Where Was The Lord of the Rings Filmed?

The Lord of the Rings was filmed at Paradise, Mount Olympus Ski Area (Canterbury Region, New Zealand) and Hobbiton Movie Set (Matamata-Piako District, New Zealand). The films have 19 recorded filming locations in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, each plotted on the map below.

Title	The Lord of the Rings
Type	Film
Recorded filming locations	19
Countries	New Zealand, United Kingdom
Films in this page	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Hobbit trilogy

This page combines the filming locations of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and The Hobbit trilogy.

The Lord of the Rings Filming Locations

• Paradise

  Queenstown-Lakes District, New Zealand · Towns and cities · -44.7235, 168.3642

  Locality in New Zealand.

  The nearest other filming location is Glenorchy, about 14 km away.

• Mount Olympus Ski Area

  Canterbury Region, New Zealand · Landmarks and buildings · -43.1924, 171.6063

  Ski field in Canterbury, New Zealand.

  The nearest other filming location is Methven, about 49 km away.

• Hobbiton Movie Set

  Matamata-Piako District, New Zealand · Landmarks and buildings · -37.8575, 175.6797

  Movie set / tourist attraction in Waikato, New Zealand.

  The nearest other filming location is Matamata, about 10 km away.

• Mount Owen

  Tasman District, New Zealand · Landscapes and nature · -41.5520, 172.5410

  Mountain in Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand.

  The nearest other filming location is Marlborough District, about 100 km away.

• Glenorchy

  Otago Region, New Zealand · Towns and cities · -44.8500, 168.3833

  Settlement in Otago, New Zealand.

  The nearest other filming location is Paradise, about 14 km away.

• Waiau River

  Southland District, New Zealand · Landscapes and nature · -46.1946, 167.6149

  River in Southland, New Zealand.

  The nearest other filming location is Invercargill, about 63 km away.

• Skippers Canyon

  Otago Region, New Zealand · Landscapes and nature · -44.8789, 168.6260

  Canyon in New Zealand.

  The nearest other filming location is Shotover River, about 12 km away.

• Mavora Lakes

  Southland Region, New Zealand · Landmarks and buildings · -45.2556, 168.1681

  Group of lakes in Southland, New Zealand.

  The nearest other filming location is Lake Wakatipu, about 36 km away.

• Fiordland National Park

  Southland District, New Zealand · Landscapes and nature · -45.3860, 167.3470

  National park on South Island of New Zealand.

  The nearest other filming location is Fiordland, about 12 km away.

• Mount Sunday

  Ashburton District, New Zealand · Landscapes and nature · -43.5480, 170.8930

  Hill in Canterbury, New Zealand, used as a Lord of the Rings set.

  The nearest other filming location is Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, about 30 km away.

• Matamata

  Matamata-Piako District, New Zealand · Towns and cities · -37.8097, 175.7733

  Town in New Zealand.

  The nearest other filming location is Hobbiton Movie Set, about 10 km away.

• Mount Ruapehu

  Ruapehu District, New Zealand · Landscapes and nature · -39.2817, 175.5686

  Active stratovolcano in central North Island, New Zealand.

  The nearest other filming location is Tongariro National Park, about 9 km away.

• Pūtangirua Pinnacles

  Wellington Region, New Zealand · Landmarks and buildings · -41.4472, 175.2464

  Rock formation in New Zealand.

  The nearest other filming location is Miramar, about 38 km away.

• Rangipo Desert

  Taupō District, New Zealand · Landscapes and nature · -39.3116, 175.6745

  Desert in New Zealand.

  The nearest other filming location is Mount Ruapehu, about 10 km away.

• Queenstown

  Queenstown-Lakes District, New Zealand · Towns and cities · -45.0311, 168.6625

  Resort town in Otago Region, New Zealand.

  The nearest other filming location is Queenstown-Lakes District, about <1 km away.

• Twizel

  Mackenzie District, New Zealand · Towns and cities · -44.2583, 170.1000

  Town in New Zealand.

  The nearest other filming location is Lake Pukaki, about 17 km away.

• Pinewood Studios

  Iver, United Kingdom · Studios and sets · 51.5486, -0.5350

  British film studio and television studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England.

  The nearest other filming location is 007 Stage, about <1 km away.

• Wellington

  Wellington City, New Zealand · Towns and cities · -41.2889, 174.7772

  Capital city of New Zealand; urban area of the cities of Wellington, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, and Porirua.

  The nearest other filming location is Wellington City Council, about <1 km away.

• New Zealand

  New Zealand · recorded at country level only · Towns and cities · -41.2000, 174.0000

  Island country in the southwest Pacific Ocean.

  Also used by 253 other productions on this map, including Avatar, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Can You Visit the The Lord of the Rings Shooting Locations?

13 of them are public ground such as streets, towns or open landscape, so you can usually walk straight up: Paradise, Mount Owen and Glenorchy and others. 4 are buildings or estates that may charge admission or keep set hours, including Mount Olympus Ski Area, Hobbiton Movie Set and Mavora Lakes. 1 is a working film studio, usually closed to visitors unless a tour runs: Pinewood Studios. 1 entry names only a country or region, so there is no single address to visit. Always check access locally before travelling, and respect private land.

How Far Apart the The Lord of the Rings Locations Are

The two furthest apart are Waiau River and Pinewood Studios, roughly 18,966 km apart.

Also Filmed at the Same Locations as The Lord of the Rings

These productions used at least one of the same filming locations as The Lord of the Rings.

• The Dark Knight (2008)Pinewood Studios
• V for Vendetta (2005)Pinewood Studios
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)Mount Olympus Ski Area
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)Mount Ruapehu
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)Pinewood Studios
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Mount Sunday
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010)Pinewood Studios
• Alien (1979)Pinewood Studios
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)Pinewood Studios
• Skyfall (2012)Pinewood Studios
• Gravity (2013)Pinewood Studios
• Dr. No (1962)Pinewood Studios

More Movies Filmed in New Zealand

• Movies filmed in New Zealand133
• Movies filmed in the United Kingdom2,065
• Studios and sets on film106
• Landmarks and buildings on film6,157
• Landscapes and nature on film2,050
• Towns and cities on film9,084

The Lord of the Rings Filming Locations: Questions