Wellington's Original LOTR Experience - includes Weta and Lunch

Overview

Available languages

English

8 hours

Mobile ticket

Enjoy a full day, all-inclusive adventure in Wellington, the home of middle-Earth. Visit some amazing locations from the Lord of the Rings movies, enjoy a delicious lunch and visit the famous Weta Workshop, where the films were created.

We are Wellington's original Lord of the Rings tour and have been operating since 2002. Formerly Rover Rings Tours [before Covid], Welly Rings Tours is proud to show you Wellington as Middle-earth. Our fans-turned-guides will share with you fascinating stories of the making of these movies that you likely won't hear anywhere else - mainly because some of our guides were actually there!

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Specialized infant seats are available

Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Not recommended for participants with walkers or limited mobility

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‘s Included

Weta Workshop tour and a lunch feast fit for a Hobbit included in tour price

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

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

Expert guides with film industry experience

Guaranteed drop off back to Cruise Ship on time. We haven't missed a drop off in 15 years

Visit the best LOTR filming locations

Bonus native forest walk in a 1000-year-old temperate rainforest

Central Wellington pick up

Gratuities

Options

Wellington's Original LOTR FD

Pickup included

LOTR FD for CRUISE PAX ONLY

Pickup included

Reviews

4.82

457 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

391

LOTD nerds need this one!
John P,
May 12, 2025
- Viator
5.00
This was a fantastic tour. Our guide was Grant and he knocked it out of the park! We travels to several of the filming locations from the LOTD movies and were amazed to see how intact the sites remained…no movie sets, but even tree branches as seen in the movies were visible. Grant had pictures from the time of the filming and you could clearly see the magic they accomplished just a few feet from a busy street. Traveling to WĒTĀ studio was awesome. We had a fantastic lunch at a quaint and very popular spot and then finished off the tour. If you get Grant as your guide, you will not be disappointed! A good guide makes or breaks a tour and he is wonderful.
Personalized tour, can't get this anywhere else!
Jennifer J,
May 7, 2025
- Viator
5.00
We did the full-day LOTR experience with Marc. 5-star experience from the booking to final drop-off. Traveling internationally, it's hard to know how an experience will go. However, from the start the agency was communicative and intentional about giving us a personalized experienced. Including a delicious lunch and a Weta Cave tour made the experience seamless and stress-free. From pickup-dropoff, Marc, our guide, engaged us with stories from both the movies and Wellington. He kept it fun and personable, but with a respect for the history of the movie and Wellington's rich, natural landscape. He left plenty of time for photos (with props, costumes and optimal angles ;), questions, and even trivia! I don't think any experience on this tour will be the same, as different tour guides have unique stories, but it's clear that the LOTR movie production was one of a kind, and that history is being preserved through their knowledgeable, local guides. LOTR movies will live on generations into the future, but the people who were there, who sweated and bled and invested years into this incredible work of art are in Wellington now and giving their firsthand experiences. Don't miss this, and book Marc if you can!
The tour was great and...
Gilles G,
May 1, 2025
- Viator
5.00
The tour was great and the guide was exceptional. We were a small group for the full day experience which was great to provide more dialogue with the guide and amongst the participants. The full day tour was worth every dollar, including the great meal which was not sandwiches but actual meat and vegetables buffet. Well done to all.
Great day for LOTR fans
Kaitlin T,
Apr 23, 2025
- Viator
5.00
Truly excellent day if you're a LOTR fan. Robbie, our guide, was an extra in the films, as well as in others like Narnia, and was able to provide insight to his personal experiences working on the films. Seeing the places where they filmed was insightful, and for me, made me in awe of the location scouts and coordinators. The highlight was Weta. Our guide Sully was fun and enthusiastic, and getting to touch the weapons and molds was awesome. Lunch was buffet style at a nice café. Highly recommend if you love LOTR. If you're not a big fan and only want to see Weta (for Avatar or the other movies) then I'd book just the Weta tour, but if you love the movies, the day is a nice adventure.
Memorable tour with Marc
mccarthyclara52,
Apr 19, 2025
- Viator
5.00
We had a brilliant day with Marc yesterday. Marc was energetic and regaled us with plenty of humorous and insightful about his LOTR days. We had good fun on the bus answering lotr trivia. He took photos for us in all of the amazing LOTR filming locations around Wellington! Thank you Marc for such a memorable tour.

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