Each Friday, I’ll be briefly profiling a specific location somewhere in the world that has been featured in a movie or TV show.

This week, the site is the Putangirua Pinnacles in New Zealand.

The South Pacific country of New Zealand is probably most famous for having starred in Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Locations all over the country’s two main islands were utilized during filming. But perhaps one of the coolest locations I know of is the Putangirua Pinnacles, which served as the Dimholt Road in the Paths of the Dead scenes in “Return of the King.”

Screen capture from "Return of the King"

Screen capture from "Return of the King"

Located just an hour away from Martinborough in the New Zealand’s Wairarapa region, the Pinnacles make a really cool day trip from Wellington.

The Pinnacles in real life.

You can totally understand why Peter Jackson chose this location for the Paths of the Dead, can’t you?