Lorien and the Wizard's Valley - Paradise, near Glenorchy

Following the road from Queenstown along the northern shore of Lake Wakatipu, one passes several lesser filming locations, such as the top of Amon Hen, at Closeburn (not accessible), or the Ithilien camp at Twelve Mile Delta. Stops are worth the while, if you can afford the time! The drive is very windy (as in: a winding road) and will take about an hour to Glenorchy (without stops), but the reward are some truly spectacular views.

Reaching Glenorchy, a centre for "clean" alternative tourism, the road turns into an unsealed dust road - following Paradise road, after ca. 20 km you'll pass the paddock where Isengard was digitally added in. The mountain shapes in the background will look familiar! A little further on, where the woods meet the paddock, the fellowship entered the realm of Lorien. The splendid old beechwood trees are indeed Elvish.

Glenorchy is the base for the Dart River Safaris (which I didn't try) - provided you have time and money, they are probably worth the while, and the closest to organized Lord of the Rings tourism you can get in New Zealand - apparently, a number of the guides worked on the movie, and will share their stories. Could be fun - but I keep telling myself: "Next time..."