Wellington's Original HD LOTR Experience - includes Weta Tour

Name: Wellington's Original HD LOTR Experience - includes Weta Tour
Price: 175 NZD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.57 (311 reviews)

Overview

Available languages

English

Mobile ticket

Descend into the forested slopes of the Outer Shire, where our expert guides will entertain you with stories of how the Lord of the Rings movies were brought to life. Follow in the footsteps of Frodo and the Hobbits as they began their quest to destroy the One Ring. You will see the "shortcut to mushrooms", "get off the road" and hide from the Black Riders before fleeing to the Buckleberry Ferry. Recreate some of the most famous scenes from The Fellowship of the Ring and make your social media streams go crazy!

Then delve into the heart of Wellywood and visit the Weta Workshop, who created all the props, armour, weapons, costumes, miniatures and prosthetics for the Middle-earth movies.

Learn the secrets of movie magic on a behind-the-scenes tour by a Weta employee, who will explain the creative process behind bringing these films to life.

You'll also have chance to take photos with various characters and weapons, as well as treating yourself to a souvenir or two, if desired.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Specialized infant seats are available

Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

This tour is not wheelchair accessible

Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What To Expect

Embassy Theatre

Drive past the Embassy Theatre that was used to host two world premieres of the Middle-earth movies - The Return of the King and An Unexpected Journey. Your guide will share stories and pictures of how Wellington was transformed literally into the middle of Middle-earth.

Admission Not Applicable

Mount Victoria Lookout

Enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the harbour and city from the Mt Victoria lookout. Your guide will talk about the landmarks you can see from the top and help you take photos. Mt Victoria is always on the list of things to do in Wellington, so we thought we'd save you the trouble of walking up the hill to get there!

15 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

What‘s Included

Weta Workshop exhibition tour

Stunning views from Mt Victoria Lookout

Pick up and drop off available direct from cruise ships - we've never missed a drop off

Iconic filming locations including the famous "get off the road" scene

Owned and operated by genuine fans, several of whom worked on the films

Expert guides with film industry experience

Gratuities

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Options

Wellington's Original LOTR HD

Pickup included

Welly's Original LOTR HD

Pickup included

22 December

Pickup included

Reviews

4.57

311 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

225

Great tour from start to...
SEAN J,,Jan 9, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00
Great tour from start to finish! Driver picked us up on time & we met up with the main tour bus. The guide gave a well informed explanation of a few film locations on the way to WETA Cave. We also stopped for a glorious view of Wellington from the peak with some nice weather. The guide’s explanations & pictures really brought the scenes to life. But the best part for us was hearing all the behind the scenes efforts that went into pulling off the final results seen in the movies. After visiting the film locations, the tour of the studio was the cherry on top. It really is fascinating to see how all the materials for different movies are designed & fabricated. Even the non-LOTR fan in our group left impressed with the tour!
Pricey
emanuelemC8518SW,,Jan 7, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00
Interesting, but very expensive. Part of the tour is in a park which you can visit for free. The guide was very knowledgeable, but apart from the Weta workshop the tour wasn’t anything special
Fun afternoon!
Martina B,,Jan 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Interesting tour, Chewy has shown us engaged and entertaining some film parts. The Weta studio tour was fantastic, very different from Hollywood.
Highly Recommend for LotR fans
Stephanie F,,Jan 3, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00
Mark was incredibly engaging as he took us through each place! He is such a fun storyteller and was a delight to listen to.
Wonderful tour!
Hannah W,,Dec 27, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Wonderful tour! Would book again, 10/10. Chewy was very informative about LOTR, funny and genuine. Got to see heaps with lots of behind the scenes information.
So worth it!
Dascha F,,Dec 26, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Our guide was very knowledgeable, an extra in the movies, shared his enthusiasm with us. We geeked out from seeing all of the film locations, costumes, and props. This excursion is so worth it for any LOTR fans!
A great tour!
Steven H,,Dec 23, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Robbie, was a great tour guide with first hand experiences filming the LOTR (and other movies). It’s great having a local guide.
Great for any LOTR fan
wilhouse55,,Nov 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We were picked up by Grant at the cruise ship terminal at 9am, and taken around Wellington for a bit. Grant was clearly knowledgeable about both Wellington and the LOTR impact on the city. He pointed out various sites and also showed us various places owned by Peter Jackson's company to produce effects and props. He took us to the Weta workshop, which we visited for about 90 minutes. We were taken on a tour by Caylar (sp?), who was fantastic. He actually worked there in one of the departments but also gave tours. That tour was amazing. He showed us props, mechanical creatures and fake body parts. I've never seen this kind of thing before. We were all sad when it was over. I wanted to buy a T Shirt from their gift shop but there were no Large ones, which was a bit disappointing. This had nothing to do with the tour people. From there, Grant took us up into the hills where he showed us where several LOTR scenes were filmed. He discussed them in detail and gave us an opportunity to recreate them for photos. It was really interesting and fun. We then drove around looking at more of PJ's facilities including the world's largest blue screen. Afterwards, we drove to the top of a hill and got some great views of the lakes and surrounding areas. Grant talked a lot about PJ and showed us his new house. He also discussed the city and it's surroundings. Grant really added enthusiasm and great information to the tour. My wife isn't a huge LOTR fan, but she enjoyed it quite a bit. I really loved it. It's a good value for the price and a time you won't forget.
Fantastic tour guides - Robbie and Sully
Kim G,,Nov 17, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
We are not huge LOTR fans but this tour was great. While I didn’t follow some of the commentary the energy and excitement of our tour guide, Robbie, made it a great experience. He brought first hand stories because he was an extra for all 3 movies and shared lots of info on the cinematics. He was great but Sully at the Weta Workshop was even better. The Weta workshop showed props, costumes, prosthetics and animatronics used in LOTR and other films. Sully loved his job and his passion oozed from him which made the tour special.
Weta workshop was amazing
nadinaw2023,,Nov 12, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00
The walk around wasnt very exciting but the tour guide made it as interesting as possible but only went on the first part. The weta workshop was incredible and interesting and I was blown away by the talent and expertise of the staff. I never realised how much Sci Fi that they were involved with.