Mangawhero Falls, New Zealand

7 August 2020

Mangawhero Falls, New Zealand

A short scene of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, the second film in the trilogy, was filmed in Tongariro National Park. This nature reserve is located on the North Island and is best known for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. This hike through a volcanic landscape is over 19 kilometers (11.8 miles) long, if you are in good shape highly recommended.

Mangawhero Falls, Tongariro National Park, 4 January 2020

Mangawhero Falls, a 28 meter (92 feet) high waterfall, can be seen in the movie when Gollum (Andy Serkis) tries to catch a fish. He is on his way to Mordor together with Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin). On the day this scene was to be filmed, in the autumn of 2000, it turned out to have snowed and frozen unexpectedly. The local fire brigade was asked to spray the snow away as much as possible. Large heat lamps and ventilators were also used to melt the snow and defrost the river that leads to the waterfall.

The documentary Cameras in Middle-Earth shows Andy Serkis crawling through the icy water in a wetsuit. In post production, his movements formed the basis for Gollum's digital creation and the fish he was trying to catch was added.

Cameras in Middle-Earth, 00:49:13

In the same documentary, the actors are shown standing in front of a blue screen. The background would also be digitally altered. In the film, only Mangawhero River can be seen. This location is easy to reach by car. From the parking lot it is only a short walk to the spot where the film was shot. If you walk about 200 meters (650 feet) further you also have a view of the waterfall and that is as far as you can go. During our visit, in the summer, less water flowed through Mangawhero River.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 1:37:02

Mangawhero Falls, Tongariro National Park, 4 January 2020

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 1:37:10

Mangawhero Falls, Tongariro National Park, 4 January 2020

The documentary also shows how Andy Serkis, in his enthusiasm, came close to the edge of the waterfall. To prevent him from falling down, director Peter Jackson had asked a few people to stop him if necessary. The mountains in the background were digitally added for this shot as well.