Mt Somers (Māori: Te Kiekie) and Mid Canterbury high-country offer some of the most spectacular landscape scenery in New Zealand, possibly the world. Mt Somers is the gateway to the Hakatere Conservation Park and the high country is an outdoor recreational paradise - tramping and hiking, horse treks, mountain biking, fishing for trout and salmon, windsurfing on the lakes, bird watching, and nature trails.
Mount Sunday is a stunning site, with expansive views of the Rangitata River and the surrounding mountains. This has to be one of the most remote Lord of the Rings locations one can publicly access.
Amidst the vast Hakatere Conservation park in Mid Canterbury lies Mount Sunday, a sheer-sided hill that provided the perfect setting for Edoras - Rohan's capital city, home to the riders of Rohan from The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers.
Building the Edoras village set was a massive undertaking, not only due to the remoteness of the location but also because of the high north west winds that are funnelled through the valley. It needed the New Zealand army to build several hundred metres of access road before the production crew was able to access the hilltop and start with the set construction. All the structures had to be secured to the rock with iron pegs in order to withstand the elements.
The focal point of the set was Meduseld - The Great Golden Hall of the Kings which stood atop the hill, overlooking around a dozen other buildings, including the stables, the gatehouse and a wooden tower.
Filming only took about three weeks, with all the interior scenes shot in the studio in Wellington. After the wrap, the entire set was dismantled, and everything was returned to its natural state.Carved by glaciers, this hill got its name because boundary riders from the high-country stations would meet here on Sundays.
