No Really, it is!
Any “Ringer” or “Tolkienist” will be sad to see the stories of Middle-earth leave the big screen. But, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies have left a legacy in New Zealand, where the movies were entirely filmed. The magic of Middle-earth lives on in the mountains, lakes, fields and rolling Hobbit hills that depicted Tolkien’s stories so well. Not only that, but backpackers still come for a pint in the Green Dragon Inn, climb Mt Doom, and come to a country with an official wizard. Find out more weird and wonderful reasons why New Zealand is Middle-earth in our New Zealand infographic below.
For more ways to experience Lord of the Rings in New Zealand, check out this 23 Lord of the Rings Locations You Can’t Miss in New Zealand
After Giving the Infographic a Cheeky Share…
… find out more about Middle-earth in these articles:
Sources:
The information in this guide has been compiled from our extensive research, travel and experiences across New Zealand and the South Pacific, accumulated over more than a decade of numerous visits to each destination. Additional sources for this guide include the following:
- Tourism New Zealand (General travel advice - Updated [2024])
- Adventure Mark (Health and Safety Audit - Updated [2024])
- Work Safe NZ (Adventure Activities Guidelines - Updated [2024])
- Department of Conservation (Tracks, hikes, campsites and more - Updated [2024])
- AdventureSmart (Know before you go - Update [2024])
- NZ Māori Tourism (Official Māori Tourism platform - Updated [2024])
- Tourism Export Council New Zealand (Tourism trade association - Updated [2024])
- TIA (Independent tourism association - Updated [2024])
- Tiaki Promise (Care for people place and culture - Updated [2024])
- Council websites and freedom camping maps (Local travel advice region by region - Updated [2024])
Our editorial standards: At NZ Pocket Guide, we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure accurate and quality content.
About The Author
Laura S.
This article has been reviewed and published by Laura, the editor-in-chief and co-founder of NZ Pocket Guide. Laura is a first-class honours journalism graduate and a travel journalist with expertise in New Zealand and South Pacific tourism for over 10 years. She also runs travel guides for five of the top destinations in the South Pacific and is the co-host of over 250 episodes of the NZ Travel Show on YouTube.