11-Day Middle-earth Fantasy in New Zealand

IT’S LITTLE SURPRISE that many libertarians count The Lord of the Rings among their favorite stories.

- BEKAH CONGDON

J.R.R. Tolkien's tales of bravery and camaraderie in the face of an evil lust for control have shaped many libertarian worldviews. Though many adaptations have been made in the decades since Tolkien published The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, no films brought these beloved books to life as spectacularly as Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies, which owe a great deal of their visual power and emotional resonance to the natural beauty of New Zealand, where much of the trilogy was filmed.

Visitors to Aotearoa—the Māori name for New Zealand—can find themselves immersed in a geography that feels magically pulled straight from Tolkien's stories. The North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) is home toa rolling hill country and a rural calm that are perfectly suited for the Shire, most notably in the town of Matamata, where the Hobbiton set still stands (and where you can enjoy a feast fit for 13 dwarves). Geothermal regions echo the eerie beauty of Middle-earth’s darker corners, and the lush forests near Wellington provided the setting for the ethereal realm of Rivendell.

On the South Island (Te Waipounamu), the landscape opens up to jagged peaks, windswept plains, and glacier-carved valleys that became the backdrop for places like Rohan and Gondor. Whether on foot, horseback, boat, or bus, visitors have many ways to experience this real-life fantasy world surrounding the city of Queenstown.

Are you quite ready for another adventure? Gather your fellowship and let this sample itinerary be your guide—but stay flexible. After all, you never know when you might encounter a cave troll or need to find another path into Mordor. Every journey takes some unexpected turns, but as Tolkien reminds us, “Not all who wander are lost.”

DAY 1

FLIGHT TO AUCKLAND