After the release of the series’ first visuals by Vanity Fair magazine, and the first trailer for the series, we have good news for fans of Lord of the Rings: While filming for the first season was completed in New Zealand on August 2, 2021 – the series debuts on September 2, 2022 – Amazon has already signed a second season, which will be shot entirely in Britain.
While we’re excited to see the second season and its filming locations, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves! So, in this blog we are focusing on the first season – and the majestic nature of New Zealand. As we begin our exploration of these gorgeous landscapes, let us note that Turkish Airlines offers flights to Auckland almost every day of the week and you can click here for tickets to Auckland!
Alexander Farm, North Island
We are ready (and excited!) to move towards the second epoch of Middle-Earth history. Our first stop on the Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power location tour is the North Island in the Seychelles. You may recall Alexander Farm, in the heart of the North Island, from Hobbiton, where Bilbo Baggins and the Hobbits lived. And in Tongariro National Park, Mount Ngaruhoe played the role of Mount Doom, which is home to the eponymous ring. The Dimholt Road, where Legolas and his comrades meet the Army of the Dead in The Return of the King, was originally Putangirua Pinnacler, located southeast of Wellington. Director Peter Jackson chose Kumeu Film Studios and Auckland Film Studios for two-thirds of the filming for the digital series version of The Lord of the Rings series. For the rest of the shooting, work was concentrated on the northern and southern islands of New Zealand.
Hauraki Gulf
We continue our tour in the Hauraki Gulf where filming took place for Lord of the Rings – at 465 million dollars for its first season, it is the most expensive television show made to date. Located east of the city, the Hauraki Gulf covers an area of approximately 248 square kilometers around Auckland. In addition, Coromandel stretches from the eastern border of the city to the Pacific Ocean. With its magnificent rainforests, mysterious caves and idyllic coves, just the scenery in The Rings of Power will take one’s breath away – we’re looking forward to seeing how these – or other – landscapes are visualized in the second season’s UK location!
Piha
Our next stop is Piha, west of Auckland. Known for its challenging surf centers, including Karekare, Piha is also home to terrifyingly high cliffs. With these features, Piha is an enormous natural plateau for the Lord of the Rings series.
Mount Kidd
We are at Mount Kidd, the last stop of our location tour for the eight-episode Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. As many moviegoers are aware, Hollywood has deployed the incredible beauty of New Zealand in many successful films, from Avatar to The Chronicles of Narnia film series. Mount Kidd, featured in all three films of the Lord of the Rings series, continues to enchant audiences in The Rings of Power with its incredible vistas, beech forests and alpine lakes.
Sources:
Conde Nast Traveller
Gazete Oksijen
Nerdist.com
