Google Street View offers a look at New Zealand's "Middle Earth"
Google Street View gives users the opportunity to digitally traverse the globe. Now, they'll have the opportunity to feel like they are stepping into Middle Earth.
The latest addition to Street View brings viewers to points along New Zealand's nine "Great Walks," hikes that pass through some of the country's most scenic regions. Many of the walks cut through areas where Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" films were shot.
For the Tolkien fanatic, you can imagine Gandalf the Grey or Frodo Baggins walking down a grassy path along Iris Burn Valley. There are also the stunning Korokoro Falls at Lake Waikaremoana.
You certainly don't need to be a Hobbit-head to enjoy taking in the varied landscapes, overlooking mountain expanses or taking a virtual walk along the beachside Abel Tasman Coast Track at the Tonga Island Marine Reserve.
If the trek gives you wanderlust, Google can also transport you to Mount Everest and Yosemite's El Capitan, bring you underwater to a coral reef and let you walk with elephants in Kenya.