New Zealand Estate Where Two “Lord of the Rings” Films Were Shot Is For Sale

No sign of hobbits, unfortunately

Theater marquee
The Odeon Leicester Square in London, where the world premiere of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was held.
William Conran - PA Images via Getty Images

It’s been over 20 years since director Peter Jackson’s cinematic adaptation of the Lord of the Rings trilogy first reached theaters. In the years that have elapsed since then, there’s been plenty of discussion about the films’ legacy — and the aspects of them that modern blockbuster filmmaking could take a few cues from. Among those aspects is the use of visually striking locations across New Zealand.

That’s caused an increase in the amount of tourism the country has received in the years since the films were first released, and has also served as a reminder of the onscreen power of a great physical (as opposed to computer-generated) location. And now, one of those locations is on the market, a 90-minute drive from Wellington.

As Dirt reports, an estate that was used for scenes in two of Jackson’s films is now for sale. The listing, at PQ Property Intelligence, describes Fernside as “arguably one of the finest heritage country estates in New Zealand.” It’s also home to a lake where two scenes from the trilogy were shot, including the flashback that explains how Gollum came to be Gollum.

If a home that echoes an English country estate is, er, precious to you, this might well be of interest. And if this does become your next home, we have a humble suggestion for the first song you play on the sound system there.

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