Deer Park Heights is a large area, about 800 hectares. This place is blessed with many beautiful natural landscapes.
The area first opened to the public in 1966 and quickly became a popular destination, offering visitors the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery and the exciting activities on the farm.
Deer Park Heights is blessed with beautiful natural scenery. Photo: Insider.
That's why this place has also caught the eye of many filmmakers, such as the blockbuster "Lord of the Rings". However, for the past 11 years, this area has not allowed tourists to visit because the owner is afraid that it will affect the deer herd living here.
A filming location for "Lord of the Rings" - the scene where the Rohans flee and Aragorn fights the wolves. Photo: Insider
In 2020, Mike Mee, the owner of the farm, decided to reopen the farm to visitors. He said, "This is a wonderful destination and it would be a shame not to share it. We will open it to people who want to spend time with nature and animals, especially families."
Panoramic views of the lake and The Remarkables mountain range. Photo: Insider
Visitors to Deer Park Heights must make reservations online. An online map will direct visitors to each of the Lord of the Rings filming locations, picnic areas, and animal viewing areas. The area is home to a variety of animals, including fallow deer, goats, American ponies, alpacas, donkeys, and Kunekune pigs.
It is not difficult to see animals walking on trails, sunbathing, grazing...Photo: Insider
These animals often roam the trails, sunbathe, graze and look just like the wild. So this is also the reason why the owner of Deer Park Heights decided to close the farm for 11 years because of the fear of humans affecting them.
Visitors here can stop to experience feeding animals. Photo: Insider
Mike said only vehicles with less than seven seats are allowed inside, except buses and family cars. There is no access for pedestrians or cyclists because they tend to scare away animals, especially deer.
Map showing the Deer Park Heights area. There are 7 orange dots which are filming locations for "Lord of the Rings". Photo: Insider.
Visitors can drive along the 5km road and spend about 20 minutes walking to the top to admire the panoramic beauty of Wakatipu and The Remarkables mountain range. For "Lord of the Rings" fans, it is not difficult to recognize the familiar scenes that appeared in the movie.
