CANTERBURY, New Zealand: Canterbury Plains, Alps and ‘Lord of the Rings’

kirsty_wilson — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:30:59 +0000

Where is Canterbury?

Canterbury Plains

Canterbury is a region situated on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is largely made up of the Canterbury Plains and surrounding Southern Alps. The area is well known for not only its spectacular scenery but for its local wines, especially the whites.

Christchurch is the largest city on the South Island and located in the region of Canterbury, making it a great base to explore the vineyards and Hanmer Springs to the north, Canterbury Plains and Methven to the west, the Southern Alps and Mt Cook area to the west and south, and the Pacific Ocean to the east. What an amazing array of environmental features and all within 2.5hr drive from Christchurch.

The spectacular scenery of Canterbury provided the settings for Edoras, the fortress city of the Rohan people in ‘Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers’ filmed in 2002 and directed by Peter Jackson. There are a number of local tour operators that organise tours out to the film set.