2013 · Directed by Peter Jackson
Explore the real-world connections to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, with each location linked to its own story and evidence.
These existing site references are not exact scene or camera positions. Access notes and sources remain attached to each location.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A ski field on Ruapehu reached by Ohakune Mountain Road. The exact Hidden Bay spot is not published.
Tūroa
A ski field on Ruapehu reached by Ohakune Mountain Road. The exact Hidden Bay spot is not published.
Tūroa supplies Hidden Bay; temporary scaffolding protects native flora during the one-day production visit.
Production: Tūroa · Depicted: Hidden Bay / Lonely Mountain entrance (fictional)
Te Hoiere / Pelorus River
On SH6, 18 km west of Havelock: walk the riverside tracks or kayak to the barrel stretch with a guide.
The dwarves float downriver in barrels on the Pelorus.
Production: Te Hoiere / Pelorus River · Depicted: The Forest River (fictional)
Lake Pūkaki
Easy to see from State Highway 8 and the Mount Cook Road lakeshore. Braemar Station is a working farm: no public access is implied.
Lake Pūkaki was chosen as the location for Lake-town.
Production: Lake Pūkaki · Depicted: Lake-town (fictional)
The film’s Wikidata record lists these production locations. Exact filming areas and visitor access have not yet been established here.
