The Lord of the Rings, an epic novel and the world's most famous work of fantasy, has millions of fans in all countries. For half a century, fans have been able to get into Magic world Middle-earth is only in dreams. But since the early 2000s, everything has changed. Director Peter Jackson, a native of New Zealand, shot a film trilogy based on Tolkien's book in his homeland, and those who wanted to plunge into the world of hobbits, elves, dwarves and orcs rushed to look for the places shown on the screens. Since then, The Lord of the Rings has become a New Zealand brand.
This island nation continues to experience a boom in all things Lord of the Rings. In 2004, just after the final part of the trilogy was filmed, this type of tourism brought US$320 million into the New Zealand treasury. And recently, gold coins with images of film characters were proposed to be used as a means of payment.
It is expected that there will be even more people wishing to visit New Zealand: the world premiere of the prequel to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, will take place in December. And then two more films will come out. All of them will describe the events of Tolkien's novel The Hobbit, or There and Back Again.
Getting to New Zealand is not easy. From Moscow to Auckland ( The largest city countries) can be reached by plane via Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Dubai, Los Angeles, Delhi, Paris, Sydney, Singapore and other cities. The journey takes on average 30 hours. Air tickets are sold at different prices, you can expect about 1 thousand dollars. Visa and medical insurance are also paid.
Usually a tourist in New Zealand does not have to think long about where to spend the night. In large cities there are many hotels corresponding international standards. Hotels can also be found in picturesque places in nature. On the way to the cities there are motels. Hostels are popular; many people prefer to stay in the houses of New Zealand families (“homestays”) and. And of course there is big choice houses for rent. If night takes you by surprise in the middle of the forest, you can pitch a tent. This is permitted wherever there is no prohibiting “No camping” sign. There are also special camping sites in national parks, and there are also paid sites.
Lord of the Rings tours last two to three weeks. You can use the services travel agencies or . In the latter case, there will be no problems either, since the locals are friendly and always ready to help.
Agencies offer different prices, most often the cost of a tour varies from 5 thousand to 10 thousand dollars, depending on the number of vacationers and the season. The most convenient way to get around is by car.
The journey begins in Auckland. There's nothing notable here that would be associated with The Lord of the Rings, but it is New Zealand's largest city, home to more than a quarter of the country's total population. In the surrounding area there are 48 extinct volcanoes, preserved in the form of mountains, lagoons, lakes and islands. In the city you can rent a car and hit the road.
The further route passes through the following places: Wakaito, lakes Rotorua and Taupo, Tongario, Mount Ruapehu, Wellington, Kaitoke, Nelson, Punakaiki, Franz Josef Glacier, Collingwood, west coast and fjords, Te Anau, Queenstown, Mount Cook, Christchurch, and Marie Kepler. Some of them were actually used for filming, others are simply interesting landmarks along the way.
Hobbiton - Wakaito
Heading south from Auckland, the suburbs gradually give way to rural scenery, and in two hours you will find yourself in the middle of the Wakaito grasslands. The green rolling hills will immediately remind you of Hobbiton - the village where Bilbo, Frodo and their friends lived. And there really is a similar village here. The town of Matamata received a second baptism after the filming of “The Lord of the Rings” and is now called Hobbiton. A sign was placed on the main street, announcing to tourists that they were now in the world of halflings. Here you can feed the animals on the farm, visit all the corners where the film was filmed, look into hobbit holes (though most of the houses are dummies), have a snack at the Shire’s Rest cafe and buy souvenirs.
Mordor - Tongariro
Then you should go further south, to lakes Rotorua and Taupo. Once there, you should definitely visit Tongariro National Park, which became the location for the filming of Mordor. This park is characterized by great natural diversity: grassy meadows, forests and quiet lakes are interspersed with desert plateaus. At the Fakapapa ski resort they filmed the Gorgorot plateau and the Emin Muil highlands, at the Tukino resort they filmed the slopes of Orodruin (Mount Doom), and in the Rangipo desert they filmed the Black Gate of Mordor.
Mount Doom - Ruapehu
There are even active volcanoes in Tongariro. One of them, Mount Ruapehu (translated from the Maori language as “thundering abyss”), appeared in the form of Mount Orodruin. At its foot, Isildur overthrew Sauron and put the One Ring on his finger, around which the plot of The Lord of the Rings unfolds.
Orodruin is the only active volcano in Middle-earth. This is how J. R. R. Tolkien describes him: “Sam looked at Orodruin - the mountain of fire. And from time to time, the furnaces far below its ash cone heated up and, with a loud roar and noise, threw streams of hot lava out of the cracks on the slopes of the mountain. Some flowed through great canals to Barad-dúr, others carved a winding path across the stony plain until they cooled and lay like twisted dragon carcasses vomited out by the tortured earth.”
