Trekking to Edoras: A Middle-Earth photo essay

Edoras.

If you’re a “Lord of the Rings” fan, then this location probably needs no explanation. But, for the vast majority of you, you probably haven’t a clue what or where “Edoras” is. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional Middle-Earth, Edoras is the chief city in the kingdom of Rohan, built atop a rocky outcrop in a valley surrounded on nearly all sides by craggy mountains.

Kind of like this:

It’s almost like Tolkien had this spot in mind when he was creating Rohan, because it really is perfect. However, it’s unlikely that Tolkien ever saw this particular vista, because it’s literally half a world away from where he wrote “Lord of the Rings” in England — it’s located in New Zealand.

Thanks to Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of Tolkien’s trilogy, places like Edoras came to life on the big screen, drawing on the stunning natural landscapes that New Zealand has to offer.

Edoras, which is actually called Mount Sunday, can be found by the adventurous “Lord of the Rings” fan in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand, lying in the Rangitata Valley. But you can’t simply drive up to the spot for a quick sightseeing stop. Mount Sunday is roughly two hours southwest of Christchurch on New Zealand’s south island, but it lies on the property of Erewhon Station, which requires travel through Mount Potts Sheep Station, as well — all private property.

So how did I get there?

In 2005, right after I graduated high school, I took my love of “Lord of the Rings” to the next level and signed up for a tour of filming sites in New Zealand with my mom. Red Carpet Tours, arguably the best LotR tour company in New Zealand, has a lot of connections and agreements with land owners across the country whose properties were used in the films — including the owners of Mount Potts and Erewhon stations. Meaning we had the opportunity to experience Edoras in a way that few others are.

As we drove through the Canterbury Plains and onto the stations, the land got more and more wild. There was less and less evidence of habitation, until the only clues were sagging fences that had probably long since kept the station’s sheep at bay.

We trundled along dirt-and-gravel roads, and may or may not have lifted a rusting fence off its hinges in Erewhon to get closer to Mount Sunday. We lucked out with a perfectly clear day, and as we pulled to a stop in the valley and got out of our tour van, I think it’s safe to say we were all in awe.

With Red Carpet Tours, things are as authentic as possible. Unlike the one other tour company that takes fans to Mount Sunday (Hassle Free Tours), Red Carpet tourists don’t get driven right up to the base of the hill. Instead, you have to don water shoes, link arms with a few friends, and ford three frigid rivers that criss-cross the valley. But this is half the fun of the trek.

Our guide, a local named Derek, decked out in a pointed hat, bushy beard and walking staff, helped us navigate the streams and the steep grade of Mount Sunday. Derek — known to his grandkids as “Grandalf” — took part in the “Lord of the Rings” filming as an extra at Edoras, and regaled us with stories of the windy days he spent on set dressed as a scruffy peasant, with the likes of John Rhys-Davies, Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen occasionally strolling by.

As we climbed Mount Sunday, the valley spread out around us — tussock-covered rolling hills stretching all the way to the bases of snow-capped mountains. It was as pretty as a postcard — prettier, even.

None of the Edoras set remains on Mount Sunday, because the film studio made a deal with the New Zealand government to remove all traces of itself from the locations used. But, with a location like Mount Sunday, you don’t really need the Golden Hall of Meduseld or the thatched huts of the Rohirrim in place to imagine yourself a part of Middle-Earth.

Once we reached the summit of Mount Sunday, we took took turns standing on the highest point, where Eowyn (played by Miranda Otto in the films) would have stood looking out over the plains, the wind whipping through her long golden hair. It was enough to easily imagine the sounds of hundreds of thundering hooves in the valley below — steeds spurred on by the horse people of Rohan.

We had all brought lunches with us for the trek, and claimed rocks and patches of grass for our picnic spots. Most of the group simply sat and ate in silence, perfectly content to just absorb the stunning scene we found ourselves a part of.

After a leisurely lunch and plenty more photos, it was time to (reluctantly) take our leave of Edoras. I think we all would have stayed for days if they let us.

We climbed down Mount Sunday, made our way back across the valley, and again forded the three mountain streams. Not even frozen feet could wipe the smiles off our faces, though.

We had just been to a little slice of Middle-Earth. A near-secret, perfect spot in the New Zealand countryside that transported us elsewhere for an afternoon. For those few short hours, we weren’t just tourists frolicking about in streams or climbing rocky hills in a remote river valley. No, for that afternoon, we were something else; part of something else. We didn’t just climb Mount Sunday — we trekked to Edoras and back again.

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