Why? I was there to watch the filming of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and I have never seen landscape like it. It has phenomenally huge vistas and completely raw wilderness.

The best thing? That landscape. I've been Tolkien editor at HarperCollins since 1984 and for me it was like entering Middle Earth. It really did feel like a magical landscape that was completely untouched by humans - which is such a rare experience in our age. It genuinely felt timeless.

My ideal day: Trout fishing on Lake Te Anau. I went fishing with three of the crew and we could turn 360 degrees and not see another human being. We started around midday and caught three whoppers. We took them back and cooked them for the cast. We had a feast that night!

My advice: Pack a sun hat, insect repellent and a good map - then go out and get lost in the landscape.

Getting there: Cheapflights (cheapflights.co.uk) has return flights between London Heathrow and Queenstown, New Zealand, from £866 pp.

Where was your best holiday? Iceland for New Year 2000. It was very cold and very dark.

What is the best hotel you have ever stayed in? The Merigot Beach Hotel, Santa Monica (001 888 539 7899, lemerigothotel.com, from $299 per room).

Where do you want to go next? I'd like to see polar bears in the Arctic Circle.

What do you never travel without? A notebook, pen and camera.

· Jane Johnson is an editor for HarperCollins. Writing under the pseudonym Jude Fisher, the second installment of her trilogy, Wild Magic (Simon & Schuster, £10.99), was published on Wednesday. She has also written The Official Companion to the Return of the King (HarperCollins, £14.99), to be published in November.