I still remember the buzz in the air and trying out to be an extra in the Lord of the rings. This took place at the Wakatipu High School Hall and there was a extremely long queue with locals all lining chatting away as we dreamed of becoming stars!!
Glenorchy’s population was only 250 which doubled in size in 1999. Glenorchy swelled with actors, filmmakers and associated staff as movie director Peter Jackson came to town to shoot scenes for The Lord of The Rings.
Peter Jackson employed about 300 locals as extras, mainly starring as Orcs. Everyone was paid so well (earning about $200 per day) and it was such fun work, as you can imagine there was a few sick days had to free the locals from their normal job. Then the films were released, the local movie theatre had never been so busy with us all fixated on the big screen looking for our appearance and local locations.
At Pure Glenorchy Tours, we love to bring the local stories of the filming of The Lord of the Rings to life during, and our guests never tire of hearing them. For more information, or to join us on a scenic Lord of the Rings tour, visit our website www.pureglenorchy.com
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