New Zealand 2010

victorious

victorious

The Shire
Hi everyone I am new to this forum and I am looking for any advice about a trip I am planing to New Zealand in 2010. I have been thinking about taking the trip for some time and cant think of a better opportunity than when The Hobbit goes into production and New Zealand is transformed into middle-earth. Is there any one out there also planning the trip? or maybe someone who has visited New Zealand and can give me information about best times to go, places to stay etc? any comments would be greatly received
Many Thanks
Best Wishes
Victoria
 
I made it to Middle-earth in 98, and only to the North Island, and it was winter (June). That said it was great!
BAYILAND.jpg

This is the sunrise from our hotel balcony at the Bay of Island.
I know one of our advertisers is Red Carpet Tours. They specialize in tours to LOTR locations. So you may want to check them out.
 
I am afraid I won't be of much help, as I haven't been to nor plan on going to New Zealand in the near future, however, there are several people here, including some New Zealanders, that will be glad to help you on your planning.

I reckon 2010 might be a difficult year for visiting, with the secrecy while shooting and everything. Perhaps 2011, when sets are still up and the movie is released would be an easier time. But that's just speculation on my part. [;)]

Hope you have a great time in the forums!
 
I've been in New Zealand, visiting locations, and beautiful New Zealand in 2005/2006. So December/January. It is a bit busy on the islands than, because New Zealanders also have holidays than, but it is the best time weather concerning.

I booked a Lotr-tour with The Haan Tours, but they stopped the tour after that run (too bad, because it was fantastic). Visited a lot of the locations (Edoras, Pellenor Fields, Mordor, Hobbiton and lots and lots of others).
I've bought the Lord of the Rings Tourguide by Ian Brodie. He has been on lots of sets and made a great book, with exactly the locations of shooting and some wonderful pictures from during filming, the real place and movie-stills.

I'm planning on going again in 2012. Hopefully the premier of Film 2 will be held in Wellington, get the action over there. And the filming-sites will be accessible (hopefully). I'm afraid that all the sites will be tightly shot during filming and you won't be able to get close.
 
I can't wait to go New Zealand looks amazing, I am looking into the best time to go maybe at the begining of 2011 would be best. I have looked into the red carpet tour packages they are quite pricey but I would love to meet other fans on the tour and make new friends. I like to sketch and paint also and the landscapes seem so inspiring. I was hoping to go for weeks and travel further a field whilst there as its really a long flight and for me probably a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you for your reply its great to hear from someone who has made the trip

Best Wishes
Victoria x
 
I'm sure you'll find some great info here - there are some Kiwis around on the board and Im sure they chime in at some point.

That said, I've been to NZ (albeit not to visit film sites) and it is a fantastic country. Going for a few weeks is the best bet - even a month is really too short to see everything the country has to offer.

Cant give you any advice on the site tours but if an all inclusive is too pricey maybe going independent and finding local guides to LOTR sites when you get there may be an answer. Like others Im sure hobbit filming sites will be tightly restricted.

NZ is easy to travel around anyway and there are loads of hostels etc - great ways to meet people! As for when - well the NZ summer obviously but really the spring and autumn arent that bad either!
 
as do a number of other TORNadoes, so feel free to PM me with specific questions if you like. (Just click on my name, scroll down the page and click on 'Send private message'.)

My best advice is to spend as much time here as you can. NZ is small so you can drive around it very easily, but it still takes time to get from A-B and you don't want to rush your travel.

Some must-sees are the West Coast of the South Island, and Queenstown. I'd also put Rotorua on the itinerary because of its geothermal attractions, and if you like the idea of caves then Waitomo Caves (between Auckland and Rotorua) are a very good idea.

Here is a website that you might find helpful: http://www.newzealand.com/travel/International/
 
Don't limit yourself to filming locations - you'll miss some of the nicest bits! I'd also agree with Compa that during filming's probably a bad time because places like Matamata (Hobbiton) will be inaccessible.

January tends to be the hottest month, but Christmas through to mid-January are very busy and very expensive. November's not a bad time - it's getting warmer but it's much less busy. Or February-early March, for the same reasons. In fact February often has the best weather, though these days it's really impossible to predict.
 
Hoping to do a whole month, most likely March/April. So yeah, any advice from NZ residents would be much appreiciated!

There's lots I want to see and do, (both LoTR and non), which is why I thought a month would be best!
 
That should answer most of your questions ;-)

Other than that, I called shotgun on Eledhwen's couch!
 
I was able to go down to NZ for a couple of weeks last year, and it was amazing. A friend and I rented a campervan in Auckland and drove our way down the North and South islands, ending in Christchurch. Depending on what you want to do, I would allow as much time as you can afford - 2 weeks wasn't nearly long enough to see everything!

Sorry if someone else mentioned this, but if you want to focus on Lord of the Rings stuff, you should pick up The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook by Ian Brodie - it's got quite a lot of good stuff in it. There are also lots of tours you can take (and with some of the filming locations, that's the only way you can see them) - Red Carpet Tours is the most highly recommended. If you go during NZ's 'winter' (which would be our summer) you can probably find cheaper airfare, but the weather might not be that great.

