Harcourt Park

Harcourt Park is considered to be the botanical area of Upper Hutt with large rhododendron and azalea gardens. Harcourt Park also has an area of native forest, Wales Woodland, which creates a scenic pass between the main park and the holiday park. The woodland has many picnic areas and short bush walks of which take several minutes to complete. The bush area is suitable for push chairs, buggys and wheelchairs.

Some of the Isengard scences from Lord Of The Rings, such as the famous scene of Gandalf riding on the road to Isengard Tower, were filmed here. None of the set remains as the filmmakers were required to return the park to its original condition once filming was done, and the tower itself was never actually built but was later digitally added to the scene. Nevertheless, the park is still a nice place to relax and have a picnic.