Mavora, New Zealand
Mavora Lakes Road
N/A
Toilets
Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Sean Astin wouldn't advise you to take a bath. Took me an hour to find "Frodo's tree". Besides, beautiful lake and camping ground!
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Beautiful lakes and views. Lots of walks for walking, cycling, camping etc
As a fan of LoTR i had to stop off at this place. You do have to drive down a gravel road for about 30km so be prepared for that. The walk around the lake is spectacular with some nice viewpoints. This would be an amazing lake to kayak on for sure.
So, first and foremost, only go if you have extra time in your day and have the confidence to drive a solid 10k-ish beat up gravel road. I survived it in a two door toyota corolla hatchback. But, I like to consider myself slightly "adventurous" when it comes to attempting these types of roads. I had some extra time before my cruise on the Doubtful Sound. So, I made a morning out of it which was definitely worth it. That being said, again, I wouldn't make a day out of this and I wouldn't go there imagining epic LOTR hikes or anything. It's kinda just a nice lake with some solid camping and ATV/horseback tracks around it, if you take away the film. However, film considered, the location is SPOT on and definitely worth it if you're a serious fan like myself. If you go, I'd go there for lunch and sit by the lake and read some of the fellowship. Watch out for the orcs :)
Love the Mavora lakes - gets a bit crowded in the summer but it is still Godzone.
North Mavora Lakes provides several LOTR shooting locations, Nen Hithoel (where Fellowship moored their elven ships after leaving Lothlorien) is just one of them. Must visit for LOTR fan.
The glory of this spot is really all about the drive in and out from the main road (SH94). Depending on which direction you are driving, you don't have to backtrack a fair bit of the way -- check out the 2 routes in and out on Google Maps. Along the gravel road you will see some glorious landscapes, and experience the emptiness of New Zealand that even the main roads had 20 years ago. Just wonderful. Much of the route is gravel, but perfectly drivable in any type of car. If you don't plan on camping or using your campervan up at the lake you can do the loop from the main road in 2-3 hours return.
Great to see some of the LOTR places.
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