Journey to Middle Earth in the form of New Zealand in February 2016… images by Austin Tate except where noted. First on North Island at Hobbiton (near Matamata)…
Mount Doom and Mordor… on Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Ruapehu in the Tongariro National Park…
At the Weta Cave in Wellington… Hobbit feet and handling the original movie prop of Orcrist…
Orcrist Image from Weta, New Zealand
The Hobbit barrel escape was filmed on a combination of the Aratiatia Rapids near Taupo on North island, the Pelorus River near Nelson on South Island and in the studios near Wellington…
One Ring to rule them all… glad Margaret did not go invisible…
Lake Wakatipu and Glenorchy, near Queenstown…
The Fellowship of the Ring and the Dwarves of Thorin and Company probably did not travel on a jetboat… but the Shotover River Jet is quite something…
Milford Sound, waterfalls, more waterfalls and the long white cloud…
To crown it all… Mount Cook and dark skies… the Southern Cross, the Milky Way and very visible Large and Small Magellanic Clouds…
Southern Cross Image from Night in Focus