Anduin, the Great River

The scenes showing the Fellowship's travel on the Great River, Anduin, were shot in various places throughout New Zealand. The impressive aerial shots were filmed in Fjordland, the south-western tip of the South Island - the area also served for shots of Fangorn Forest. The river seen in the film is Waiau river, linking lakes Te Anau and Manapouri - the (very) small town of Manapouri served as base for the film crew during their work in Fjordland, and some indoor bad weather cover shots were filmed in Manapouri's town hall. Further river scenes were filmed at the Mavora Lakes, off the Queenstown - Te Anau Road (compare the Nen Hithoel slideshow).

Another Anduin filming location can be found on the North Island - off State Highway 1, the main Auckland-Wellington Road. The location is not far from the shooting locations on Mt Ruapehu: the Whakapapa skifield, which served for Emyn Muil and Mordor, and Ohakune, were many of the Ithilien scenes were shot. Coming from the North, turn left some 10 kilometers behind Taihape, at the sign pointing to the Gravity Canyon bungy jump. It's a 15 minute drive - well signposted - through rolling green hills and along some bizarre volcanic formations, to the Rangitikei gorge and the bungy jump, one of the highest in the world. However, bungy-ing is not required to enjoy the view from the bridge down into the gorge - the river bend where the Fellowship passed along is easily recognizable. If you have the time, spend it driving along the small byroads back to State Highway 1 - the landscape is spectacular, rivers have formed several deep canyons in this area, and river rafting is available in Mangaweka.

The Pillars of the Argonath were filmed in the Kawarau river gorge in Central Otago, just outside Queenstown - next to another bungy jump site, Kawarau bridge (accessible from the Queenstown-Cromwell road), which is the oldest professional bungy jump in the world - dating back all the way to 1988!
A fourth Anduin location can be found just outside Wellington, in the Hutt Valley - next time I pass along there, I'll provide some photos. A visit to the Hutt river can be combined with visiting the Rivendell location at Kaitoke regional park and the gardens of Orthanc (before Saruman began his destruction work) at Harcourt Park, both just outside Upper Hutt.