Shire, Bree, Troll Grove, Old Forest - Wellington Region
Tourists usually visit Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and explore its main attractions. Many episodes of The Lord of the Rings were filmed in the surrounding area: the outskirts of the Shire, Bree (on the site of an old military base), Troll Grove, Old forest, Helm's Gap, Minas Tirith and more. An hour's drive from Wellington is the Martinborough wine region, and on the way there you will meet the Hutt River, on the banks of which the hobbits left their boats.
Rivendell - Kaitoke
In the south of the North Island, near Wellington, there is Kaitoke Regional Park, where scenes in the land of the elves, the Anduin River and battle scenes at the Fords of Isen (in the upper reaches of the Hutt River) were filmed. Kaitoke was chosen for filming Rivendell because of the variety of landscapes: there are forests, valleys and a river. By using computer graphics The filmmakers managed to make it look like the place Tolkien described: “Sam led him (Frodo) through several long corridors and down a staircase with many steps and through a garden above a steep river bank. Here, on the threshold facing east, sat his friends. The valley below them was covered in shadow, but there was still light here, and the light reflected from the distant mountains. The air was warm. The sounds of flowing and falling water were loud, the evening was full of the smells of trees and flowers, as if summer had lingered in Elrond’s garden.”
Edoras - Mount Sunday
The next attraction is Mount Sunday in Canterbury. To get there you have to take a big leap towards the center South Island. The two parts of the country are connected by a ferry service for passengers and cars. On the way to Canterbury, you can visit the cities of Collingwood, Picton and Nelson, see the pristine beaches that will take your breath away Mountain peaks and crevices. Mount Sunday is significant because in the film it was the location of Edoras, the capital of Rohan, along with the palace of Meduseld, where King Théoden lived.
Argonath and Bruinen - Queenstown region
Some complete the trip by stopping in Christchurch, located east of Edoras, but true Tolkien fans head further south. In the vicinity of Queenstown they filmed the refugee crossing of Rohan, the White Mountains, the hills of Eregion, the Misty Mountains, an overnight stay in Ithilien, Argonath, Bruinen and more.
The Bruinen River scene took place in Skippers Canyon. In the film “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” Arwen and Frodo escaped the pursuit of the Black Riders by driving them into this body of water. Nearby, in the area of the Twelve Mile Channel, an episode called "A Night in Ithilien" was filmed, when Frodo, Sam and Gollum watched the battle between Faramir's warriors from Gondor and their enemies from Harad. The difficult trek through the Misty Mountains actually took place in the Southern Alps. Stone statues of the kings of Gondor were “placed” on the Kawarau River, but the statues themselves were drawn using computer graphics.
Dead Marshes - Kepler's Marie
Even further south lie the marshes, where they filmed the episode in which Frodo falls under the spell of the dead and Sam saves him. These are the so-called Kepler mari, located near Te Anau, the largest lake in the South Island. The depth of the swamps reaches almost 5 m. Marie Kepler is really similar to the description Dead swamps from Tolkien's book: “On both sides and ahead lay wide moors, stretching south and east in the dim half-light. The fog rose in curls from the dark, fetid pools. Heavy fumes hung in the air. The only green was a foam of pale algae on the dark, dirty surface of the dismal water. Dead grasses and rotting reeds rose in the mist like the ragged shadows of a long-forgotten summer.”
To return back, you can get to Queenstown, and from there by plane to Auckland. The same route can be taken by bus or car.
Peter Jackson has already early years I understood that I would make a movie. His dream was a film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, which he read in his youth. Years later, he finally came to his dream and created an outstanding film, and subsequently two full-fledged trilogies.
"The Lord of the Rings" was filmed in New Zealand. The first part of the trilogy brought in a lot of money both for the studio and for this country. But the big contribution, of course, was cultural heritage, because the films became record holders in nominations and victories at the Oscars. Peter Jackson forever made a name for himself, and the world received one of the most memorable and outstanding film projects in history. But once upon a time, no one could have imagined that Tolkien’s fairy tale would become a real legend.
New Zealand. An ideal place for the world of hobbits
Where was The Lord of the Rings filmed? Almost all of the main filming of Peter Jackson's legendary film trilogy took place in New Zealand. The reason for this was several key factors, because the film adaptation of the cult works of J.R. Tolkien required a truly fabulous nature and atmosphere around. The lands of New Zealand, due to their uniqueness, had everything necessary to recreate fairy world, the capital of which was Hobbiton, a city that still exists.
