Mt Victoria & Kaitoke Regional Park

Mount Victoria - The Shire / Kaitoke Regional Park - Rivendell and the Fords of Isen.

As the terrified hobbits in The Lord of the Rings trilogy hide from the approaching Ringwraiths, you'd never know they were only minutes away from great coffee! But such contrasts are typical of Wellington. In this compact, vibrant and cosmopolitan capital, a forested green belt runs right through the city centre and you can be windsurfing or mountain biking minutes after you've finished work. Cafes, bars restaurants and a thriving arts scene will keep you busy downtown - explore by foot or hop on a City Circular bus.

Home of director Peter Jackson and production company Weta Studios, Wellington provided lots of scope for Rings locations. Bree was built on an old army base, and only minutes away by car were Minas Tirith, the fortifications of Helms Deep and Isengard. On your way over to the wine district of Martinborough (just over an hour's drive) you'll pass the Hutt River (where hobbits launched their boats numerous times) and Kaitoke Regional Park, home to scenes from Rivendell and the Fords of Isen.