Castle Hill, New Zealand
When did I visit: Mid-August around 8am
Track distance & time to complete: 15 mins from the carpark, one way. When at the rocks, you can easily lose track of time and spend a couple of hours there.
Temperature: As I went there in winter, it was snowy and cold. Pro tip: make sure you have snow chains, I didn’t – it cost me 14 hrs of driving.
Parking: Free parking at Castle Hill car park
Exact location: Castle Hill, New Zealand on Google Maps
Since moving to the real Middle-Earth in 2016, I’ve had the joy of visiting quite a few of the locations used for filming The Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit) movies. But there are still a few on my list that I haven’t been to.
This was one of them.
The magnificent limestone rock formations known as Castle Hill or Kura Tāwhiti, meaning “the treasure from a distant land” in the Māori language. A place of special significance to the indigenous people.
Also a place of special significance to myself.
The journey began at 5am, with hopes of catching this place in a glorious sunrise light. Instead we drove for an hour and a half through heavy rain and some light snow, until we finally got there.
It looked… Well, like a treasure from a distant land, if ever I’ve seen one.
My first glimpse at it from the carpark left me in awe. I grabbed the camera and mounted the external mic, eyeing the little snowflakes that were slowly falling on top of it and melting right away.
The walk from the carpark to the inner part of the rock formations was supposed to take around 10-15 minutes. With my prolific snapping and filming, it easily took half an hour. But once we climbed a bit further and stepped inside, it was a sight to admire.
From what I saw online before visiting, this place looked completely different on a sunny day. Rock climbers apparently enjoy the challenges presented by the massive boulders. I’ve also read about people who’ve managed to get a bit lost in the rocky terrain.
It was now completely empty and looked like parts of Skyrim, if you’ve ever played the game. Various shapes and sizes of black rocks sticking in and out of the terrain. A vast snowy field being in perfect contrast with the brown-yellow tussock.
To me these were the rare and perfect conditions to visit this place and snap photos.
Placed right in the middle of the snowy field – like a crown jewel – was a very small lake (or rather, a pond). It was calmly sitting there, absorbing the snowflakes that were falling inside it. Its surface was occasionally rippled by the wind.
I hesitated for a moment whether I’d like to climb a bit higher and see it from up above first, or just go down to it and circle around it.
It wasn’t like anyone was rushing me, but there was so much beauty that I didn’t even know where to begin.
I went with option number one, getting close to it.
I was not disappointed. The reflections were hypnotising and I kept going back and forth, circling around the lake and admiring it from every angle and perspective. It added even more character to this already stunning place.
Treasure From a Distant Land
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The combination of the cold weather along with taking so many shots left the battery on my camera down to 20 percent. It was just then when I realised that my fingers were really slow to react, despite wearing gloves the whole time. It was getting colder, and the snowfall intensified a lot more. It was time for us to head back to the car.
Besides, we didn’t have any snow chains, but that’s a story for another time. And quite a long one, to be honest.
Farewell Castle Hill, you truly are a treasure.
Thanks for reading, I hope you’ve enjoyed the story and images of my journey.
If you’d like to see more of my travels – follow me on Instagram: @journeywithgoran
