New Zealand takes top billing

New Zealand is a star in Hollywood. Its spectacularly rugged and diverse scenery have provided the landscape for a number of Hollywood blockbuster. As a result, movie tourism has taken off in a big way. Following the release of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, numerous tour companies and guide books were created specifically to provide fans with access to LOTR location sites. But even before New Zealand became the new Middle Earth, movie tourism existed in New Zealand.
Among the main locations are:

The Piano:

Karekare Beach, Auckland
Lord of the Rings:

Matamata - Hobbiton

Rangitikei River - River Anduin

The Volcanic Plateau - Mordor

Wellington - The Shire, Moria and Bree

Hutt Valley - Isengard, Rivendell, Minas Tirith, Minas Morgul

and Helm's Deep

Nelson - Dimrill Dale

Takaka - Chetwood Forest

Canterbury - Plains of Rohan

Mackenzie Basin - Pelennor Fields

Queenstown - Lothlorien

Southern Alps - Misty Mountains

Milford Sound - Fangorn Forest
Perfect Strangers:

Punakaiki Rocks, West Coast South Island
Whale Rider:

Whangara, the tiny village on the NI east coast
The Last Samurai:

Taranaki
The Worlds Fastest Indian:

Oreti Beach in the southlands of New Zealand
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe:

Flock Hill Station, near Oamaru
River Queen:

Whanganui River in Wanganui

Tourism New Zealand’s website provides more information on visiting the film
locations of Lord of the Rings, River Queen, The World's Fastest Indian, and The Chronicles of Narnia.