My husband and I recently visited the beautiful town of Queenstown, New Zealand located near the southern end of Lake Wakatipu. We took the "Paradise Found" scenic adventure tour offered by
Info&Track Ltd and were thrilled with the 4½ hour experience.
Our guided driving/walking tour near Queenstown included history of the area and short walks in the nearby countryside, where we saw several famous film locations for the
Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Our knowledgeable guide,
Justin Cochrane, was exceptionally qualified because he was a third generation Queenstowner; he also worked as an extra (an elfin and an Urukai soldier) in the films. They filmed 5 days a week, 12 hours a day, for 9 months in the Queenstown and Wellington area. Our guide was the 4th elfin when the elves marched into
Helms Deep.
The first thing we were told was that "
New Zealand IS Middle-Earth!" We went to see
Amon Hen (near Closeburn, 8 km from Queenstown), which marked the northern border of
Gondor. "The Remarkables", a dramatic range of mountains on the eastern border of Lake Wakatipu, made a beautiful backdrop for where the
Rohirrim refugees flee Edoras scene.
We continued on to the
Ithilien Camp at Twelve Mile Delta, a camping area with many walks and mountain bike tracks. The "Remarkables" and the lake were beautiful and we imagined
Faramir looking at the same scene. We walked to a bank where
Frodo, Sam and Smeagol saw the giant Oliphants and watched the battle between the men of
Harad and the
Rangers of Gondor.
We drove on to Glenorchy, a little village nestled at the northern end of Lake Wakatipu. It is the gateway to Mt. Aspiring National Park. The high peak of Mt. Earnslaw portrayed part of the
Misty Mountains.
We passed the tiny town of Paradise and reached Dan's Paddock, where
Gandalf rode up to
Isengard. We next visited a beautiful forest glade where the light filtered through the tall trees and dry leaves coated the ground. This is where the
Fellowship entered
Lothlorien, and it was also here on the forest hillside of
Amon Hen where the giant
Urukai killed
Boromir.
Our last stop was near a one-way bridge where we looked at the beautiful mountain range and the low, wide Dart River. Justin showed us a photo of
The Tower of Orthanc, which filled the circular area of the river basin.
Our tour of Middle-Earth was the highlight of our trip. However we also had the opportunity to ride the gondola to see beautiful views of the area, ride the luge, bungy jump, or take a "fast" jet boat ride on the Lake Wakatipu or along the Dart river. The town offers lots of shopping and restaurants as well, so there is something for everyone.