”, the Embassy Theatre in Wellington. This is the venue, which had director Peter Jackson “in awe” as a child: “From the sweep of the identical staircases that took you away from the street, to the immense scale of the screen and the auditorium. I marvelled at how anyone could make curtains that size.” The Embassy has just had a major refurbishment, in time for the world premiere of the final “Lord of the Rings” trilogy in December 2003. Details Day 8: Wellington Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum is on today’s to-do-list. Relive Gandalf’s fall via a bungy simulation. Isengard and the Gate to Moria were both shot North – East of Wellington. Lower Hutt is where Peter Jackson’s epicentre “Wingnut Films” is based. The biggest and most detailed set of the movie was created and filmed here. Also of interest is the park around Mt Victoria, near the centre of Wellington, where the first meeting of the Hobbits and the Nazgul took place. Details Day 9: Wellington – Picton – Marahau Now it’s time to explore the South Island of New Zealand and many more impressive natural wonders. Taking the ferry to Picton across the Cook Strait (named after Captain James Cook, discoverer of New Zealand) you will encounter the country’s premier wine growing region, Marlborough, otherwise known as home of the Elves and Bruchtal. The moment in the film where the ring carriers depart to tackle the most dangerous leg of their journey was shot here. Passing through the town of Blenheim and the beautiful beach at Kaiteriteri, you will arrive at Marahau from where you can make several excursions to film spots over the next few days. Hike through the Elves forest and climb up Takaka Hill that is 972m high or visit Harward’s Hole, a sink cave. This cave, 176m deep and 15m wide, is the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere. Details   Day 10: Marahau Two of the most spectacular landscapes from “Lord of the Rings” can be found at Kauhurangi National Park. If it weren’t for Bill Reid, a pilot for Nelson Helicopters, many of these spots would remain inaccessible. We recommend you take a flight today, and marvel from above at treasures such as “Chestwood Forest”, “Mt. Olympus” and “Mt. Owen”. Details Day 11: Marahau – St. Arnaud Onwards to Nelson Lakes National Park where you will stay for one night. The northernmost mountains of the Southern Alps overlap this park, which has two beautiful alpine lakes, and which Peter Jackson describes as “an area of outstanding natural beauty.” Details   Day 12: St. Arnaud - Greymouth This day is dedicated to the beauty of the New Zealand West Coast. Explore the rugged coast and the adjacent virgin forest. Take a look at a colony of sea lions or the strangely shaped Pancake Rocks. You’ll also have the opportunity to visit a Greenstone factory in the settlement of Greymouth. Details   Day 13: Greymouth – Franz Josef Glacier Follow the call of the Caradhras. Continue along the West Coast until you reach the Glacier region. Both Franz Josef and the Fox Glacier are worth a look, either via hike, helicopter or plane. The sight of blue and green masses of ice floating through the bush to the coast is not worth missing. Details   Day 14: Franz Josef - Fox Glacier - Wanaka Moving inland from the West Coast, you arrive at the next film location, the Misty Mountains. Lake Wanaka is a pleasant stopover, where the forced perspective room in Puzzle World allows you to experience how point of view scenes were filmed in the trilogy. At Wanaka airport visit the NZ Fighter Pilots Museum or take a sky dive with the company Orlando Bloom used. Look towards the Alps from this angle and you will recognise the scenery, in which Jandal flew with Gwaihir after Isengard was rescued. Finish the day with ale in the “Prancing Pony”. Details   Day 15: Wanaka – Queenstown The next two days will be spent in Queenstown, New Zealand’s adventure capital. Nestled in an alpine valley alongside Lake Wakatipu, Queestown is one of the nations’ most well known and popular tourist destinations. Although some scenes were computer animated you will recognise this area straight away for its distinctive vista. Isengard in Glenorchy, the way to Mordor, the Wizards Vale, Fangorn and the cliff where Aragon fell, can all be found around Queenstown. Enjoy the innumerable activities this town offers; jetboating, bungee jumping and sky diving to name a few. Plenty to do here all year round, snow falling in the town in winter provides a white blanket to excite skiers, while summer temperatures reach over 30 degrees Celsius. Details   Day 16: Queenstown Receive an adrenalins rush or undertake a twenty-minute drive to Arrowtown. An historic gold digging town, Arrowtown is where the “Ford of Bruinen” is situated. Alternatively we recommend a 4WD trip with a local operator into Skippers Canyon, where you will be shown film locations on private land. Details   Day 17: Queenstown – Te Anau Te Anau is at the entrance to the Fiordland National Park, on the shores of one of New Zealand’s most beautiful lakes. Stand beside Lake Te Anau, take in the sky and the mountains and you will understand why this region was chosen to represent Middle Earth. Take time to experience Fangorn again in the Milford and Doubtful Sound. Details   Day 18: Te Anau Towards Lake Manapouri today, and the Waiau River, which was used to represent the majestic “Anduin” River. Either stop at several points on the river while driving from Te Anau to Manapouri, or take a helicopter tour. Details Day 19: Te Anau – Central Otago Travelling to the heart of the South Island, you’ll have the opportunity to absorb the peace and loneliness of Erewhon. Known as the Canterbury region, for six months, Edoras the capital of Rohan was filmed here. Your accommodation will be a historic hotel in the Central Otago Region. Details Day 20: Central Otago - Canterbury Plains – Methven Take some shots of Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain. The tranquil beauty of this area is an ideal home for the Elves. From Methven you will reach the wide valley of the Rangitata River, through which Erewhon dramatically appears. The land of horses and warriors was created around the Canterbury Plains area, as was Theoden’s Hall and Edoras. Details Day 21: Methven – Christchurch Today is you last day on Middle Earth. Leave Methven with a final view to the Alps before you arrive in Christchurch, known as the most British City outside Britain. Spend your final night here before departing the country of Hobbits, Elves, Orcs and Dwarfs. Details

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