Land of the rings

New Zealand is in mourning after the Christchurch earthquake, but it continues to welcome visitors. Pól Ó Conghaile celebrates one of the world’s greatest destinations

A DECADE or so back, Lord of the Rings location scouts flew the length and breadth of New Zealand in search of a convincing Shire. The pressure was on to get the location for this idyllic village, where viewers first meet Frodo Baggins and his hobbit chums, absolutely right.

From the air, the scouts spotted a sheep and beef farm outside the small town of Matamata. It was flawless. The rolling hills of Waikato seemed a carbon copy of Tolkien’s rural England, and a noble old pine stood by the lakefront — a perfect match for the Party Tree.