Rangitata RiverThe Rangitata River is one of the braided rivers of the Canterbury Plains in southern New Zealand. It flows southeast for 120 kilometres (75 mi) from the Southern Alps, entering the Pacific Ocean 30 kilometres (19 mi) northeast of Timaru. The river has a catchment area of 1,773 square kilometres (685 mi2), and a mean annual flow of 95 cubic metres per second (3,400 cu ft/s) at Klondyke.
Mount PottsMount Potts (2,184 metres) is a mountain in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is located in the Hakatere Conservation Park. Until 2011, the area was operated as an exclusive skifield. Unlike normal resorts, there were no fixed ski tows or chairlifts. Instead, vertical transport was provided by snowcats and helicopter. The ski area covered 660 hectares and included, "steep faces, chutes, rocks to drop off, cornices, wide open powder bowls and gullies".
Mesopotamia StationMesopotamia Station is a high-countrystation in New Zealand's South Island. Known mainly for one of its first owners, the novelist Samuel Butler, it is probably the country's best known station. Despite popular belief, Butler was not the station's first owner.
Two Thumb RangeThe Two Thumb Range (sometimes called the Two Thumbs Range) is a range of mountains in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located to the east of Lake Tekapo and has several peaks which rise to around 2,500 metres (8,200 ft). The southern end of the range contains one of Canterbury's main skifields, Mount Dobson.
Ashburton DistrictAshburton District is a territorial authority district in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It encompasses the town of Ashburton, a number of small towns and settlements and the surrounding rural area, roughly coterminous with Mid Canterbury. The district had a population of 37,400 as of June 2025.
Potts RiverThe Potts River is a river of the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows generally south from the southern end of the Arrowsmith Range through a steep-sided valley between the Potts Range to the west and the Big Hill Range to the east. At the end of these ranges the river veers southwest, meeting the upper reaches of the Rangitata River 5 kilometres (3 mi) north of Mesopotamia Station.
Rohan, Middle-earthRohan is a fictional kingdom of Men in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy setting of Middle-earth. Known for its horsemen, the Rohirrim, Rohan provides its ally Gondor with cavalry. Its territory is mainly grassland. The Rohirrim call their land the Mark or the Riddermark, names recalling that of the historical kingdom of Mercia, the region of Western England where Tolkien lived.
FloodplainA floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river that stretches from the banks of the river channel to the base of the enclosing valley and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge. The soils usually consist of clays, silts, sands, and gravels deposited during floods. Because of regular flooding, floodplains frequently have high soil fertility since nutrients are deposited with the flood waters.
ChristchurchChristchurch ( ; Māori: Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island and the second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of 407,800, and a metropolitan population of 556,500. It is located in the Canterbury Region, near the centre of the east coast of the South Island, east of the Canterbury Plains.
Canterbury RegionCanterbury (Māori: Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of 44,503.88 square kilometres (17,183.04 sq mi), making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of 698,200 (June 2025). The region in its current form was established in 1989 during nationwide local government reforms.
South IslandOne of the two main New Zealand islandsThe South Island (official alternative name Te Waipounamu, from Māori) is the larger of the two main islands of New Zealand by surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. With a population of 1,256,700 as of June 2025, the South Island is home to 24% of New Zealand's 5.3 million inhabitants. The most populous cities are Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson and Invercargill.The Lord of the Rings (film series)The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy of epic fantasy films directed by Peter Jackson. The films are based on the novel by J. R. R. Tolkien, drawing their titles and most of their plots from its three volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003). Produced and distributed by New Line Cinema with the co-production of Jackson's WingNut Films, the films feature an ensemble cast.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.