Wellington Lord of the Rings Tours

Wellington is the centre of Middle Earth, New Zealand geographically and also figuratively.

The city is home to Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor and the WETA Special Effects Workshop. For 2 years whilst filming the Lord of the Rings movies Wellington was home to the actors and many parts of Wellington were used during the filming of the trilogy. With a population of only 250,000 everybody knows somebody who was an extra on Lord of the Rings.

We think the best Lord of the Rings Tours have passionate Rings fans for guides, are small group experiences, visit the best local locations and tour at the right pace. Lord of the Rings Tours should not be just about what you are seeing but what you talk about when you are there.

Wellington Rover Tours operate the best Lord of the Rings Tours in Wellington. They are the Lord of the Rings location professionals in Wellington and were the  first company in the North Island to operate location tours. Their passengers are constantly telling them they are the best. If you have an interest in the Lord of the Rings and you want a unique Wellington experience, then these guys are for you.

Follow in the Footsteps of Hobbits, Dwarfs, Elves and Men

Wellington Rover Tour cover a lot of ground on their Lord of the Rings Tours but there is always enough time to explore, recreate scenes (over 25 different ones) for yourself and work out how the movies were made. Due to their small group size they are the specialist in getting you amongst the action whilst enjoying a personal experience.

There are Half Day and Full Day Lord of the Rings Tours available.

Half Day Lord of the Rings location Tour

The Best 7 Locations, Not Just Half a Tour!
Rover Tours Half day Lord of the Rings location tour brings together the best 7 locations in both the North and South of Wellington. This is the best way to see Wellington’s Lord of the Rings locations in half a day with the experience of a knowledgeable Lord of the Rings specialist guide.

The first location is explores Mount Victoria and the ‘Wellington greenbelt’ where the Hobbits hid (“get off the Road” and Shortcut to Mushrooms) and were chased by Ringwraiths.  There are numerous scenes here but Rover lists this as only 1 location.

From Mount Victoria they drive north to explore the Hutt Valley. Stops along the way include the Hutt River (Great River Anduin) and Harcourt Park (gardens of Isengard). In Kaitoke Regional Park we include morning/afternoon tea under the elevish trees of the Rivendell location. You also spend time at Minas Tirith and Helms Deep at an old quarry closed to general visitors.

During the tour your guide bring alive the film making process, tells some great forgotten actor stories and updates you on the filming of the upcoming Hobbit film. The small group size ensures all your questions are answered.

The tour last 4 hours and departs the Wellington Visitor Centre @ 8.30am and 1.30pm daily.

Cost:   $90 per adult     $65 per child 12 and under

Full Day Lord of the Rings location Tour

the original Wellington Lord of the Rings Tour

This full day epic includes all of the locations from the Half Day Tour at a much more leisurley pace, ehilst also including bonus locations and a visit to the WETA CAVE at the Weta Workshop, a must see for Lord of the Rings fans and movie buffs.

the tour departs from city central accommodation between 8.30am and 9am. The morning is spent exploring the city locations of Mount Victoria (for spectacular views) and the ‘greenbelt’ (we spend 40min walking through the OUTER SHIRE. This location includes ‘get off the road’ and ‘shortcut to mushrooms’ among others.

A drive through the southern suburbs, including Seatoun, Miramar and the South Coast where many of the big name stars lived, looking at Bree and Dunharrow locations. A stop is included at WETA CAVE (exept Public Holidays)and Scorch o Rama cafe (own expense) on the Wellywood Coast. We usually coffee with hoards of hungry WETA crew.

Depending on how friendly security are we can have a look over the fence at STONE STREET STUDIO to see what projects they are currently filming (unlike Universal Studios there are no studio tours. They are out of bounds for all us unmoviemaking mortals). Our knowledgeable guides will discuss past, current and future Peter Jackson/WETA creations including who is currently in town from Hollywood at the moment. ie Mr Del Toro and the team preparing for The Hobbit!

The afternoon is spent exploring the Hutt Valley. Stops include the Hutt River (Great River Anduin) and Harcourt Park (Gardens of Isengard and the famous Orc trees). In Kaitoke Regional Park we include our famous picnic lunch under the elevish trees of the Rivendell location (and a 45min walk through the NZ native forest). If the weather is poorly we shuffle the tour around and provide lunch at SorchORama Cafe. In this instance morning tea will include muffins in Rivendell. We aim to complete our journey around 4.00pm.

There are two main components of our tours. Firstly the locations. The tour visits the best locations in Wellington. Secondly, and our past clients tell us more importantly is the HOW and the WHY and the WHAT! WHAT do we see and talk about? HOW do we get there? and WHY do we go there? By answering these 3 questions we have developed Wellingtons Best Lord of the Rings Tours.

Rover train up Lord of the Rings fans to be great guides. They are fun, knowledgeable and their biggest asset. Their roomy vans allow for interaction with the guides so you can chat with them and learn LOTR secrets all day. The tour is structured for the best experience. From the order we visit locations, to the order we visit different scenes at locations.

The tour last 8 hours and departs Wellington Accommodation between 8.30am and 9am daily.

Cost:   $150 per adult     $85 per child 12 and under

Best Lord of the Rings locations tour in Wellington, New Zealand