Wellington's Kiwi Holiday Park is in the heart of “Lord of The Rings” Country.
In fact staying here is a bit like stepping into Middle Earth.
Set in 82 acres of open forest, similar to the land between The Shire and Rivendell. Some of the trees around the camp are said to be perhaps 800 years old, and evoke the timeless New Zealand landscape that so powerfully captured the feel of Tolkeins world.
The sound of the River Anduin (actually the Hutt river, which flows past the camp directly to the west) will lull you to sleep, after a day in Wellington, or exploring the nearby sites of filming.
This part of the river was used for shots of the fellowship canoeing , after leaving Lothlorien, towards Gondor.
“The Orc tree” was filmed 100 meters away. You will be able to see an actual part of the tree, on display by our reception. We believe it to be one of the few actual things from the filming not held by Wingnut Films or Weta Workshops that you will be able to see in New Zealand.
The site where Aragorn was revived by his horse on the banks of the river, after the attack by the Wolvesof Isengard, is a beautiful 15 minuit stroll upstream. You can stroll in the beautiful garden of Isengard as it was before its desecration, just as Gandalf and Sauraman did, early in “The Fellowship of The Ring”. This beautiful spot is perhaps 100 meters from our reception.
Rivendell is a 10 minuit drive away, and offers probably the grandest easily accessable forest waks in the greater Wellington region.Trees here are huge, and very impressive. Views of “The Anduin” from vntage poins on the stroll will be bound to have you reaching for your camera. The walks are easy, and one includes a high, 30 metre wide suspension walkway bridge, typical of “backcountry New Zealand” bridges. Not for the faint hearted!
The site of Helms Deep is 8km away, though nothing remains of the set. This is the case with all the man made sets, except for “Hobbittown” in the Waikato.
Filming is expected to return to the area around Harcourt Holiday Park for the much awaited filming of “The Hobbit” We will update this site as news comes to hand.
Guides and maps are available at reception, and we run “Lord of The Rings” events from time to time. Let us know if you want to be notified of the next one!
Lord of The Rings fans are warmly invited to come stay. You will find no place which lets you soak up the feel of this fabulous trilogy, and yet still able to go to Wellington for the day (35minuits drive) We guarantee you will love staying!
We look forward to your visit! Keith, Kathy & Ody the pony.