Half Day Lord of the Rings Tour
Overview
Available languages
We make our way up to the Mount Victoria Lookout to see spectacular views of Wellington’s city by driving up Courtenay Place, past the Embassy Picture Theatre which held two world premieres; The last LOTR instalment The Return of the King (2003), and the first Hobbit movie An Unexpected Journey (2012).
Then it is off to Hobbiton Woods where the filming of his epic trilogy began. Home of the Shortcut to Mushrooms scene; Sam & Frodo’s Second Breakfast; the location where the Hobbits hid from the Black Rider (“Get off the Road!”); the Race to the Buckleberry Ferry scene; and King Théoden’s Dunharrow Encampment.
Now we are off to the Weta Workshop in Miramar. for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour where you see how props plus weaponry are made and probably maybe meet artists at work.
At the Weta Cave see and have photos with Gollum, Lurtz the Uruk-hai, Bilbo’s three Trolls.
The tour concludes with a drive around the bays back to the city
Additional Info
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cruise Ship Passenger bookings should select the following option as their pickup location which is the Wellington Cruise Ship Port: Aotea Quay, Pipitea, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
Cruise Ship Passenger bookings should add their ship name in special requirements field.
PICKUP LOCATION MUST BE GIVEN AT TIME OF BOOKING: Default pickup location Wellington iSite Visitor Centre, if you do not know your hotel at time of booking. You can amend your pickup when you know your hotel, if it is located in the CBD pickup area.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Driver/guide
GST (Goods and Services Tax)
Live commentary on board
Transport by air-conditioned minivan
Gratuities
Bottled water
Coffee and/or Tea
Options
Half Day Lord of the Rings Tour
Pickup included
Operated by Xplor Tours
Reviews
108 reviews
Everything from the Guide...
Vicky K,
Mar 11, 2025
5.00Everything from the Guide that we had to the experiences that they took us to were really wonderful.
LOTR filming sites were great. Weta Workshop focused on past productions.
Ellen S,
Mar 7, 2025
5.00My husband and I are LOTR nerds and this excursion was great. Richard, our guide, did a wonderful job describing movie sites in the city and helping us to take photos recreating key moments in the film. Weta Workshop was interesting, but you don’t actually tour where people are creating props for upcoming movies. Everything was focused on past productions. Fortunately they focused on LOTR and The Hobbit which I appreciated.
Lovely trip with knowledgeable guide
catham1,
Mar 4, 2025
5.00We did a bit of useful general sightseeing of Wellington City on our way to the LOR rings sites included in this trip. The tour guide knew a lot about the filming of LOR and this made a huge difference to our experience. The second part of the trip was to WETA workshop, where the group was immersed in all the LOR trivia they could hope for! I even got a picture of me turned into a 4 ft hobbit complete with furry hobbit feet!
Great Tour
Michelle M,
Feb 15, 2025
5.00This is tour is great; we were on a cruise & we really enjoyed it. Visiting the locations & recreating the scenes from the movies was great. Richard our guide was very informative & made the experience memorable. WETA studios were great our guide was excellent overall would highly recommend this tour. 5 stars.
Brilliant
eandrrowden,
Feb 14, 2025
5.00Extremely interesting. Weta was amazing. Also Gave a better concept of exhibits at the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum. Richard was most informative. Recommend this tour
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