The Hobbit · Filming location
Strath Taieri (Middlemarch)
In the story · An Unexpected Journey (the chase across the rocks)
The rocky hills of this high valley were used for the chase in which orcs riding wargs (giant wolves) hunt the Company, the hobbit Bilbo, the wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves, across open country. The crew filmed here for about two weeks on private farmland, but the same hills and their rock outcrops can be seen from the public road.
Where to stay nearby
Book a hotel hereMap with prices from several sites
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Are you here?
More to do here
Things to doParis: all activities on GetYourGuide
The link opens the destination's catalogue, not a tour made for the story →
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Where to stand for the photo
From a safe pull-over on the road to Middlemarch, frame the rock outcrops along the skyline.
Getting there
- Address: Strath Taieri, near Middlemarch, Otago
- Transport
- By car, about 1 hour from Dunedin.
- Access
- Filming took place on private farmland: don't enter the fields. Look from the public roads around Middlemarch.
Public sources (1)
Sources found on October 21, 2026.
Every place checked against public sources
Production · film commissions · tourist boards · guides
We always say if it is:
- The real filming location
- A place standing in for it
- Inspired by the story
Every place checked against public sources
Production · film commissions · tourist boards · guides
We always say if it is:
- The real filming location
- A place standing in for it
- Inspired by the story
Every place checked against public sources
Production · film commissions · tourist boards · guides
We always say if it is:
- The real filming location
- A place standing in for it
- Inspired by the story