The one big thing I can tell you if you plan to drive from place to place - even though New Zealand is fairly small, and the distances look pretty close together, it will take you longer than you think to drive, due to lots of windey roads and mountains, so plan accordingly!

I was hoping to go back this year, but alas, it doesn't look like I can, so hopefully next year. Good luck with your planning, and if there is anything specific you'd like to know about my trip, please feel free to send me a private message.
 
I wish I could go back and see my mother and brother (its been 4 1/2 years since I last saw them *sniffle*), but looks like my hands are tied until Christmas at the least. Based on what you said about liking to sketch and paint, I would suggest visiting for longer than 2 weeks so you can take a more leisurely pace and when you find a spot that seems to sing to you, you will have the freedom to set up a blanket on the side of a hill and get out your sketch pad, or paint brush. Whether in Auckland is particularly fickle because its an isthmus, an hour glass shape of land, with the narrowest point being about 40 minutes drive to either coast. Because of this the weather rolling in from the Tasman Sea, and the South Pacific can create a lot of seemingly beautiful days that quickly turn to overcast and rainy. If you really want to experience NZ you will have to make it to the South Island and by South Island I don't just mean Christchurch, but to Queenstown and the national parks. That is where you will most likely really feel you are in Middle-earth. There's also lots of thrill rides like shotover river jet boating, and such if you like a bit of a rush.

As for the North Island (which I most famaliar with), I'd suggest visiting passing through New Plymouth on your journey so you can see Mount Taranaki, which I suspect will be used as the Lonely Mountain in The Hobbit. It was used in The Last Samurai as well. I would also recommend the Waitomo Caves, a few hours south of Auckland. I'm not sure how many hours or minutes it is by giant eagle. I have never flown on one. The Waitomo Caves may remotely be of interest in that there is a boat ride in the dark with the glow worms on the cave ceilings... It might capture the mood of Gollum's cave perhaps if the tour guide will just shut up. ;-)

I would only travel further north than Auckland if you want to enjoy the beaches and have a teaser of what Australia is like. Hercules and Xena were almost exclusively filmed in Auckland and Northland. If you fancy a bit of surf and sun then the Bay of Islands is not bad. If you are looking for landscapes then you'll find the Kauri forests (huge trees, some of the biggest in the world) northwest of Auckland. You might be interested in Coromandel where you will find Cathedral Cove, which appears in the Prince Caspian film. It is a beautiful natrual rock arch on the unspoilt beach.

http://www.colonialhomestay.co.nz/images/tour14.jpg

If I were you I'd shoot for late 2010, as Summer is starting to arrive and the Spring rains are lessening. By then the films should be going into post production.
 
to go late in 2009. It' had been burning in my brain that I have to get there at that time, and now I know why ;)

I don't have any set agenda yet, I'm still in that fuzzy zone where I'm having fun just knowing I'll get there (if the plane fare doesn't break me), trusting on fate to lay out my plans for me!! Cripes, I get myself all bunged up just planning a short trip. Hoping for 2 weeks on the other side of the world will probably throw me into a coma!

Welcome, victorious! I'm so glad you've found your way here :D I think you're on the right track planning an adventure of your own! *high five*
 
I haven't travelled further north than Leigh, so a future summer will be spent soaking up that region.

The Waitomo Caves are about 2hrs10 north of New Plymouth, or a little over two hours south from Auckland.

About The Last Samurai, Mt Taranaki never made it into the movie - they CGI'd Mt Fuji into the mountain shots.
 
Really? They ended up CGing Mt Fuji? Well I guess that is justifiable, but I wonder if that defeated the purpose of filming in NZ at all? My mate is a telecommunications guy and moved to New Plymouth around the time they were filming the Last Samurai. He actually got to set up the phone and internet system at the house Tom Cruise was staying at. He never met Cruise though. Its a small world. My mate wanted me to come down and visit, but I never got a chance before I got married in the USA. I hope to visit New Plymouth one day on some mighty road trip when I return. That way I will get to see Mt Taranaki for myself as an adult and not just as a child.
 
I wonder if that defeated the purpose of filming in NZ at all?
Click to expand...


all of the rest of the outdoor shots were in Taranaki. The Japanese village was filmed in the Uruti Valley, the rifle training area was Pukekura Park, the forest ambush was Lake Mangamahoe Forest (where my sister talked her way onto the set on the last day of filming), the final battle was inland from Oakura and the port area was Port Taranaki. It was the raw-looking Uruti Valley and the local infrastructure (as well as the NZ dollar at the time) that sold them on Taranaki.
 
If you have time constraints I would suggest just visiting the South Island (sorry N.I.s [;)]). The West Coast has beautiful but wild landscapes with thick bush and amazing glaciers. Down around Queenstown are numerous LOTR location sites that you could visit yourself if you have a rental car and Ian Brodie's guidebook or there are several companies operating out of Queenstown that do day trips to the different sites. I have been to quite a few of ones down there and they are definately worth visiting. The summer school holidays finish around the end of January, so it will be a lot less busy after that and the weather is still good in March. Hope this helps [:)].
 
Hey I'm from the N.I. and I agree with you. The South Island has more going on "scenically" and on that large open space kind of scale than N.I. Maybe target one location in the N.I. only, along with Wellington (which is at the bottom of the North Island and a ferry journey from the South Island.
 
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