Lets go to the South Island

We didn't book the ferry tickets in advance and we were lucky to find a spot for all of us, though really expensive. The next days were all sold out, so we took the ferry a day earlier than expected.

Rivendell: the movie set was removed except for an archway and there are a few information signs around, showing how it looked like, but it's not that easy to imagine it without all the structures. It is still a nice place in the dense forest mountains. We walked a suspension bridge trail but there were no more except for the one before the start.

The Gardens of Isengard: A nice park where you can imagine Gandalf and Saruman walking next to each other. In the end it is a huge lawn with quite a few trees. It's a nice place to rest, but nothing special for a movie set.

Ferry Crossing: We were really tired after a rough night, but on the ferry there was no room to rest and outside was to windy. The view of the North Island in the beginning and later of the South Island was amazing. An hour before we arrived we saw a tiny humpback whale jumping out of the water.Read more