Random Lord of the Rings Sets You Can Visit in Real Life (18 items)

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  (#1) The Fellowship of the Ring - The Shire

  A beautiful, vibrant, farming village, the Waikato town of Matamata was practically the shire before Peter Jackson and company even arrived. They rebuilt the Shire there again after The Hobbit and it's now a permanent attraction, with buses running to it all day.
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  (#2) The Fellowship of the Ring - Rivendell

  If you want to experience the elvish wonder and magic of Rivendell head over to Wellington's Kaitoke Regional Park. It's only a 50 minute drive from downtown Wellington and the park itself contains 250 hectares of elvish forest. The exact location where Frodo recovered from his knife attack is a clearly marked for your convenience.
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  (#3) The Fellowship of the Ring - Hobbiton

  On Alexander Farm, near Matamata, sits the location they used for Hobbition. Or, more or less grew for Hobbiton. It took about a year of prep to grow and shape all the plants required to make Hobbiton what it was. This particular location is on privately owned land, but tours are available.
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  (#4) The Hobbit - New Hobbiton

  After some years of growth and wear and tear between the original trilogy and the Hobbit films, it was decided they would build a new Hobbiton. This new Hobbiton has a whopping 44 Hobbit holes, the party tree, and, of course, the Green Dragon Pub. You're free to peruse the landscape, take tours, and maybe have some second breakfast.
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  (#5) The Fellowship of the Ring - The Ford of Bruinen

  Even if they hadn't filmed an iconic scene there ("You want him! Come and claim him!" *cue the huge wave horses*), the river used for the Ford of Bruinen is shockingly gorgeous. Located in Arrowtown, the area is great for a day trip, and a good hike as it's easily accessible, with the Queenstown airport so close by.
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  (#6) The Return of the King - Mordor

  I you're going on a quest to see Lord of the Rings locations, the only thing that makes sense is that said quest should bring you to Mordor. For that, you need to go to Tongariro National Park, which was formerly famous for being the fourth World Heritage Site ever founded (but once you're Mordor, you're Mordor for life).
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  (#7) The Fellowship of the Ring - River Anduin

  The Waiau River (between Te Anau, where they filmed the Fanghorn Forest, and Manapouri) was used as the River Anduin. So if you'd like to do some rafting and re-create the scene in which the Fellowship paddles south from Lothlorien, this is the place to do it. The surrounding mountains were also used as backdrops for Rivendell. There's even a place to bungee jump there!
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  (#8) The Two Towers - Fangorn Forest

  If you'd like to see the legendary Fanghorn Forest, you can actually do it from the road! Head to Te Anau (about two and a half hours from Queenstown), and ask for directions to Takaro Road. Both sides of this road were used for shots of Aragorn running through the trees.
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  (#9) The Return of the King - Paths of the Dead

  Further up the coast from Wellington, past the Waitarere Forest is the Wairarapa Region. In this area you can find the Putangirua Pinnacles, an eerie place where Aragorn, Gilmli, and Legolas sought the Paths of the Dead. The place is enormous, surreal, and stunning.
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  (#10) The Two Towers - Edoras

  The main city of the Rohan people is just as gorgeous in real life as it is in the film. They shot all of Edoras on Mount Sunday, an enormous sheer-sided hill in the Ashburton District. Once there you can either park and walk to the site, or even eat and stay the night at the nearby Mount Potts Station.
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  (#11) The Return of the King - Mount Doom

  Mount Doom seems like the ultimate destination for a Tolkien fan. After hours and hours of reading the books or watching the movies, why shouldn't your journey ultimately end where the ring itself did?

  Great news: there's not just one volcano, there are three, and one is still active! Mount Doom was (naturally) filmed in the same park as Mordor, so check out Tongariro National Park for all of Mount Doom's glory.
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  (#12) The Two Towers - Lothlorien

  The location used for Lothlorien is actually a great two-for-one for Lord of the Rings die hards. Not only was the Fernside Lodge used as the home of Galadriel, queen of the elves, it was also used as the location for Smeagol and Deagol's battle for the one ring. If those two iconic set pieces in one visit don't sell you, nothing will.
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  (#13) The Fellowship of the Ring - Bree

  Fort Dorset, in Wellington, was used as the location for Bree. The exact location was an Army base that has since been demolished, but plots of land throughout the area are actually for sale! Now's your chance to own a piece of Lord of the Rings history!

  The nearby Chocolate Fish Cafe, at Scorching Bay, is where the cast and crew often ate and had coffee.
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  (#14) The Two Towers - Osgiliath Wood

  If you head to Wellington, New Zealand, cruise up the coast keep an eye out for Waitarere Forest. These are the woods that were used as Osgiliath Wood. Vehicles are not permitted inside without a permit, but it's home to miles of fantastic walking and biking trails.
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  (#15) The Return of the King - Pillars of the Kings

  One of the most jaw-dropping set pieces in The Lord of the Rings was the enormous Pillars of the Kings. Naturally, those were CGI but the area itself is just as stunning. Head to the Kawarau River, pass the oldest bungee jumping site in the world, and look for Chard Farm Vineyard.
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  (#16) The Fellowship of the Ring - Gardens of Isengard

  The city of Wellington served as many locations during the filming of The Lord of the Rings. One of them, Harcourt Park, became the Gardens of Isengard. Saruman and Gandalf had a chat right past that bench in the above photo.
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  (#17) The Return of the King - Pelennor Fields

  This is a location that's actually more beautiful in real life than in the movies, as they used these fields for violent battle scenes. If you drive up the west coast from Wellington, near Paraparaumu, you'll find Queen Elizabeth Park. This is where they filmed the Nazgul and Mumakil in the Battle of Pelennor Fields. How is this not an awesome worldwide destination for LARPing yet?
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  (#18) The Fellowship of the Ring - Chetwood Forest

  If you drive past Nelson (itself worth checking out - it's the home of Jens Hansen the goldsmith who created the 40 different rings used in the films) and head west you'll reach Takaka Hill. This patch of land was used as Chetwood Forest. If you'd like to pretend to be Strider/Aragorn leading a pack of Hobbits through the rough country into Bree, this is the perfect place to do it.

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