Tolkienist's Guide to Queenstown
CREDIT: UNSPLASH.
So, a Tolkienist is someone who studies the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. You know, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion, those little stories. Peter Jackson directed several films based on Tolkien’s works and he filmed many scenes in Queenstown.
If you’ve ever wanted to walk a mile in Aragorn’s shoes, here’s your chance. Our Tolkienist’s Guide to Queenstown will show you how. Use a luggage storage service before you go there and back again.
Wilcox Green
Wilcox Green isn’t actually in Queenstown, it’s in Arrowtown about 20 minutes away. This entry is a bit of a cheat, but we had to include it. After all, this locale is just too… precious. Peter Jackson and his team filmed the opening scenes of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King here.
Wilcox Green was the setting for Smeagol’s transformation into Gollum. To be more specific, the scenes where Smeagol betrayed Deagol were shot here. To think that such a peaceful place was the scene of such a dark crime.
Dart Valley
Sauron’s near-omniscience is one of the scariest things about him. His eyes are everywhere, especially the closer one gets to Mordor. The Isengard Lookout was one of Sauron’s many strongholds.
In our world, the Isengard Lookout is located in Dart Valley. Jackson and his team chose this area for its size and scope. It’s also located near a bunch of trees. Tolkienists know that trees and Isengard don’t mix well.
Remarkables
The Mines of Moria is a name that ought to send chills down every Tolkienist’s back. It was here where the Fellowship encountered Durin’s Bane – and it was here where Gandalf sacrificed his life for his friends.
In Peter Jackson’s film, Aragorn led the Fellowship to a rocky mountain range. The Remarkables is that mountain range. It’s normally covered in snow, making it a fantastic ski resort.
Deer Park Heights
One has to appreciate how difficult it is to film on location. Doubly so for a project like LoTR, which is set in a High Fantasy world. Peter Jackson and his crew filmed numerous scenes in sound stages. However, they filmed dozens of scenes at Deer Park Heights.
Deer Park Heights served as the backdrop for the Warg battle in The Two Towers. It’s also the place where Aragorn was dragged off a cliff and it’s also the field that Gandalf and Pippin ride through to reach Minas Tirith.
Credit: Unsplash.
Kawarau Gorge
Peter Jackson’s LoTR trilogy earned numerous awards from various institutions. Specifically, the trilogy earned eleven Oscars from the Academy. Weta Workshop created the franchise’s award-winning visual effects – including the Pillars of the Kings.
They created this iconic location by applying computer-generated images to footage of Kawarau Gorge. The Fellowship briefly talk about bygone eras in Jackson’s film as they sail past the pillars.
Twelve Mile Delta
Middle Earth is home to a menagerie of strange creatures. There are gold hoarding giant dragons, spiders-shaped demons, sentient trees, and super-sized wolves. Oliphaunts, however, are some of the least bizarre. Jackson’s team depicted them as plus-sized elephants.
Sam and Gollum saw these creatures up close when Faramir and company battled them at Ithilien. The Twelve Mile Delta is the locale where all of the action was shot. Keen-eyed visitors will be able to find the exact spots where Sean Austin and Andy Serkis were hiding.
Skippers Canyon
Peter Jackson took several liberties with his trilogy to create more cohesive films. Not all Tolkienists appreciate those changes – even Christopher Tolkien has openly voiced displeasure over the films. However, most fans appreciate Arwen’s enhanced screen time.
In The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo and the other hobbits are chased by the Ring Wraiths. Arwen saves the hobbits by magically flooding a river. Skippers Canyon is the location where that scene was filmed. You can find the exact place where this epic scene occurred.
Earnslaw Burn
Filming two trilogies based on the Tolkien Legendarium was no small feet. No matter how large the budget was, Peter Jackson and his crew had to be as efficient as possible. To that end, several locations were revisited in both the LoTR and The Hobbit trilogies.
Earnslaw Burn, for instance, appeared in The Two Towers and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. This is the area where portions of The Two Towers opening scenes were filmed. It also features the road that Bilbo and company used to leave Rivendell.
Lake Wakatipu
Even a perilous journey can have a few breaks here and there. The Fellowship was on a mission to destroy the One Ring. That’s about as perilous as it gets in Middle Earth. That’s also why their trip to Lothlorien was a much-needed reprieve.
Galadriel’s magic protected this beautiful forest from the forces of evil. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Peter Jackson used Lake Wakatipu as a backdrop for Lothlorien. The moment you visit this place, you’ll swear you’ve stepped into a genuinely magical forest.
Snowdon Forest
After Gandalf sacrificed himself to stave off the Balrog of Moria, the Fellowship was never the same. Everyone mourned his death in their own way, and their journey felt that much more hopeless.
Then, in Fangorn Forest, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas encountered a White Wizard. It wasn’t Saruman, it was Gandalf the White. This emotional scene was filmed in Snowdon Forest, a scenic venue filled with winding roads and grassy fields.
Mavora Walkway
Peter Jackson mastered the strategic use of hiking trails, valleys, and grass fields during the LoTR trilogy. Years later, those skills would prove invaluable when filming The Hobbit trilogy.
Mavora Walkway has some of Queenstown’s most scenic hiking trails. Passburn trail in particular was used as the backdrop for Bilbo and the company’s journey to the Misty Mountains.
Sources
https://www.newzealand.com/us/feature/rees-and-dart-track/
https://www.theremarkables.co.nz/
https://deerparkheights.co.nz/film-locations/
https://www.filmquest.co/film-locations/kawarau-gorge-the-pillars-of-the-kings/
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.