They're Taking the Tourists to Isengard!

New Zealand is known for many things.

Kiwi accents.

Jade jewelry.

Maori history.

Aaaaaaand movies.

So many Hollywood hits were filmed here in New Zealand, and the tourism industry has been riding that high since Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings.

A quick Wiki search will give you an exhausting list of movies that used New Zealand's breathtaking mountains, hills, lakes, waterfalls, and miles of greenery as the backdrop to their stories.

I'll list just a few big names for you here.

Image result for lord of the rings
Bridge To Terabithia
Chronicles of Narnia 1 and 2
Evil Dead 
Ghost in the Shell
The Hobbit (et. al)
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
King Kong
The Legend of Zorro
Lord of the Rings (et. al)
The Lovely Bones
The Meg
Mission Impossible Fallout
Mortal Engines
Mulan (coming in 2020)
Never Say Die
The Other Side of Heaven
Thor: Ragnarok
The Water Horse
Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior
A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine

More than you were expecting, right?

The picturesque landscape of this country is perfect for all kinds of movies, from romance to action, comedy and drama.

Luckily for them, the locals caught on to this nifty fact to make a buck or two off of showing them film sites and old sets.

You can still take a walk through Hobbiton in Auckland or check out some movie sets in Wellington, but the contender for a movie-lover's best tourism experience is undoubtedly the horseback riding journey through Isengard.

Even had I not seen any of these movies before, I would strongly recommend traveling to Paradise, New Zealand (very aptly named) to hop on a horse and take in these incredible views. To say they're gorgeous is a massive understatement. The shuttle ride alone is an unforgettable experience. As you take the winding road through the trees alongside the bright blue lake, chatting amiably about the history of Queenstown, you'll feel like you're already in Paradise long before you get there.

I rode Scar, a gorgeous stallion with a wicked scar across this face (hence the name) who will be featured in the upcoming live-action Mulan movie. We traveled over the hills to overlook the very mountains that the infamous Eagles from the LOTR series flew over, we paused to take pictures by the spot where Gandalf stood and dramatically looked over the fields of Isengard. We veered around the fence where Wolverine ran through the grassy fields. Most importantly, we had a deep moment of silence as we passed the very spot that Boromir died tragically after taking several arrows to the chest and pledging undying loyalty to Aragorn.


It was a movie geek's absolute dream!

New Zealand is heartbreakingly beautiful, a definite must-see, and while the price for this particular scenic experience is a bit steep for a broke college student like me...

What wouldn't you pay to ride through Isengard?

That's what I thought.


Queenstown, New Zealand









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