November 25, 2024 10:22 AM

Lord of the Rings Tours: New Zealand Offers Fans An Up Close Experience Visiting Middle Earth

After the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was filmed in New Zealand, the small island country became a popular tourist destination for fans of the hugely popular films that wanted to see the real places that stood in for Middle Earth.

Visitors can take a two-hour car ride north of Auckland to see Hobbiton, the fictional village where Frodo and his friends lived in the films. After filming the first trilogy, director Peter Jackson bulldozed the set, not expecting people to travel from all over the world to see it.

However, since the film's release, over 226,000 people have traveled to New Zealand to see the place where their beloved characters came to life, according to Tourism New Zealand.

Tourism companies scrambled to meet demand, and now, after the release of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," the country is more prepared for the influx of visitors that is inevitable. The country is spending at least $50 million on "The Hobbit" related promotions.

Matamata is the main draw. After filming for the most recent film, the owner of the farm that stands in for Hobbiton, Russell Alexander, convinced Jackson to contribute money to make the sets permanent.

Previously, Alexander had been paying the basic maintenance and repair while continuing to graze sheep on his farm.

"The movie studio actively discouraged me," he told the New York Times. "People just kept coming." The farm, which previously includes the tiny hobbit homes from the film, now includes a pub, more Hobbit homes and a gift shop with high-end collectibles, such as magic cloaks that sell for $760. Visitors can also take tours of Hobbiton where facts and figures about the films are recited.

Visitors can buy a "Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook" to visit other filming locations on their own, or take one of many tours now offered.

Wellington, the location of Jackson's film studio, has tours offered that visit between seven and 25 filming locations.

Nomad Safaris offers a tour led by David Gatward-Ferguson, who portrayed an orc in the films.

"People would come and bawl their eyes out looking at where Aragorn stood," said Gatward-Ferguson of the tours popularity.

"No one should go home without some elf ears," he said, speaking of his suggested souvenir. "Sometimes I wear a pair myself while driving around town."

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