'Aotearoa,' New Zealand Time-Lapse Photography By Nathan Kaso, Will Take Your Breath Away (VIDEO)

The Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand, and their word for that place is "Aotearoa," which is commonly translated as "the land of the long white cloud." Judging by this spectacular montage of time-lapse photography by Nathan Kaso, the name is well deserved.

Shot over the course of two weeks, the film's locations include "Queenstown, Arrowtown, Wanaka, Kinloch, Glenorchy, Fox Glacier, Mount Cook National Park, Twizel, Lindis Pass and Haast Pass," according to Kaso.

Director Peter Jackson made ample use of the landscape in his epic films, and many will recognize the austere natural beauty of New Zealand's South Island from the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

As i09 observed, the footage is like a "journey to Middle-earth."

While there are a couple of glimpses of civilization, they're limited to roads and cars, which are dwarfed by towering mountains, rushing rivers and soaring clouds as the land radiates an enchanting sense of myth and wonder.