\u201cIt also happens to be one of the first places I ever shot the character of Gollum 25 years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been an absolute joy to return.\u201d<\/p>\n
Location manager Mike Monro said the crew received a warm welcome from the community and enjoyed the hospitality.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ruapehu region offers such diverse and unique landscapes for filming, as well as comprehensive infrastructure to support a film crew. It\u2019s been a pleasure being back in the area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
They were fortunate with \u201ccompliant weather\u201d during filming, Monro said.<\/p>\n
Ruapehu was used as a location in the original trilogy. Image \/ New Line<\/p>\n
Ruapehu Mayor Weston Kirton said it was \u201ccertainly exciting\u201d to know filming had taken place in the district.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t traditionally had a lot of filming in the area and, when we have, this magnitude of filming sort of brings life to the community in terms of not only economic life but also enthusiasm as a destination,\u201d Kirton said.<\/p>\n
He said the Mt Ruapehu backdrop had been a huge attraction.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just open doors to those who are involved and if they can stay here and provide some economy to the area, they are more than welcome,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Kirton was mayor when the original trilogy was filmed between 1999 and 2001.<\/p>\n
He was excited for people worldwide to see Ruapehu on screen again.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a destination for people; once they see it from overseas, they say \u2018wow, we\u2019d like to go there\u2019 and start googling different activities and what it\u2019s all about,\u201d Kirton said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re doing; trying to showcase to the wider world. If we can have filming people coming into the area, that is what we like.\u201d <\/p>\n
Ben Wiggins, managing director of Ohakune\u2019s TCB Ski Board & Bike, said he had seen a number of film crew members around town and joked he saw Gollum catching a fish in the river.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been a bunch of cast and crew that have been eating at local establishments, especially all the production crew,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t spotted anyone super famous but it\u2019s not really in the Kiwi nature to spot someone and rush them.<\/p>\n
\u201cOhakune is pretty cruisy like that; everyone is down to go skiing and boarding and if someone famous is in having dinner, you let them kick back, relax and enjoy themselves \u2013 that\u2019s what makes this place cool and fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Colin Fredericksen, owner of Horopito Motors, known as Smash Palace, said some of the crew had explored the car yard.<\/p>\n
He said there had been a \u201chive of activity\u201d while filming took place.<\/p>\n