More specifically, where was The Lord of the Rings filmed? Most of the filming about the life of hobbits in this village took place in Auckland County, or rather literally just a few kilometers from it. Some scenes that required a picturesque body of water with crystal clear waters and blue streams were provided by the Anduin River. Its banks were also used, as the vegetation around it is quite frightening and dark, which was perfect for many of the action-packed moments that peppered this tale. Also included in the frame is the Mangavero River, the place where Golum himself once fished. The destination of the journey, as we remember, was Mordor. This place where they filmed "The Lord of the Rings" in New Zealand is located on the territory of Whakapapa, which is a ski resort.
Paradise for Tolkienists
The fever itself, under the simple name “hobbitomania,” prompted many fans of Tolkien’s works, and especially fans of the cinematic universe, to engage in real “Tolkien tourism” in order to find out everything and visit the filming locations of the first trilogy, since it mainly took place in natural settings .
The Peaks of Pataungirua is a place in the rocks on a certain hill where the three of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli once ran. All the outstanding three went to war, forgiving the entire army of the Dead. Dan's pasture provided a nice natural setting for a memorable scene with Gandalf, who goes to Isengard, the legendary fairy valley.
The legacy of "The Lord of the Rings"
The location for filming “The Lord of the Rings” was chosen almost perfectly, and if initially the local authorities were not particularly eager to give permission for cinematic activities, and many Tolkienists were also indignant at this choice, now few are dissatisfied.
The creators of the film series fell in love with their work, and now in New Zealand, where The Lord of the Rings was filmed, there is not only a real living city of Hobbiton, but also unique museums that have preserved certain artifacts from the filming and are conveniently located in the former locations of the film trilogy, thus making a huge gift for the most ardent fans. Now New Zealand has increased its tourist flow by forty percent, all thanks to Peter Jackson's trilogy. Many people now want to enjoy the picturesque places associated with the action of the film, and having received this, no one remains indifferent.
A journey of years
How many years did The Lord of the Rings take to film? The implementation of the project within the trilogy took eight years. All films in the trilogy were shot simultaneously in order to save time and money, since long breaks between filming affected the budget increase. For example, The Fellowship of the Ring was filmed in fifteen months, which is almost a year and a half. We spent approximately the same amount of time filming subsequent parts.
Innovative filming techniques, including motion capture, which created the entirely digital character of Golum played by Andy Serkis, forced more time into the filming process and subsequent post-production. But even though everything took eight full years, for a trilogy this is a fairly short period of time, because the director's cuts, which were released on DVD a year after the theatrical premiere, showed a lot additional material, which Peter Jackson's team filmed over the years.
Subsequently, the same team returned to New Zealand to film the Hobbit series, which also grew from a dilogy into a full-fledged trilogy. But here the filming time was reduced because most of production no longer took place on location, but in specialized pavilions.
Locations and scenery of "The Lord of the Rings" in New Zealand
One must also take into account the fact that New Zealand is the homeland of director Peter Jackson, and he first read The Lord of the Rings at the age of eighteen. When his dream became to make a film adaptation of Tolkien, he understood that he needed to gain a lot more experience. Years later, in the lands where Jackson grew up, he had six or even seven crews working at the same time, building sets and filming in parallel to save time and stay on budget and on schedule.
Hobbiton became the homeland of hobbits, and to create it, the film company bought a farm in the city of Matamata from the New Zealand authorities. The local landscape was perfect for filming, and to create the world of hobbits in the authors' understanding, gardeners, the army and other workers were involved in planting trees, bushes, flowers and many plants. Builders and artists erected the necessary huts, hills and laid out paths. The task was simplified, because initially a computer and natural model of this place was prepared. Ultimately, a real hobbit village was built - Hobbiton, it became a real treasure and exists to this day, and the unique English comfort welcomes everyone.
Interesting facts about the creation of the film trilogy "The Lord of the Rings"
There are many interesting facts about the film "The Lord of the Rings". Peter Jackson began writing the script for the film while still very young. After reading The Fellowship of the Ring at the age of eighteen, he began making his first sketches. Initially, he saw the entire story in a ninety-page script, but soon everything stretched into two full-fledged scripts.
At the New Line Cinema presentation, where Jackson presented the project, the management stated that they considered this madness, and Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” should be told in three films, as it should be in the original book. Therefore, two parts turned into three and the script had to be redone again. By the way, the script had to be rewritten right up to the start of filming. Ultimately, the creators of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001 film) loosely told the story described by Tolkien, but still tried to preserve the basic philosophy and atmosphere of the story. Many Tolkienists did not like Peter Jackson's film adaptation.
