27 Lord Of The Rings Filming Locations And What They Look Like In Real Life

They do look like they're not of this world.

Liezel

• Published in Film & TV
• June 10, 2022

It has been more than 20 years since The Fellowships of the Ring (2001) came out around the world. Can you believe it?

It seemed like only yesterday when fans of the books were excitedly talking about the upcoming films and already creating their own predictions as to how accurate they would really be. And admittedly, the movies weren't perfect.

Given that the films were given limited time to compress everything in Tolkien's books, it's understandable that some events would be cut. In addition to that, the film's production companies had a limited budget so they weren't able to use too many green screens and advanced animation works.

Still, they were able to find some pretty amazing locations to film in and while they might not always be accurate to the books, they were still pretty great for the films. A lot of the locations even look like they don't belong on Earth and are products of visual effects but no, those places are real alright.

You can even visit some of these places if you want to. Here are some of the most beautiful filming locations of The Lord of the Rings film series and what they look like in real life.

1. Bag End (Hobbiton movie set)

This location is pretty well known to fans of the series because this is when we see Gandalf arriving at Bilbo Baggins' home, Bag End.

The exterior that people see today was rebuilt for the Hobbit trilogy in the Hobbiton Movie Set near Matamata. The interior shots for Bag End, however, were shot in a studio in Wellington.

2. Rivendell (Kaitoke Regional Park)

The original arc was removed after filming but later, Weta Workshop place an arch in the same architectural style at the exact same place.

3. Nen Hithoel (North Mavora Lake)

At the end of the first film, the Fellowship comes onto land with the Elven boats after passing the Argonath. Then, after the breaking of the Fellowship, Sam and Frodo continue their journey to Mordor by crossing the lake.

All these scenes were filmed around the North Mavora lake.

4. Edoras (Mount Sunday)

Mount Sunday was a pretty remote location and it took several months for the crew to build this huge set in the second photo. In the photo, we see the scene where Eowyn sees Gandalf, Legolas, and Gimli arriving by horse from her perch on Meduseld.

5. Argonath (Kawarau River)

This is where the Anduin river was set and the screenshot here features the moment just before The Fellowship sees the two Pillars of the Kings guarding the river. A river trip is needed before getting to the exact spot.

6. Pelennor Fields (Twizel)

The plains near Twizel was where the scene in which Gandalf rescues the riders from the winged Nazgul was shot.

7. Pelennor Fields (Twizel)

The fields was also where Theoden gave his speech before the Rohirrim charged into battle.

8. Get Off The Road! (Mt. Victoria)

In this scene, Frodo senses the Nazgul approaching. The spot where he's standing is also very close to where the Hobbits hid under the roots of a tree.

The tree they hid under, however, was made for the film and it was removed after filming. Everything was filmed at Mount Victoria, close to Wellington.

9. Emyn Muil (Whakapapa)

In the opening scene for The Two Towers, Frodo and Sam are climbing a rocky mountain. That exact spot is just to the right of the Meads Wall.

10. Gandalf Calls Shadowfax (Mavora Lakes Rd.)

The scene where Gandalf the White calls Shadowfax was filmed at the exact same location as where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli found the burnt Orc Mound.

11. Hobbiton (Hobbiton movie set)

When Gandalf arrives in Hobbiton, there are several shots of different hobbits doing chores around the community. This was all shot in the Hobbiton movie set.

12. Minas Tirith (Mount Cook National Park)

The mountain range of Mount Cook was used as the background of Minas Tirith and it can be clearly seen in The Return of the King when Gandalf and Pippin ride to the capital of Gondor.

The battlegrounds around Minas Tirith were shot near Twizel.

13. Pelennor Fields (Mount Cook National Park)

In the scene where Legolas shoots down an Oliphaunt, a slope in the Mount Cook national park can be seen in the background.

14. The Green Dragon (Hobbiton movie set)

15. Hobbiton (Hobbiton movie set)

This particular hobbit hole appears when Mr. Proudfoot sees the four Hobbits returning to the Shire.

16. Helm's Deep (Erewhon Station)

The location for Helm's Deep was nearby Mount Sunday and it was just superimposed on this part of the mountain range.

17. Rohirrim Village (Poolburn Reservoir)

This is the spot where the Orc attack on the Rohirrim Village was filmed. Nearby, the scenes where Aragon, Legolas, and Gimli were chasing the Uruk-hai that were taking Pippin and Merry to Saruman were also filmed.

18. Gollum Goes Fishing (Mangawhero Falls)

The scene where Gollum was chasing a fish in the river was filmed at these falls. It's located at the slopes of Mount Ruapehu where other scenes were filmed.

19. Ithilien - Oliphaunts (Twelve Mile Delta)

The Twelve Mile Delta near Queenstown was where the scene when Sam and Gollum spot two Oliphaunts was filmed. Near there, the preceding scene in which the two argue on how to prepare coneys for a meal was also filmed.

20. Sandyman's Old Mill (Hobbyton movie set)

Gandalf and Frodo passes by Sandyman's Old Mill while in Gandalf's cart.

21. Isengard (Near Glenorchy)

22. Samwise Gamgee's Home (Hobbiton movie set)

The final scene of the trilogy ends with Sam returning to Hobbiton and reuniting with his family. In the final shot, the camera zooms in on his yellow door.

23. Orc Mound (Mavora Lakes Rd.)

The area where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli find the burnt Orcs and Uruk-hai that had been carrying Pippin and Merry was not too far from North Mavora Lake.

24. The Green Dragon (Hobbiton movie set)

The interior of The Green Dragon was shot in a studio in Wellington. And a fully functional replica has been built at the Hobbiton Movie Set.

25. Dunharrow (Mt. Victoria)

The Rohirrim camp at Dunharrow was set up at the former quarry at the top end of Ellice Street in Wellington.

26. Rohirrim refugees (Deer Park Heights)

The Deer Park Heights was the spot for the scene where Rohan refugees travel to Helms Deep. It was also where their battle with the Wargs and Orcs were filmed.

27. The battle of the last alliance (Whakapapa)

Whakapapa was the backdrop for the scene where Gil-galad was fighting Orcs in the Battle of the Last Alliance that can be seen in the prologue of the Fellowship of the Ring.

These places were absolutely beautiful and they truly seemed to be part of some fairytale world called Middle Earth. Seriously though, props to all their location scouts for finding these places and featuring their beauty in the films.

They must have had so much dedication to making the films as best as they can be and their efforts truly paid off. Which one is the location you'd want to visit?

Liezel