Hitchhiking tragedy: British Lord of the Rings fan killed in crash on dream trip to NZ

• British tourist Joseph Snode, 26, died in a crash on the Otira Highway in January last year.
• Snode, a Lord of the Rings fan, was on a dream trip visiting film locations.
• The driver was convicted of careless use of a vehicle causing death.
• A UK coroner has ruled Snode died from head and chest injuries.

A British tourist killed in a crash on the South Island’s West Coast last year was a Lord of the Rings fan on a dream trip visiting locations used in the movies.

Joseph Snode, 26, died in January 2024 after the car he was a passenger in crashed into a wall.

An inquest has been held into his death in the UK.

Snode’s mother Elaine said that her family were all huge fans of Sir Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film series.

Avid fans of the film pay the Hobbiton in Matamata a visit.

That is what drew her son to New Zealand.

“He wanted to visit the film sets, which was thrilling for him and for us to hear,” she told the Mirror.

“He stayed with his friend, we were just constantly getting photos from him and stories about people he was meeting.

“He loved being with people but also loved being on his own; going for a long hike, pitching his tent and being on his own with nature.”

The BBC and Mirror reported the details of the Snode’s inquest, held in the Essex Coroner’s Court.

Joseph Snode was a big Lord of the Rings fan. Photo / Supplied

Coroner Michelle Brown said that on the day he died Snode was offered a lift by “a lady and her teenage children”.

The crash happened on the Otira Highway near the tiny settlement of Jacksons.

“The car drifted to the left side of the road before overcorrecting, rotating and sliding across both lanes,” the Coroner said.

“The rear left of the car hit a stone wall. Mr Snode, who was in the left rear passenger seat, died at the scene.”

The Mirror reported that the driver was later convicted of careless use of a vehicle causing death.

Coroner Brown told the court it was “unknown” why the woman crashed.

She ruled Snode died from multiple head and chest injuries in a road traffic collision.

Elaine Snode wrote on a page set up to raise funds to repatriate his body.

“He was literally living his dream life before it was taken from him,” she said.

Snode's mother described him as "one in a billion". Photo / Supplied

She said Snode was “one in a billion”.

“Always full of life and a loving, caring, intelligent young man,” she wrote.

“He visited Hobbiton and other LOTR sites and had a few days hiking on his own along the Abel Tasman Coast Track.

“We had no idea these magical days were to be his final days in NZ.

“Nothing can express the pain and despair that is being felt by his family and friends all over the world.”

Anna Leask is a senior reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz