Full Day in Middle Earth - Lord of the Rings Tour
Overview
Available languages
10 hours
Mobile ticket
Combine our Half Day in Middle Earth with a second Half Day Adventure into another part of Middle Earth with our partner company. We have a 1 hour lunch break back in Queenstown and change buses for the afternoon tour. Morning and Afternoon Tour itineraries are interchangeable and can be switched due to availability or weather conditions.
You will be visiting the Skippers Canyon Lookout (weather permitting), Arrowtown, The Gibbston Valley, Glenorchy and Paradise.
You will admire LOTR locations such as The Ford of Bruinen, The Gladden Fields, Pillars of the Kings, Ithilien, Isengard, Beorn's House, Lothlorien, Amon Hen and more!
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Travel time between locations is included on the total tour duration.
Children under 10 years not permitted. Please book a private tour for Families with Children under 10, or look at our Half Day Tour or Mavora Lakes Adventure Tour options.
Not recommended for travelers who cannot walk more than 20mins on uneven ground. There is 1 walk where people unable to walk may have to wait for up to 20 mins.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Skippers Canyon
We head to the Skippers Canyon Lookout to view New Zealand's "Most Dangerous Road". Not only a spectacular view but also a Lord of the Rings Filming location located further within the Canyon. We stop afterwards at the nearby Coronet Viewpoint to taking in the surrounding views of the Wakatipu Basin and navigate our journeys plan from a birds eye perspective. (These stops are weather permitting)
Arrowtown
Awarded New Zealand's 'Most Beautiful Small Town' award in 2020 and 2023. We learn about the gold rush history of this rustic yet charming village the seems to appear right out of the 1800's. We explore 2 Lord of the Rings filming locations a short walk from town, followed by morning or afternoon tea in this quaint village.
What‘s Included
Photos with Authentic Props - We have the largest selection of Authentic Replica swords, axes, daggers & Helmets. Along with costumes to dress up.
1 % of all proceeds go to the Love Queenstown Community Fund preserving our breathtaking landscapes.
Morning/Afternoon Tea and a snacks
We also have copies of the original scripts and production call sheets
Lunch
Options
Full Day in Middle Earth - Lord of the Rings Tour
Reviews
70 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
ABSOLUTE MUST FOR AN LOTR FAN!!!
777savvy,,Dec 31, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This tour is divided into two parts. You come back to Queenstown for an hours break and start the second half of the tour towards Glenorchy from the same pick up spot. Eby was our guide for the first half and he made the entire trip very entertaining and brought life to the LOTR characters. We did have a couple of people on the tour who didn't know much about the movies and had joined the tour for the scenic views. However at the end of the tour they did mention that they would certainly watch the movies. The locations are stunning that even non fans want to know more about this beautiful classic epic tale. Max was our guide for the second half making the stories even more interesting with the props and the movie script. I consider myself very lucky that I got to enact the movies in the morning and in the afternoon tour with the props and the script. There are also LOTR souvenirs that you can buy at the end of the tour. We were treated to a delicious picnic of cookies and cakes with tea in the afternoon tour. A very Happy day
One of the best days of our Life :)
Elaine K,,Dec 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00100% recommend this tour! (Full Day Tour) We had such an amazing experience. My Hausband and I are big Lord of the Rings Fans and booked this Trip to enjoy our Honeymoon. Kreigh was our First tourguide and he was great!! He made us laugh (we recreated our proposal:D) and gave us a lot of information. Our group was full of nerds so he got into detail with us which was amazing. Our second tour Guide was Dan. He took us to Glenorchy and was just as incredible as Kreigh! If we could do this tour all over again we would! Thank you guys for your Full Engagement!!
Journey to the Shadow Mountains and beyond
Passport03806432711,,Dec 21, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Amazing experience with a genuine LOTR fan to guide your journey. A great way to get a peak behind the curtain and see where the legendary film series was shot while also seeing some the best views in New Zealand.
Nerds day out!
georgemL8915YV,,Dec 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I did the full day tour with 2 friends 08/12/2025 and it was fantastic! Had great guides for morning and afternoon (Benji and Dan) who were super enthusiastic and didn't mind me being a massive nerd all day! We got to play with some authentic replica swords and both guides were super knowledgeable about the filming locations. Thank you so much y'all! George, Joe & Brogan xoxox
Incredible Experience!
katiev938,,Nov 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The experience was amazing! I’ve been a fan of the Hobbit and LOTR for many years now, and it was incredible to see the various filming locations! I dressed up in a renn faire style elf costume, and I got so many wonderful photos that I will cherish forever! The two tour guide we had, Ebby for the first half and Tristan for the second, were incredible and very knowledgeable about LOTR and the tour in general. Which was impressive, especially since it was one of Ebby’s first solo tours! You definitely wouldn’t have been able to tell, with how great he was. All in all, I HIGHLY recommend doing this tour, especially with this company. They have exclusive rights to the last location, and that location alone is worth the price of coming to New Zealand. Very beautiful and amazing.
Great LOTR tour out of Queenstown
MSkalak,,Nov 21, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Wonderful tour of Lord of the Rings shooting locations near Queenstown. Fransisco was knowledgeable and entertaining. We had a great time!
Trails of Middle Earth (Southern Trails) gave a fabulous tour
tractor290,,Nov 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Lord of the Ring Tour – Trails of Middle Earth group I booked a full-day tour via Pure Glenochy tour group. The tour’s logistics changed by the time we showed up for boarding. Trails of Middle Earth group and Pure Glenochy group had gone into partnership. Pure Glenochy took the Glenochy portion of the tour, while Trails took the morning portion. Ian was our tour guide for the morning. He provided us with a positive and memorable experience. What stood him apart from our afternoon tour guide was that he was a Lord of the Ring nerd. Beyond knowing the details of the Trilogy and contents of the books, he provided us with behind the scene information on how certain parts of the movie were made, and compelling stories about people and events connected to those parts. He kept us engaged for four solid hours, linking us to the movies and characters within. He even spoke in Elvish. Take Ian’s tour. After the tour, we were inspired to watch the Trilogy all over again.
Awesome tour!
Amanda K,,Nov 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Wow! This tour was FABULOUS! It was very well organized between the two halves to create a full day Middle Earth adventure! Learned tons, had a blast with fellow travelers, and saw key filming sites that had obvious interest and appeal for fans, but honestly are also just stunning that even non or casual fans would enjoy this tour as well.
Fun and great scenery
650anamarijak,,Oct 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Both morning and afternoon tour lived up to expectations. The guides were knowledgeable on the subject as well as entertaining, showing us the beautiful spots and backdrops of the filming locations. I enjoyed it!
An absolute MUST for LOTR fans on the South Island!
GoPlaces55005339948,,Oct 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This tour was amazing! Both Francisco (morning leg around Queenstown and Arrowtown) and Amy (Glenorchy and beyond in the afternoon) were fantastic! Tons of stories, great behind the scenes info, there were costumes and replica weaponry during both legs, and the views were obviously fantastic! Some snacks, some exclusive opportunities, and just truly fun guides! Smaller groups which was awesome, and the locations were stellar. I can’t recommend this more highly! We also ended up with phenomenal weather for our tour.
From NZ$388.00
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Operated by Trails of Middle Earth - Lord of the Rings Sightseeing Tours