20 travel destinations inspired by Lord of the Rings

Paradise, New Zealand

If fans are going to visit Kaitoke Regional Park, where the forming of the fellowship was filmed, they should also make it a point to visit the place where the breaking of the fellowship occurs. Paradise, New Zealand is where the final fight scene in The Fellowship of the Ring was filmed, and it’s worth visiting just to explore its natural beauty.

While exploring Paradise, fans might come upon the very spot where Boromir fights off both orcs and Uruk-hai in an attempt to prevent Merry and Pippin from being taken to Isengard. Of course, this is also where Boromir meets his end—though the three arrows he takes to the chest are proof that he goes down fighting. Sadly, Merry and Pippin are still kidnapped by Saruman’s minions in the end.

This is also the spot where Aragorn avenges Boromir’s death, taking out one of the Uruk-hai in an epic display of swordsmanship. Aragorn stays with Boromir as he dies, insisting that the man fought bravely and with honor, even though he attempted to take the Ring from Frodo. Before he passes on, Boromir tells Aragorn that he “would have followed him” and finally accepts him as his king. This is also the spot where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli decide to stick together and save Merry and Pippin.

Paradise is located in the Otago area of New Zealand, and it’s extremely close to Glenorchy. Both Paradise and Glenorchy are known for their sweeping rural scenery, as well as their roles in The Lord of the Rings movies. Fans who visit one should probably take the time to visit the other.