Elven brotherhood
Many members of the cast of The Lord of the Rings (2001), as well as Peter Jackson, got tattoos in honor of the filming of the epic. The symbol “9” became a sign of belonging to the elven lads. Elijah Wood, who plays Frodo, did it on his stomach, Billy Boyd and Sean Astin (Sam) did it on their ankles. John Rhys-Davies scrapped the idea, but Orlando Bloom, Ian McKellen, Sean Bean and Dominic Monaghan took it on. But Peter Jackson distinguished himself and got himself a tattoo of the elven symbol “10”.
Ring of One Power
After filming ended, Peter Jackson gave one “one ring” to Andy Serkis, who played the role of Golum, and one ring to Elijah Wood, who played the main role of Frodo. Before latest actors They thought that there was only one ring, but the joker Jackson decided that both characters deserved such a gift. The now legendary joke says that Elijah Wood does not age precisely because he kept the real “Omnipotence Ring” for himself.
The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien's legacy today
Not long ago, Amazon acquired the rights to the yet-to-be-filmed works of J.R. Tolkien, and the world shook. As usually happens (for example, it happened with the first film trilogy “The Lord of the Rings” and subsequently with “The Hobbits”), there were opponents and ardent defenders. Most of Tolkien's relatives were always against such uses of works about Middle-earth, but once the rights were sold, and the big movie business got involved.
This time we will talk about the prequel (backstory) of "The Hobbit", that is, what happened even earlier. But one of the most interesting features is that actor Ian McKellen, who played the role of Gandalf in two trilogies, said that he would absolutely not mind becoming a wizard again and playing his role. Here's what he said on BBC radio:
“What other Gandalf? I haven’t given my consent or refusal to anyone yet. But no one has asked me about it yet. But do you think that some other actor should play him? As far as I remember, Gandalf the Gray is seven thousand years old , and I'm not that old yet."
As we understand, a lot is possible in the world of cinema now, because once upon a time Guillermo Del Toro was supposed to shoot the second trilogy, which was called “The Hobbit. There and Back Again,” but the studio still managed to persuade Peter Jackson to perform not only the functions of a producer, but and again film what he already knows and loves. And now there is a small opportunity that we can see the hero we already know in his usual form, and if Jackson appears as one of the helmsmen of the project, then the series is doomed to success.
New Zealand
The film "The Lord of the Rings" is the famous trilogy by Peter Jackson, based on novel of the same name Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings novel is a classic of modern fantasy, and the film version of it is extremely popular among people all over the world.
The main location for filming the film was New Zealand - its picturesque landscapes became the best backdrop for The Lord of the Rings. And every year thousands of fans visit New Zealand just to see the places where the legendary trilogy was filmed.
A little about filming
New Zealander Peter Jackson got the idea to make a film based on Tolkien's book at the age of 17, inspired by the cartoon by Ralph Bakshi. By the time work on “Lord” began, Jackson had already filmed the Hollywood film “The Scarecrows.” He immediately decided to shoot the film in New Zealand, with the help of local companies. Funding came from American studios, but even the special effects were done by a local studio. At the same time, the work was done so well that the heads of American studios reluctantly admitted that they could learn a lot from their colleagues from New Zealand.
Thus, it can be said that although The Lord of the Rings is considered American film, his appearance is entirely the merit of New Zealand.
Excursions
In a number of travel agencies around the world, anyone can book a tour of the memorable places of the Lord of the Rings. Such excursions usually last a couple of weeks, and their cost ranges from five to ten thousand dollars. These excursions usually include other places of interest in New Zealand.
However, you can do without an excursion - almost all memorable places have accommodation facilities, and camping is also encouraged in New Zealand.
Wakaito - Hobbitshire
Wakaito is a very picturesque place just south of Auckland. It was this place, or rather the town of Matamata, that became the prototype of the hobbit village.
After filming, the name “Hobbiton” became very firmly attached to this place; a sign even appeared at the entrance to the city. Moreover, after filming, almost all the hobbit houses in the town were preserved. Unfortunately, you can’t get inside them, but you can at least look from the outside.
As soon as the film The Hobbit, a prequel to The Lord of the Rings, was released, the Green Dragon bar opened in Wakaito - the same one where the characters in the film liked to gather to drink and talk. In a real pub you can drink the hobbits' favorite drinks: beer, Barton's Oak ale, ginger ale and much more. There are plans to open a hotel in the bar soon.
