New Zealand - Lord of the Rings

New Zealand - Lord of the Rings

When I was young, a friend told me about the Lord of the Rings books that he was reading. From his description, I built an early impression that it was a story to be avoided; full of dark and sinister characters and plots. It turns out that my wife had developed the same impressions. It was not until Peter Jackson's films and the endless barrage of perpetual praise over them that Lynn and I decided to give the first film a try.

Not only did the first film hook us in to watch all three, we proudly own all three extended versions on DVD and have

enjoyed each of them. As in any interesting story, we do find that Lord of the Rings is a saga of good vs. evil. There is some darkness in its nature and there are sinister characters but, happily, good ultimately reigns victorious and the dark aspects do not seem to be in any way Biblical.

Beyond a compelling story, a big part of what entraps fans of Peter Jackson's films are the locations. Locations that happen to be epic in scope and beauty. Locations that are virtually all New Zealand.

Throughout New Zealand, books like the one shown at right help tourists identify different scenes in the three movies and appreciate where in New Zealand they were actually shot. There are actually a number of books. The one at right by Mr. Ian Brodie cost approximately $25 New Zealand Dollars. It offers maps, scenes from the film, location photographs and background information. It has made a nice souvenir for us.

Although Lord of the Rings was shot throughout New Zealand, there are special tours offered by companies in some of the most popular areas. Near Rotorua, Rings Scenic Tours Ltd will take visitors to Hobbiton to see a little of what remains as the former set and to enjoy the permanent terrain of New Zealand in that same area. In Queenstown, Nomad Safaris offers a full or half day off-road excursion to points of interest used in the Lord of the Rings films. Lynn and I had pre-booked a full day trip, but we were not feeling well on that day. We heard nothing but great things from those who were able to go.

Even the New Zealand Post Office has capitalized on how New Zealand has been transformed into Middle Earth. I acquired the above four Post Cards from the New Zealand Post Office after returning home.

Lynn and I will never become hard core Lord of the Rings fanatics, but if we were, I could see where we would have planned a trip to New Zealand much sooner than we did.