The flight is booked. The date is set. One-way.

I can’t be certain just how long it will take to trek to every filming location from North to South, so I haven’t booked a return flight. My only limiting factor will be money, making it last the required time. My wife and I have spent the last few years saving for our respective trips, and will stretch every dollar to make them as long, and successful, as possible.

For the following weeks until departure I will be walking you through my planned routes and destinations as guided to by Ian Brodie’s ‘The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook’. I will go on to describe my methods for cost saving, exploration and experiencing as much of the beautiful landscape of Middle Earth as possible.

Arrival
As my flight lands in Auckland towards the evening I plan on staying in the International section of Auckland Airport until the early morning before starting my journey.

The first leg of the trip will be heading south towards Pukekohe. As there are no filming sites described north in Auckland, or beyond, I have opted to skip the city entirely, having visited previously, and attempt to cut costs by getting into the countryside as quickly as possible. This allows me to make use of my one-person tent in fields or caravan parks.

 

The First Day
Travelling from Auckland Airport to Pukekohe will take the majority of the first day and will include time for gathering supplies and a quick stop for lunch. Depending on how quickly I reach Pukekohe I will consider continuing on to the next location. Otherwise Pukekohe is a good spot to plan, charge any electrical items, and get a good nights sleep in a hostel or caravan park.

There may be an opportunity for free accommodation through extended family that live in the area. Depending on whether I will pass close enough to them, I will decide closer to the date. Any opportunity for cost cutting and a comfortable nights rest is always recommended.

The Road to Weathertop
Weathertop or Amon Sûl, seen early in The Fellowship of the Ring, is an old watchtower created by the Kingdom of Arnor many years before the movie takes place. It is also the first site to visit South of Auckland.

Follow the road out of Pukekohe South until the Waikato River, crossing the river head West towards Port Waikato. Depending on whether I stopped at Pukekohe or not I can decide to camp in this area. This area consists of mostly farmland and hills until you get to Port Waikato.

Once I reach the small coastal town I will probably head to the beach or coastline and peer West towards my homeland. This will be the last chance for some time to see the Ocean, so taking my time before the big trek inland is a high probability.

After the necessary pause for rest and contemplation, the road towards Weathertop continues South. This is the only public road that heads southward without backtracking some distance up the river.

Much of the following journey will be taken on unpaved or gravel roads, with the path eventually connecting to the main road East near Naike. The actual film location for Weathertop is on private land, which cannot normally be accessed by the public. I will consider my options for visiting the site once I get there, hopefully the owners are nice!

Leaving Port Waikato in the morning and arriving at Weathertop before midday should offer plenty of time to enjoy the scenery. I think once I reach this location the gravity of my decision will finally hit me. I’ll most likely post an update from here (hopefully there’s internet) or record my first vlog of the trip so far.

 

Hobbiton

Hobbiton is a small township of Hobbits located in the West Farthing of The Shire. It consisted of a number of families and Hobbit holes, none more famous than that of Bilbo & Frodo Baggins. Bag End, as it is named, is the feature Hobbit hole shown in both The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit movie trilogy’s. Originally, only built temporarily for filming, Hobbiton was rebuilt in 2010 in anticipation for filming of the Hobbit and increased tourism. Hobbiton is located South-West of Matamata and can be seen only by guided tour.

Returning to the road after seeing Weathertop, continue for some time South before taking the first turn left. This leg of the journey will be many days of heading inland towards Matamata, currently still ~150km away. Leaving the mountains and hills of the Western Coast behind, crossing back over the Waikato River eventually I will reach the flatter regions of Hamilton surrounds. The Waikato region is a lush farming area, known for its nutrient rich soil, with paddocks stretching far across the landscape. Avoiding main roads and Hamilton should allow for some cost cutting and fun exploration of the countryside.

Eventually I will reach the township of Matamata, North of Hobbiton, built upon drained swamp & marshland. I plan to stay at a hostel or caravan park and booking a day trip to Hobbiton from here. Although I have visited Hobbiton previously it is an important stop early in this trip and another great opportunity for photographs and blog/vlog posts.

The next part of the Journey is the big trek towards Lake Taupo and Mt Doom.