"Hobbiton"
Tongariro - Mordor
Tongariro National Park, as well as nearby lakes Rotorua and Tuapo, are the places where the most terrible territory of Middle-earth - Mordor - was filmed. The landscapes of the Rangipo Desert are easily recognizable as the area around the Black Gate of Mordor, and the ski resort of Whakapapa is the Gorgoroth plateau and the Emyn Muil highlands.
There are also active volcanoes in this park. One of these volcanoes, Ruapehu, became the prototype of Oroduin, Mount Doom.
Volcano Ruapehu
Wellington - Trollgrove and Old Forest
Of course, there was no filming in the capital of New Zealand itself, but in its surroundings there are many picturesque places that were used to show the Old Forest, Troll Grove and Helm's Deep - places very important to the plot of the film.
Kaitoke - Rivendell
This national park is also located near Wellington. Thanks to modern computer technology, which emphasized the rich local nature, the film crew was able to almost perfectly recreate the Rivendell described by Tolkien. The Battle of Isen Fords was also filmed here.
Mount Sunday - Edoras
All previous locations were located in the North Island of New Zealand, but the film was not only filmed there. In the central part of the South Island is Mount Sunday, which became the location of the capital of Rohan - Edoras.
The South Island can be reached via a ferry service that operates for both people and cars. This part of New Zealand is full of beauty, with amazing pristine beaches and massive mountain peaks and crevices.
Mount Sunday
Marie Kepler - Dead Marshes
Another attraction of the South Island of New Zealand is Lake Te Anau, the largest on the islands. Near this lake, which is quite a popular attraction in itself, are Kepler's mari. The scenes where Frodo walks through were filmed here. Dead swamps with Golum and Sam. By the way, Kepler's mares correspond almost perfectly to Tolkien's Dead Marshes, so the film crew almost didn't have to use computer graphics.
Fiordland - River Anduin
Southland is one of the most picturesque places in New Zealand, located in the southwestern part of the country. It is located on the coast and is notable for the fjords of the Tasman Sea. On the territory of Southland is Fiordland, a New Zealand national park with rare representatives of fauna and flora.
The Hutt River flows through Fiordland, between lakes Manapouri and Te Anau. During filming, this river became Aduin, the river along which members of the Fellowship of the Ring fled from Lórien. If desired, tourists can sail the route of the heroes by renting a motor boat. And upstream the river there are also the very remarkable Misty Mountains.
Fiordland
Queenstown
Even further south is Queenstown - the place where the Misty Mountains, the hills of Eregion, the stop of the hobbits and Ithilien and several other very memorable episodes were filmed: the rescue of Frodo and Arwen from the Nazgul, the battle of Faramir's troops against Harad, etc. By the way, although the Misty Mountains were filmed in Queenstown, the passage through them is part of the Southern Alps.
Queenstown has a unique natural environment, so it is not surprising that many panoramic scenes were filmed here. Not far from Queenstown is Lorien, a forest inhabited by wood elves.
Nelson
Also on the South Island, but on its southern coast, is the city of Nelson. First of all, this city is notable for the fact that it is geographical center New Zealand - you can learn about this from the memorial plaque, as well as from the guides.
However, after the filming of The Lord of the Rings, the city began to attract tourists even more. The fact is that it was in Nelson that beer for the Prancing Pony was brewed, the One Ring was made, and in general many details and little things were made that created the image of the Middle-earth saga.
From this city you can book a helicopter excursion to those filming locations that are not so easy to get to. For example, from here you can fly to the hill under which the Fellowship of the Ring hid from Saruman’s spies, and where they mourned the death of Gandalf. There are others interesting places, which are worthy of visiting, but getting to them is not so easy - that’s what they exist for helicopter excursions.
Mackenzie
Mackenzie County is home to Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest point. The national park located here, which is included in the UNESCO treasury, is named after this mountain.
In this park you can see with your own eyes the places where a large-scale battle took place between the troops of Gondor and Rohan and the army of Sauron on the Pelennor Plain.
Peter Jackson's project "The Lord of the Rings" went down in history for a number of reasons: it is both the first live-action adaptation of John Tolkien's brainchild, and one of the most ambitious works in the history of cinema. An incredible half a billion dollars was spent on the creation of the trilogy, as well as its promotion. More than 3,000 people worked on the films. This gave an absolutely unsurpassed result: 3 billion grosses, 17 Oscar statuettes and Jackson’s name in the annals of film history. It's hard to imagine that anyone can surpass the eight-year work of such a brilliant director. Let's look at how this franchise was created.
The long way to the start of filming
Jackson's introduction to The Lord of the Rings occurred when he was 17 years old. He saw Ralph Bakshi's animated version of Tolkien's work and was so impressed that he read the trilogy in 12 hours. Already in these years, Jackson knew his calling, so the idea of creating a painting arose in his head, but so far in financially this was not feasible.
