Safari of the Rings

First, Queenstown is beautiful. It is easy to see great scenery - just drive. If there is a paved road that goes up a hill, take it. If the road is unpaved and you have a 4 wheel drive, take it. You are guarenteed some arrive at some scenic vista!

I decided it would be fun to take a scenic tour and also visit a few sites Lord of the Rings was filmed at, so I went on a Lord of the Rings Safari, while Krisanne and Eric went wine tasting.

The tour started at the nearby Remarkables mountain range, which were used as background for various scenes. We had a view of Deer Park Heights, where the warg attack was filmed. Several other minor scenes were filmed there as well.

The Remarkables


Deer Park Heights


We visited a site near the Kawarau bridge (site of the first commercial bungie jumping company in the world) where the "Pillars of the Kings" scene was filmed. Of course, the background and statues were digitally added, but the site is fairly recognizable.

Kawarau River bungee site


Pillars of the Kings


Then, we went to nearby Arrowtown where the "Ford of Bruinen" (Ringwraiths got washed away by Arwen) and "Gladden Woods" (Isildur rides a horse after taking the ring) scenes were filmed.

Ford of Bruinen


Gladden Woods


After this, the tour climbed into some very rugged terrain, to Skippers Canyon. The road was a narrow one lane dirt road the wound along into steep valleys. I took lots of pictures and hope they give a proper sense of how beautiful it was!

Skippers Canyon


Remarkables