Lord of the Rings (LOTR) Tour of New Zealand 2004

We did a Lord of the Rings Tour of New Zealand in April 2004 as part of Red Carpet Tours and visited many of the film locations.

As we all know, the real star of Peter Jackson’s trilogy of films based on J.R.R. Tolkien‘s Lord of the Rings is the beautiful country of New Zealand (plus of course, a number of “human” actors in “supporting” roles).”

Tourism New Zealand even issues postcards saying “Welcome to New Zealand, Home of Middle Earth” that are distributed to cinema goers watching the films around the world. New Zealand, being a relatively young country (from a geological perspective), has a stunning diverse set of landscapes that seem to fit the various locations of Middle Earth as described by Tolkien perfectly, ranging from the idyllic and rustic Hobbiton, the rugged Misty Mountains, the mighty River Anduin to the forbidding Mordor.

I first read the book(s) when I was 15, and have always felt that they would someday make a great film. Ralph Bakshi‘s animated version, released in 1978, was a disappointment, but my hope was finally realised when New Zealand born director Peter Jackson made the definitive trilogy, with the backing of New Line Cinema, released over 2001-2003.

Red Carpet Tours does a very comprehensive Lord of the Rings Tour of the locations in New Zealand used to shoot the film, so we decided to take the tour commencing around Easter 2004. This web site is a “travel diary” of my experiences on the tour that I shared with the other members of the “Fellowship” as we journeyed across New Zealand.

This is a travel diary consisting of images and personal commentaries for each day of the tour. The images of locations used in the films are also accompanied by frames from the movies (where possible) and quotes from the book(s). We did not visit all the known locations. Also, not all scenes in the film were in the book(s) so some images do not have corresponding quotes. All quotes from the book are taken from the illustrated single volume hardback edition published by HarperCollinsPublishers (1991) ISBN 0-261-10230-3. All frames from the movies are taken from the Region 1 Extended Edition DVDs of The Fellowship Of The Ring, Twin Towers and The Return of the King – the images remain the copyright of New Line Cinema.

• LOTR 2004

LOTR 2004 Day 0: Auckland

We arrived at Auckland on Good Friday around 9pm. We spent Saturday around the city, and Sunday around Takapuna.

• Chris Tham
• 2004-04-11

• LOTR 2004

LOTR 2004 Day 1: Auckland to Rotorua

We visited the Hobbiton Movie Set, and then stopped at Rotorua where we went to the Tamaki Maori Village for a traditional Maori Welcome.

• Chris Tham
• 2004-04-12

• LOTR 2004

LOTR 2004 Day 2: Rotorua to Ohakune

We left Rotorua and stopped at Wai-O-Tapu, Huka Falls, Taupo, Meads Wall, and finished in Okahune to sleep in Billy Boyd's bed.

• Chris Tham
• 2004-04-13

• LOTR 2004

LOTR 2004 Day 3: Ohakune to Wellington

We left Ohakune to visit Mokai Gravity Canyon, then Mt Victoria and watched Return of the King at Embassy Theatre in Wellington.

• Chris Tham
• 2004-04-14

• LOTR 2004

LOTR 2004 Day 4: Wellington to Featherston & back

We explored Wellington and Featherston today, including WETA, Dry Creek Quarry (Helms Deep/Minas Tirith) and Hutt River (River Anduin).

• Chris Tham
• 2004-04-15

• LOTR 2004

LOTR 2004 Day 5: Wellington to Christchurch

Today we flew out of Wellington to Christchurch. After that, we wandered around and visited the Art Gallery and Botanical Gardens.

• Chris Tham
• 2004-04-16

• LOTR 2004

LOTR 2004 Day 6: Christchurch to Twizel

We left Christchurch to visit the Courts of Edoras (actually, Mt. Sunday). After that, we continued to Twizel via the beautiful Lake Tekapo.

• Chris Tham
• 2004-04-17

• LOTR 2004

LOTR 2004 Day 7: Twizel to Cromwell

We left Twizel for Ben Ohau Station, then a pine forest (Flight to the Ford). We also visited Bonspiel Station and finished up at Cromwell.

• Chris Tham
• 2004-04-18

• LOTR 2004

LOTR 2004 Day 8: Cromwell to Te Anau

We left Cromwell to head off towards Mavora Lakes. In the afternoon, we arrived at the lakeside town of Te Anau.

• Chris Tham
• 2004-04-19

• LOTR 2004

LOTR 2004 Day 9: Te Anau to Milford Sound & back

Today is a LOTR free day, as we travelled from Te Anau to visit the famous Milford Sound, and then returned back to Te Anau.

• Chris Tham
• 2004-04-20

• LOTR 2004

LOTR 2004 Day 10: Te Anau to Queenstown

We travelled from Te Anau to Queenstown, stopping by at Deer Park Heights, Arrowtown, Twelve Mile Delta, and Amon Hen.

• Chris Tham
• 2004-04-21

• LOTR 2004

LOTR 2004 Day 11: Queenstown to Auckland

Today is the "optional activities" day of the tour before we flew from Queenstown to Auckland. Some of us went on the Dart River Safari.

• Chris Tham
• 2004-04-22

• LOTR 2004

The “Action Figure” Version of the Lord of the Rings

The "Action Figure" Version of the Lord of the Rings features action figurines re-enacting various scenes from the movies during our tour.

• Chris Tham
• 2004-04-23