Who would have thought that the hobbit village immortalized in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy is located in the middle of a farm and surrounded by sheep? How to imagine that the gloomy mountain of Mordor is actually a sacred volcano for the Maoris? Even today, more than two decades after the premiere of the saga, the interest in discovering the natural scenes of the filming has not ceased to be one of the great tourist attractions in New Zealand. And the beauty of the locations continues to amaze thousands of visitors.

Director Peter Jackson turned the films into a spectacular calling card for his native country. Those who are curious to follow in the footsteps of the Fellowship of the Ring will also learn something of the history, culture and peculiarities of New Zealand. Here are just five examples…

Sheep are a national symbol in New Zealand. The English navigator James Cook took the first copies between 1773 and 1777. And soon the European settlers found in sheep farming a source of prosperity. Thus, from the mid-nineteenth century, it became an economic engine of that then young country. Currently, it is estimated that there are an average of five sheep for each person. From this point of view, what better place to settle than the Alexander family farm, in Matamata? This property, with nearly 13,000 sheep, houses the filming set for Hobbiton.

In 1998, during an aerial reconnaissance, Peter Jackson fell in love with its gentle undulations and green pastures. The ground seemed tailor-made for the hobbits’ round-doored houses. After reaching an agreement with the owners, a one and a half kilometer access road was opened (for which the assistance of the New Zealand Army was required). This allowed the machinery, material and personnel necessary for the construction of the set to be transferred to the area.

To film The Lord of the Rings, in 1999, 37 hobbit facades were built, which over time deteriorated. But on the occasion of the filming of The Hobbit trilogy, starting in 2010, they were rebuilt with more durable materials. Today there are 44 hobbit holes. The set tour, which must be booked well in advance, lasts a couple of hours and is offered in English only. It’s not exactly a cheap whim, although the feeling of entering the movies – even being able to peek into Frodo Baggins’ house – is too tempting an experience for fans.

One of the greatest prides of New Zealanders is the wealth of their natural heritage. Not surprisingly, in 2017 its Parliament was the first institution in the world to grant legal entity status to a river: the Whanganui. Considered by the Maori population as an ancestor, since then it has been recognized as a living entity. Well then: throughout the country, there are more than fifty regional natural parks. And one of the most popular is that of Kaitoke, the setting chosen to set Rivendell, the refuge of the elves.

In its lush 2,500 hectares, the park is home to a wide variety of endemic flora and fauna –including thousand-year-old trees and rare bird species, such as the kaka and the New Zealand hawk– that can be observed through its network of trails, bridges pendants and gazebos. There are also camping and picnic areas, as well as swimming areas, in the backwaters of the Pakuratahi and Hutt rivers. For kayakers, the Hutt Gorges offer spectacular views and Class III rapids.

What visitors will not be able to admire are the filigree elven constructions or the waterfalls from the film, which were added digitally.

The images of the White Mountains of Middle-earth were shot near the Franz Josef Glacier, another of New Zealand’s great tourist attractions. It is a constantly changing scenario – it is receding rapidly due to climate change – so no two visits are the same. Cracks, caves and cliffs appear and disappear in this gigantic tongue of ice about 12 kilometers long.

It is forbidden to walk through it on your own. In fact, the access road is cut off after about three kilometers (enough distance, in any case, to appreciate the imposing mass and the cold that emanates from it). To tour the glacier on foot, the only option is guided tours. The alternative is to hire a helicopter flight, which will remind fans of The Lord of the Rings of the aerial images of The Return of the King.

The name of the glacier is due to the German geologist Julius von Haast, who in 1865 wanted to honor Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria in this way. However, it also has a Maori name: Kā Roimata or Hine Hukatere. It means “The Tears of Hine Hukatere” and refers to a tragic love story…

It tells of a Maori princess, Hine Hukatere, who loved to climb mountains. One day she convinced her lover, Tuawe, to accompany her. But the young man was hit by an avalanche. The princess, broken with grief, cried so much that her tears flooded the slopes. And the heavenly father Rangi, moved, decided to transform them into ice. In this way, in view of the glacier, the world would forever remember the misfortune of the two lovers.

The epic Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where hundreds of Sauron’s orcs faced the men of Gondor and Rohan, was filmed over 32 days on vast grounds near the city of Twizel. The area is known for hosting the largest reserve of night sky in the world. With virtually zero light pollution, the stars seem close at hand.

This area is also related to a legendary character: the sheep thief James Mackenzie, who in the middle of the century

XIX was the terror of the farmers. He not only captured entire herds, but managed to escape time and time again from his captors. Over time, the myth was forged. And that outlaw became, in the New Zealand imagination, a figure endowed with superhuman powers and extraordinary sagacity. Today the district bears his name. And Twizle, with just 1,700 inhabitants, is its largest city.

As for the specific location of the shooting, it is private property. But you can hire guided tours.

New Zealand is a land of volcanoes, especially its North Island. And for the Maori people, many of them represent sacred places. Especially its peaks. Some are considered “tapus”: that is, so inviolable that they can barely be named (from “tapu” derives the word “taboo”). One of those peaks is that of Ngauruhoe, which represented Mordor’s Mount Doom on the big screen.

It is part of a group of three active volcanoes located in the Tongariro National Park, the oldest in the country. In reality, the Ngauruhoe is not really a volcano but a secondary cone of the Tongariro. According to Maori mythology, these two together with the third in discord – the Ruapehu – were gods who fought each other to conquer Pihanga, a fourth volcano. The winner of the contest was Tongariro.

Legend aside, Ngauruhoe is the most active volcanic cone in the country, with a total of 45 eruptions during the 20th century. Despite this, and even being “tapu”, you can climb and surround its crater (at 2,291 altitude). During the New Zealand winter – that is, between the end of June and the end of September – it is usually covered in snow and half hidden under a long white cloud. This is precisely where the Maori name of New Zealand comes from: Aoteraoa is “the country of the long white cloud”.

So far the five proposed scenarios. But for a comprehensive tour of The Lord of the Rings filming locations, check out more comprehensive lists like this one.