Three beautifully carved posts will now guide visitors to the beech glade in Kaitoke Regional Park where scenes from The Lord of the Rings trilogy were filmed.
The new posts have been placed along the track leading to the glade used as a set for “Rivendell” in The Fellowship of the Ring. Inside the glade, visitors will also find two new information panels which replace the original 10-year-old panel.
Wellington Regional Council’s Kaitoke Regional Park Ranger Steve Edwards says the original information panel was popular with visitors from home and abroad but, with thousands of people passing through Rivendell every month, the site was in need of a refresh.
“Visitors are very taken with the new posts and information panels, whether they’re passionate Rings fans or just curious to see the site of an iconic film set,” says Steve.
“Already a favourite is the post showing the heights of popular Rings characters. It lets visitors see who they match up to – hobbit, dwarf, wizard, man or elf? Another post features the Elvish language, and the third post has information about the Rings movies.”
The information panels in the beech glade contain details about the movie set and the native plant life found in the surrounding area.
The new interpretation was developed in partnership with Rings tour concessionaires. The 2.5-metre-high macrocarpa posts were carved by Waiwhetu Marae carver Raniera Puketapu and erected in time for the premiere of Sir Peter Jackson’s latest Middle Earth offering, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Each year about 190,000 people visit Kaitoke Regional Park.
