Rivendell, Elves and A Swinging Bridge, Kaitoke Regional Park

I hiked the trail at Kaitoke Regional Park where Rivendell was filmed for Lord
of the Rings. There were no elves to be seen among the primeval rainforest, Mirkwood elfish trees, Loudwater River and its swing bridge.  Giant spiders were not visible either but probably hidden in the tree tops spying on me. The river was low and very dry so it was too hot for elves and spiders.
During the Quest for the Lonely Mountain, Thorin Oakenshield and Company stopped off at Rivendell. Rivendell, also known as Imladris, was an Elven outpost in Middle-earth. It is also referred to as "The Last Homely House East of the Sea".  Rivendell was located at the edge of a narrow gorge of the river Loudwater but well hidden in the moorlands and foothills of the Misty Mountains.  In Lord of the Rings, Arwen carrying Frodo on her horse, outruns the Black Riders to reach Rivendell.  She called upon the river for protection like elves can do and the river Loudwater became galloping horses charging after the Black Riders.

LOTR Rivendell forest, Loudmouth River and water falls.

The Majestic Clouds of Mt. Ngauruhoe aka Mount Doom

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was the view from our hotel room at Whakapapa Village in Tongariro National Park.  Mt. Ngauruhoe was Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings.  They filmed quite a lot of the Mount Doom scenes in Lord of the Rings, such as Sam carrying Frodo up the cliffs. It is a conical, single-vent volcano with perfectly symmetrical slopes.  Due to rainy weather and approaching storms, the clouds would eventually cover Mt. Ngauruhoe with their hues of pink and golden fingers.

 

Mount Doom From Lord of the Rings

 



Middle-earth Hobbiton Movie Tour in Matamata, New Zealand

 

 

Middle-earth is located on the picturesque Alexander farm, where we visited the Hobbiton Movie Set from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films in a  2 hour guided tour. The tour started with a drive through the picturesque 1,250 acre Alexander sheep farm in the Waikato region with spectacular views across to the Kaimai Ranges. It is a twelve acre site where the 44 hobbit holes were created and transformed into The Shire from Middle-Earth. Peter Jackson spotted Alexander Farm during an aerial search of the North Island, and he thought its rolling meadows and fantastic views made it a perfect spot to build the set of The Shire. The Shire includes the Hobbit holes, Green Dragon Inn, Mill and other structures created for the LOTR and Hobbit films. While Bilbo Baggins is on an adventure far away from his homeland of The Shire, we were there strolling through hobbit holes and had a drink at The Green Dragon.