There and Back Again: A Fan’s Guide to the Real Middle Earth: Nomad Safari’s Fan Tour

As my Middle Earth experience in New Zealand drew to an end, I embarked on my final themed tour. Still in Queenstown, the home of adrenaline junkies, I chose to take on the Nomad Safari's Lord of the Rings tour. An all-day experience, it takes small groups across the most difficult terrain in hardy four-wheel trucks, all whilst treating them to the locations and views from the famed films. Boasting views of the Misty Mountains and guided tours round some well-known locations, broken up by bumpy rides through rivers and fields, it’s a unique option for getting some thrills between the standard levels of geeking out.

The first thing that struck me when I arrived at the pick-up point for the day was simply ‘how can I steal one of these trucks and take it back to Scotland without anyone noticing?’ It was of course a futile wish, with my backpack the pitiful size that it was, but the trucks truly were awesome. I’m no petrol-head but these would be so much fun to drive- able to tackle just about anything that the tumultuous land could throw at them. The excellent guides seemed to be enjoying themselves too, fearlessly trusting in their hardy machines even when you couldn’t believe they were going where you thought they were about to go. The trucks also had probably the coolest number plates ever, from a Balin to a Bombur. I made a mental note to attempt at least one dwarf name from the long list in The Hobbit as a number plate once I was home. Perhaps it might even grant me some parking ticket exemption from an attendant who happens to appreciate Lord of the Rings fandom- hey, you never know.

Our tour did take in some well-known movie sights, with the highlight probably being a visit to the location of Ithilien, where Frodo, Sam and Gollum first spot the Oliphants riding to battle in The Return of the King. It is also the scene best known for Gollum’s vehement disregard for ‘taters’ and rabbit stew, showing some of the tension that is to continue as Sam’s distrust grows. Definitely a fan favourite, it also spawned a viral YouTube music video, second only in Lord of the Rings fandom popularity to the universal ‘They’re Taking The Hobbits to Isengard’. Good luck getting this out of your head (it may drive you slightly mad so apologies in advance).

The location is virtually unchanged since the original filming and it’s apparently become a popular place for some of the sneakier fans to make their own rabbit stew in the evening. On our tour we didn’t quite have the pots and cooking utensils required but we did take turns in pretending to spy on enemy soldiers from the viewpoint. I assure you that the imaginary Oliphants were quite intimidating.

Despite this, the trip isn’t completely designed for die hard Rings fans, as not all locations were quite as promised and it really is just a part of the overall safari experience. The journey is as much a celebration of the stunning landscape as it is a celebration of the movies. For example, my morning tour which had a stated trip to the location of Paradise actually only went to the perimeter of the famous woodland, giving us a sense of the area but not an actual view of the place itself. This wasn’t really a problem for me, since I had already taken part in the Dart Stables tour which granted exclusive access to Paradise itself, but I could see why other fans who were keen to see it properly might be a little disappointed.

Ultimately it’s a great tour for someone who wants to do something a little different and adrenaline-filled but probably not ideal if you’re looking for a really immersive Lord of the Rings tour. However, it’s still a fun way to see some general locations and there’s enough entertainment for fans and non-fans alike, making it a perfect trip if your party includes some a little less geeky than yourself.

Perfect for…. Thrills and spills among the Misty Mountains.

It’s definitely been a brilliant experience taking part in the tours of the real home of Middle Earth. More than anything though, these tours have taught me just how much work is needing in filmmaking. It’s easy to visit a location or a set and assume that you’ll step into the movie, but it’s remarkable how much more goes into creating the magic that we see onscreen. What has been great about these tours however, is just how much they’re strived to recapture a sense of movies that are now a decade old.

Lord of the Rings was well praised when it was first released on DVD with behind- the- scenes footage that a film nerd could only dream of. Hours of detailed descriptions of the CGI process and chats with the extras as they stood on set were just a part of the many fascinating segments about Peter Jackson’s movies, as well as being useful for studying the process of filmmaking in general. It doesn’t compare with actually going to the locations and workshops in person however, and for someone who had already watched these extras to death, it really brought it all to life from behind a screen. If you ever get the chance, I can’t underestimate just how much of a great opportunity it is to make a fan pilgrimage if you have a real devotion to your fandom.

Visiting on these tours also turned out to be surprisingly great social events. As the growth of conventions has shown today, there’s a real appeal to meeting fans such as yourself in person and sharing in your enthusiasm, and these tours were another way in which to do that. Throughout my trip I met so many fans of all ages and levels of fanaticism. Lively discussions about the merits of The Silmarillion, Tolkien’s inspirations and ‘Gollum: was he really misunderstood?’ became the norm, with everything sharing their personal stories of what first drew them to the trilogy. I even met a couple on their honeymoon who had just had a Lord of Rings themed wedding, complete with score and some rather specific jewellery pieces. It was like all the social benefits of conventions but with the added bonus of experiencing the real landscapes of your favourite imaginary world at the same time. As a solo traveller for most of the trip too, I had no trouble striking up conversations with fellow fans with an acknowledged shared interest already in place.

My trip to New Zealand, the ‘real Middle Earth’, was a truly fantastic experience. Not only was I immersed in all the geekery I love, but I visited a stunning country of very friendly people. For a country that could have rejected its new found fame, it has instead embraced it fully, welcoming fans from all over the world with open arms. I’m already keen to return, and like Bilbo Baggins I imagine that soon enough I’ll be quite ready to go back ‘for another adventure’.

The Hobbiton Tour | The Flat Earth Tour | Dart Stables Tour

Written by Jen Scouler