New Zealand: The real Middle-earth

Director Peter Jackson's home of New Zealand makes for the perfect setting for J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. This piece of Matamata countryside had everything needed for the perfect Hobbiton: The party tree was found perfectly placed in front of the lake, and the rolling farmland was untouched by 20th century clutter such as roads, buildings and power lines. Hobbiton Movie Set Tours remains a working angus beef and sheep farm.

There are 44 Hobbit holes at Hobbiton Movie Set Tours, which were reconstructed in 2011 for "The Hobbit" trilogy. The holes were made out of permanent materials, so the set can continue on as a tourist attraction. The site also includes a bridge, a mill and The Green Dragon, and has five full-time gardeners to tend to the Hobbits' gardens.

Lake Pukaki, the main Hydro lake of the South Island, was the location for filming scenes for the shores of Lake-town.

A road leads to a farm in Wanaka, New Zealand. Scenes from the south of Rivendell appeared in "The Lord of the Rings."

Visitors on a jet boat take in the sights of Taupo's Huka Falls on the Waikato River. Filming also took place near the Aratiatia Rapids on the Waikato River.

A view of Mount Taranaki near New Plymouth.

Fog hangs over the Milford Sound in Fiordland. This fiord and thirteen others are part of a protected national park and World Heritage Site. Parts of the area appear in "Lord of the Rings" as Fangorn Forest.

Steam rises from the ground at the Craters of the Moon Geothermal Park near Taupo. Regions of geothermal and volcanic activity draw thousands of visitors to New Zealand each year and are also used to drive turbines to produce electricity.

Steam spills from Mount Tongariro after the mountain erupted for the first time in over 100 years on Aug. 8, 2012, in Tongariro National Park, New Zealand.

A 4x4 vehicle travels through Bush Creek in Arrowtown, in New Zealand. The creek was used as a location for the filming of the "Lord of the Rings" films and has become a popular tourist destination.

A general view of Mount Ruapehu from Waiouru, another filming location.