Lake-town

The Road Less Travelled continues through Canterbury’s Middle‑earth™ to Lake-town or Esgaroth, a key location in the Hobbit novel and movie trilogy – predominantly the Desolation of Smaug. Roadtrippers love the spectacular drive to Aoraki Mount Cook, which meanders along the Western side of Lake Pukaki, however very few take the route along the Eastern shore.

Three and a half hours from Ōtautahi Christchurch, this drive takes you through popular foodie spots Geraldine and Fairlie, as well as Lake Tekapo along the way. Once you have reached the Lake Pukaki Viewpoint and stopped for your obligatory photos, take Hayman Road on your right and follow it for 20km. The vistas along this road instantly take your breath away. With blues upon blues upon blues, carefully layered between the domineering snow-covered mountains and elven-inspired forests dotted everywhere, one can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of Middle‑earth™ magic on this drive.

But the real enchantment happens when tarseal turns to gravel, straight roads become winding and bumpy, and the only traffic you might encounter is lone farmers with sheep dogs on tractors. Aoraki Mt Cook is the live, beating heart of Aotearoa, but seeing it standing tall and proud across the lake bares remarkable resemblance to Tolkien’s vision of Smaug’s lair and ancient Dwarven Kingdom of Erebor. The books describes Lake-town as a community built on the Long Lake, south of the the Lonely Mountain and views from the shores transport you to this mythical location.

Here’s the kicker -- some parts of the set from the Hobbit Trilogy remain lakeside today. The top of a wooden hut, a small wooden door perfectly sized for Hobbits to make their grand entrance and several triangular tent frames. For those aptly barefoot, don’t freeze your feet off in snow or icy waters - an alluring rock awaits your pose with a sunset. Even if you’re not a Lord of the Rings buff, these landscapes, are so spectacular they alone are worth a visit in their own right.