Jackson became familiar with The Lord of the Rings after watching the Ralph Bakshi cartoon The director took his first creative steps in his native New Zealand. There he opened several businesses and a film production company. With their help, he filmed quite successful and original paintings . In 1995, for example, a film called “The Scarecrows” was presented. Even though filming of this project
All took place in New Zealand, funding for the work was provided by US film companies. Soon the Hollywood masters had to admit that they had worthy competition. 
After completing work on The Scarecrows, Jackson began to approach The Lord of the Rings and, together with his wife Frances Walsh, as well as the head of Miramax, Harvey Weinstein, began negotiations with the owner of the film rights to Tolkien’s creations, Sol Zaentz.
Saul Zaents is the owner of the film rights to Tolkien's works Work on the script took two years. Several people were involved in it: Peter himself, Frances Walsh, Stephen Sinclair and Philippa Boyens
. As a result, the team developed two films of epic proportions. $75 million was allocated for the filming of both parts - a fairly impressive amount for those times. But when producer Marty Katz went to New Zealand to scout locations, it turned out that the possible minimum would have to be about 150 million. Miramax, unfortunately, refused to provide such large amounts of money. Jackson faced terrifying circumstances; he spent a month visiting various studios, presenting scripts and a 35-minute video of the finished material.I agreed to this adventure." New LineCinema”, or rather, producer Mark Ordesky
The material for all three films was shot in 438 days (from 10/11/1999 to 12/22/2000). To implement the plan, 150 locations were used in Miramar and Wellington. New Zealand turned out to be the best place to film such a film due to its unique natural landscapes. 
New Zealand was a great location to film due to its unique landscapes
The work took place on seven film sets simultaneously. It was a colossal work, in which many assistant directors took part. Jackson himself supervised the process using satellite communications(by the way, he had his own team of specialists in matters of this very satellite communication).
The work in New Zealand was scheduled to end in 2000, and Peter met this deadline. This was followed by post-production in London, which took a year . In 2001, the world saw “The Fellowship of the Ring” and froze in anticipation of the subsequent parts of such a grandiose project.
A difficult test for actors
According to the actors themselves, it was not easy for them. According to Elijah Wood, who plays Frodo, his working day began at five in the morning. But even this time seemed excellent, since there were days when the filming process began even earlier.
Elijah Wood admits filming wasn't easy for him
But Liv Tyler, for example, I couldn't find it mutual language with his horse: he constantly tried to bite the rider. As a result, for filming the elves on horseback, they used an artificial version of a horse mounted on a pickup truck. Thanks to this, there was no need to use real animals, which, although accustomed to noise and explosions, still could not accept strangers.
The intense work was not easy for each team member. According to Peter, he slept 4 hours a day. Everything was complicated by the fact that helicopters were required to travel between film sets, because part of the process took place in places where roads were out of the question. By the way, once Jackson even quarreled with local authorities, because after unplanned filming battle scenes Tongariro Park required restoration work.
Makeup and costumes
The greatest difficulties arose with the fake hobbit feet and makeup, which took more than an hour. At the same time, Sean Astin admitted that approximately fifty days of filming went without hobbit legs in the frame - but the extensions were a mandatory part of the process.
To begin with, the legs had to be smeared with glue, the feet were attached to it, then they were made up. The actors had to endure all this while standing, since the pads were not fixed correctly in a sitting position. Moreover, the feet could only be used once, so in total more than 1,800 pads were used during filming. A little less artificial ears were spent – 1,600 pieces.
During filming, about 1,800 artificial feet were used.
Another interesting aspect concerns the rings. About 10 of them were created, and all of them were captured in different time. The largest of them weighed 3 kilograms– it is he who can be seen in the episode when Frodo dropped the ring while rolling down a snowy mountain . At the end of filming, Wood and Serkis each received a copy of this prop., and for a long time each of them was sure that they had an exclusive option. 
After filming, Wood and Serkis received copies of similar rings
The costumes in the film can be called a real work of art. This is especially true for elven outfits. But the greatest expense required the creation of chain mail. Two craftsmen wove more than 12 million rings over two years and created 400 metal and plastic (to lighten the weight) protective suits. During the work on the project, Frodo needed 64 sets of clothes, Aragorn - 32.
