After the devastating 2011 earthquake, historic Christchurch begins to recover, starting with the pop-up Re:START mall.

You may recognize this beautiful grove within Kaitoke Regional Park as location of the house of Elrond.

Inside this faux cave, visitors can learn how some of their favorite fantasy characters were created.

The ruins of New Zealand's largest classical-style church.

Edoras, capital city of Rohan in Lord of the Rings, once sat atop this isolated New Zealand mountain.

The glacier tucked within a New Zealand rainforest.

Highly spherical boulders on the shores of New Zealand.

Major tourist destination known for its bubbling mud-pools and hot thermal springs.

This strange geological landscape erupts with sudden bursts of water.

Some of the clearest water anywhere in the world.

Tubing through a cave lit with glowworms is a magical underground experience.

This sheep farm has been forever transformed since being built for “The Hobbit” film series.

This massive, Edo Period, coin-shaped sand painting is believed to be a source of great luck.

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.

"The Dance of Fools" is Japan's largest dance festival.

A statue erected on an infamous cliff where young boys would hold dangerous "pee offs" to prove their mettle.

Devoted Buddhists can earn enlightenment in the next life by crawling through this symbolic nostril.

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes is home to an impressive swan population—some real, some with paddles, and one with an observation deck.

As the aging humans of this Japanese village die off one local artisan is replacing them with eerie homonculi.

Largest graveyard in all of Japan surrounds a famous mausoleum.

A shrine contains nearly 200 statues of the Buddhist deity Jizo, dressed in bibs by parents who have lost a child.

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.

A plaque marks the site directly below the mid-air detonation of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima.

The 43-mile route crosses through six islands with gorgeous views of the Seto Inland Sea.