Nen Hithoel and Amon Hen - the Mavora Lakes

Situated in Fjordland in the very South of New Zealand's South Island, the Mavora Lakes are one of the more secluded filming locations. The area is under the care of the Department of Conservation, and can be reached from the Queenstown - Te Anau Road.
Coming from Queenstown, cut across from Five Rivers to Mossburn. Some time after passing through Mossburn, a small road sign points to the right and to the Mavora Lakes - be careful not to miss it! The unsealed road is in fairly good state, so going the ca. 40 km to the DOC campsite in the Mavora Lakes National Reserve should not take more than an hour, or a little less (depending on your driving skills). After reaching the beginnings of the National Park, the road winds on through beautiful Southern beech forest for about another 10 km - the main camp site is situated at the southern tip of North Mavora Lake, and the road ends there. There are additional camp sites a little earlier on - I actually stayed next to the river linking the two lakes, but that was only because by the time I arrived there it was getting dark already, and I was not sure how much further it would be, so I followed the first sign pointing to a campsite. Like most DOC campsites, this site is very rudimentary and does not have water taps, let alone a kiosk or shop - so you have to bring your own food and water, and cooking gear! It is possible to use water from the lake or river though, but you should cook it before drinking.

Although greatest care has been taken to delete all traces of filming, at the moment (March 2003) the traces of past activity are still somewhat visible - random broadenings of the walking track along the lakeshore, a road cutting across a meadow, that is not completely overgrown yet, and strange delvings under tree trunks... The Lord of the Rings locations guidebook, published by Ian Broodie (NZ $ 20) is an excellent book to have, and the descriptions for this location are particularly useful and accurate. It will not be long since the traces of filming have vanished completely, though - given that the things that can be seen in the film are part of ever-changing nature - trees and lakeshore - they are already pretty much impossible to identify precisely.

The area is one of the most stunningly beautiful I have seen in New Zealand, and well worth a visit on its own merit. There is a hiking track, starting from the campsite at North Mavora lake and leading all the way to Elfin Bay on Lake Wakatipu (opposite Glenorchy), for those who are into serious walking - I didn't try it, but I'm sure it must be superbly beautiful and rewarding!