During filming, more than 400 metal suits were made
Decorations and innovative special effects
Another challenge was creating the scenery. They were developed in Wellington, and from there they were transported by car and helicopter to the filming location, where, in turn, they began to be assembled and the luxurious houses of the elves were gradually erected. Another one is associated with these dwellings. interesting point: the artist was so imbued with the psychology of the elves that he created all the buildings around trees. This ensured that the bulldozer did not disturb natural elements, which was a big plus for Jackson in the eyes of environmentalists. 
Hobbit Dwellings
It is worth noting that Jackson saw no barriers to his ideas. When he needed a location for filming lifeless plain Mordor, the Black Gate, the Black Mountain, he turned to the New Zealand army. Only their training ground met the director's requirements. Some actors initially refused to play their roles in such conditions because they feared for their lives, because live shells from military units lay throughout the filming area.
One of the most difficult problems was maintaining proportions. To show the difference between Gandalf and the hobbits, it was necessary to create false hands that were 2 times larger than the usual size . They consisted of electric motors and could move independently. Two versions of Bilbo Baggins' house were also created: the large one starred Ian Holm himself, and the small one starred Ian McKellen as Gandalf. All interior elements were copied in duplicate so that the large version was one and a half times larger. 
This is what Bilbo Baggins' house looks like from the inside
For each scene, a storyboard was created - these are simplified animated videos in which Jackson imagined what he wanted to get as a result.
Filming the scenes of the fight with the trolls in the dungeon turned out to be an equally difficult task. Here the masters fromWETA Digitalwho created a special virtual space. Jackson put on glasses and assessed the trolls' movements in real time. Thanks to this, maximum realism was achieved, as well as the feeling that huge creatures really existed.
As a result, such colossal work yielded excellent results. For 13 weeks, the first part of the trilogy was in the Top 10 of the American box office, and other episodes showed similar results. $870 million was the international box office figure for The Fellowship of the Ring, but this record was broken by the next two installments. In total, The Lord of the Rings grossed over $3 billion! And this does not take into account profits from souvenir products, release computer games and other marketing moves. In addition to financial success, the American Film Academy record was also repeated. “The Return of the King” collected 11 Oscar statuettes, equaling such iconic projects as “Ben Hur” and “Titanic.” The total number of awards in the trilogy exceeded one hundred.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is rightfully considered the great writer of our time. His novels are immortal, and their armies of fans are growing. Full of magic and mystery, stories about hobbits, elves and wizards living in the kingdom of Middle-earth have long been part of world culture and the heritage of several generations.
The last 15 years have been marked by the era of “Tolkien tourism,” a travel phenomenon in which fans of the Tolkien universe and film adaptations of his works began to make organized trips to places associated with the events of the novels, to film sets and scenery.
In this article we will tell and show where these places are and how to get to them, and most importantly, we will prove that the fairy tale is real.
Magic Islands
New Zealander Peter Jackson was inspired by the idea of filming the novels of his favorite writer in his youth, and when, a couple of decades later, the idea of filming finally matured, the eminent director had no doubts about where to shoot the film. Location shooting for both trilogies “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” was carried out in New Zealand, in places where civilization had not yet reached. So believe that all the forests, waterfalls and mountains that are the main locations in the films are more than real. So let's start with natural beauties.
River Anduin (Waiau River)
The river, surrounded by forest in New Zealand's largest national park, Fiordland National Park, has become a "film adaptation" of the River Anduin, the greatest river in Middle-earth. It was this river that served as the border between darkness and light - between the domains of Sauron and Lothlorien - the homeland of the Elves. This is also where the Fellowship of the Ring passed on its way to its elf friends.
River Anduin
Ithilien (borderland of Mordor)
The Mangavero River became the site of the first appearances of Golum - important character in books and films. The vicinity of the river served as a prototype for the border lands of Mordor. You will find these places in another national park - Tongariro National Park in the central North Island of New Zealand.
Mangavero Mordor
The ominous desert domain of the dark wizard Saruman and the abode of bloodthirsty orcs - Mordor, are embodied in two New Zealand ski resorts - Whakapapa and Tukino, all in the same Tongariro National Park. Truly significant place in the story, with huge armies of orcs, the volcano Orodruin and the eye of Sauron.
Mordor Orodruin (Mount Doom)
The epicenter of the events of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the volcano mountain Orodruil took a lot of strength from the main characters - the hobbits Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee. It was here that the One Ring was finally destroyed, and bloody war ended. Two mountain peaks “starred” in the “role” of Mount Doom: “Ruapehu” and “Ngauruhoe”. You can also see both mountains in the Tongariro National Park.
Peaks Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe Rivendell
The elven valleys of Rivendell are the secret refuge of Elrond, the king of the elves. Boundless green spaces with a castle where his family lived, including his daughter - one of the main characters - Arwen, Aragorn's beloved. Here the Fellowship of the Ring, along with four hobbits, hid from their enemies. Rivendell is based on the area of Mount Olympus (not to be confused with the Greek Olympus) and the Lake of Boulders. A truly picturesque place to admire is located in Kahurangi National Park in the northern part of New Zealand's South Island.
Kahurangi Brook Bruinen
Surely everyone remembers the scene when the warlike Arwen in the first part of the trilogy “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” protects the hobbits from the Nazgul and, with the help of elven magic, drives away the enemies with the rising wave. This very real stream flows in Skippers Canyon. The canyon is located near the town of Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand.
Skippers Canyon Deadfalls
The swamps through which Gollum shortened the path to Mordor, leading the gullible “hobbits” behind him, really exist. In New Zealand, this creepy place is called the Kepler Mire and is located in the southwest of the South Island in the Fiordland National Park, near the River Anduin. The 900-hectare marshy field, like the neighboring mountain range, is named after the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler.
Kepler's Swamps Dimrill Dale
The forest elf lands called “Dimrill Dale” and also the homeland of the blond elf Legolas, and almost all the forests and territories of Mirkwood were again filmed in the Kahurangi National Park. It is worth noting that the five New Zealand national parks became a real salvation for the artists and directors of both trilogies about Middle-earth. After all, these places have such picturesque landscapes that even minimal computer graphics were required.
Kuharangi Forests Misty Mountains
The Misty or Misty Mountains are the largest mountain range in Tolkien's universe. It was through these mountains that the path of Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins and the 13 Dwarves ran in the second fantasy trilogy - a prequel to the first films about Middle-earth, filmed under the direction of Peter Jackson. Real prototype The Misty Mountains in the movie - The Remarkables mountain range at an altitude of 2,400 meters above sea level on the South Island of New Zealand.
Mountains The Remarkables The Desolation of Smaug
Smaug is an evil and greedy dragon, the antagonist of the Hobbit trilogy. Smaug stole the gold of the Dwarves and remained, guarding it, under the Lonely Mountain, in the former Kingdom of the Dwarves, which he destroyed. The plot of the films revolves around how the dwarf king Tory Oakenshield travels to the Lonely Mountain to fight the dragon Smaug and return the family treasure. The film version of the Lonely Mountain is based on Mount Cook near Lake Pukaki in the Canterbury region of the central South Island. By the way, the first scenes of the film “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” were also filmed in the vicinity of the mountain.
Mount Cook Hobbiton - the real Shire
One of the main settings for all six films is a hobbit village called the Shire. Small round huts, sheep, low wooden fences and lots and lots of greenery. Every fan of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit would like to visit this picturesque place. And this dream has long since come true.
In 1999, Peter Jackson, starting work on the first film of the trilogy, did not want to make hobbit houses out of cardboard and instructed his team of artists and decorators to create a real village with small huts-burrows made of plastic and wood. It took a whole year to create the scenery; even the New Zealand army took part in the construction: soldiers built a 1.5-kilometer road to the filming location. Hobbiton, the name of the filming location in the village of Shire, is built on a private sheep farm, 20 minutes' drive from the town of Matamata on the North Island of New Zealand. Peter Jackson personally negotiated the construction of the sets with the owners of the farm, the Alexander brothers, who have lived and worked here since the 70s of the 20th century. After filming ended, the owners of the farm and city authorities from film set decided to create a park for fans of Tolkien's magical history.
Hobbiton Now at the entrance to the town of Matamata there is a large billboard with the inscription “Welcome to Hobbiton!” And in 2011, filming took place here again for the second trilogy, “The Hobbit.”
In collaboration with the farm's owners, local authorities have organized tourist excursions to the Shire, and the farm is now visited by more than 500 people daily. The Hobbiton tour costs around NZ$50 (US$35) and lasts around 3 hours. During the tour, tourists are shown hobbit houses, a bridge, a mill and the Green Dragon pub. Unfortunately, you can’t get inside the hobbit hut, but you can drink beer or ale in the famous pub-tavern. In the “Green Inn” everything looks exactly like in the movies. All tourists are also given special food to feed the local sheep.
Tavern “Green Dragon” It was not for nothing that Peter Jackson chose his homeland as a film set: the endless expanses of green hills, mountains, rivers and waterfalls, untouched by modernity - all this transports everyone who has visited there into the atmosphere of Tolkien's Middle-earth. New Zealand is a beautiful and mystical place, a real paradise for a sophisticated traveler, and even more so for a fan of the immortal story about the adventures of hobbits, elves, gnomes and wizards.