Wellington's Lord of the Rings Half Day Tour

Wellington, New Zealand

Follow in the footsteps of Bilbo, Frodo and Gandalf on a half-day 'Lord of the Rings' tour from Wellington. See where Middle-earth was created in New Zealand’s beautiful countryside on this Wellington 'Lord of the Rings' tour, and discover why the scenic region was chosen to film the famous ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Hobbit’ movies. Visit movie director Peter Jackson’s Wellington production base, Weta Studios, to see where LOTR and Hobbit production was completed, and go behind the scenes on this unique Wellington half-day tour.

USD $69.00

Traveler Reviews

Review by:   Nyree A,    March 2018
This tour was amazing!

Review by:   Peggy M,    March 2018
This tour was perfect and was so interesting handled with great professionally

Review by:   Francelis G,    March 2018
I enjoyed the tour. The tour guide was knowledgeable and the WETA workshop amazing._br/_ Recommended 100.

Review by:   MDL_51,    March 2018
We changed from a half day to the full day as there was so much more to see in the afternoon. The WETA studios visit was brilliant, and our guide Laura knew so much about the films, Peter Jackson, the other cast members and the places we visited, however be prepared to see sites where filming took place, that now seem so out of sync since filming has long since ceased. We did not see the Shire, which is elsewhere near Auckland and of course no Orcs.

Review by:   henry b,    February 2018
Good tour but we saw only places in the woods were six scenes about 30 seconds of the movie were shot. Nothing of the Hobbit houses or any other sets. Tour of the studio was good - but mostly was a 45-minute video about the studio. They did show us a number of props they developed - may weapons, armor etc. We did get a bit of a tour of the city also with one photo stop.

Review by:   Jeff V,    February 2018
Very informative and a must for Tolkien fans.

Review by:   Elizabeth T,    February 2018
The Wetta tour was fantastic. And to see where some of the Lord of the Rings was filmed was also really amazing. Great for any movie fan, especially for the Lord of the Rings fans.

Review by:   nataharner,    February 2018
This was our favorite shore excursion out of three, taken while cruising from Australia to New Zealand last month. Grant was our tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and informative. He took us on a scenic drive around the area. Wellington is a beautiful town located on the hills with stunning views. We visited Weta Cave where we saw some of the original props for LOTR, Hobbit and other movies. Took pictures with some of the movie characters. Grant also took us to a couple of locations where some of the scenes for the LOTR were filmed. Finally, we stopped on the top of mt Victoria with stunning 360 degree views of the area before returning to the ship. Well worth the money!

Review by:   Gerard D,    January 2018
Great tour and guide through the complex explaining all of the special effects the company has created and the films they have been involved in. Also their newest venture Thunderbirds Also a guided tour of some of the locations from the Lord of the RIngs with a great tour guide. Well worth the time to see and great value for money.

Review by:   Melissa T,    December 2017
The Weta Workshop tour was fun, but it could have been a bit shortened without the video. The location stop was good and the city information was good. We saw a good bit of the town and got in our LOTR info too. Would recommend this tour even to non-fans. Also go to the Te Papa museum on your own to see the Weta magic in the WWI display.

Review by:   J.D.,    December 2017
Best tour I have been on. If you like the Lord of the Rings it is must. If you love the Lord of the Rings it is the reason to go to New Zealand. You visit a couple of the filming sites, plus get a tour of Wellington. It wasn't only the background and history of the Lord of the Rings, which was AWESOME but the history and background of the people like Peter Jackson and others that made the films possible. Where they found extras to be in the movies, and sound effects who would have guessed 10,000 New Zealand cricket fans sound like 10,000 orcs. You don't see orcs in costume, but you see full size orcs, and trolls around the site. I would take the tour again, to get stuff I might have missed the first time.

Review by:   Stephen W,    November 2017
Had a fabulous time!

Review by:   Randy T,    November 2017
I am not a fan of The Lord of the Rings at all, but the tour was very good, as one got to see some good views of Wellington. Plus the Weka Studios tour was excellent. Very interesting.

Review by:   Paul P,    October 2017
We all enjoyed this trip being LOTR fans. Our guide was great as he knew the scenes inside out having been in the film._br/_ Weta was an added bonus pity it was not a bit more hands on but great day_br/_ Thanks guys.

Review by:   Erin G,    October 2017
Great half day tour, which took our large group to many movie sites. The explanations and photographs gave us a lot of information about the movie business and Peter Jackson. Dave our driver was amazing and really patient with the 9 young kids in our group. Highly recommend this tour.

Review by:   christopher e,    September 2017
Really enjoyed this half-day trip. The guide was very friendly and well-informed, and the experience was that much better because we were a small group of seven. Weta Studios were most interesting. Recommend this tour !

Review by:   Shirley M,    August 2017
Loved this tour in the rain. I was skeptical that we would enjoy the rainy day tour but we did have a wonderful time. Our guide was very knowledgeable. We began with the half day tour but decided to stay on for the whole day.

Review by:   David P,    May 2017
Nice day out in Wellington.

Review by:   Kent O,    April 2017
View from mountain top was great. The tour guide, Jack, talked non-stop about all the movies he and another man on the tour loved or hated which was irritating. Jack was knowledgeable about the books and movies and Peter Jackson and Weta - and that part was good, but he wasted a ton of our time talking about nothing related to LOR. I was not impressed with the WETA workshop. There was too much time spent there for the information that was presented I thought there was too much detail presented. Very disappointed in the availability of good souvenirs from the workshop.The Wellington airport was almost better than the tour.

Review by:   Ann C,    April 2017
Really fun tour. Our guide was great.

Review by:   rlopienski,    March 2017
Enjoyed going into the woods and seeing areas that were filmed with the hobbits, some nice scenic views at lookout points, and the Weta Studios was interesting.

Review by:   moore.maureen,    March 2017
Great tour and just the right amount of time. Tour guide, however, was a little scattered.

Review by:   John A,    February 2017
Weta Workshop tour was very interesting, however the shooting locations were amateurish a best.

Review by:   Roxana H,    February 2017
The tour guide, Jack, talked non-stop about all the movies he and another man on the tour loved or hated, allowed the fellow traveler to talk non-stop also as well as use the F-bomb continuously. There were only seven of us on the trip and Jack, while trying to be funny at times and while kind to an older woman, took us on a 400 meter hike we didn't know was coming and she could barely manage. Jack is knowledgeable about the books and movies and Peter Jackson and Weta - and that part was good, but he wasted a ton of our time talking about nothing related and did not control the disruptive passenger - very disrespectful and upsetting. The single gal with us was also very upset by this, so we know at least 3 of 7 of us were quite unhappy. The Weta stop was by far the best, and that would have been enough, honestly - if it had included the miniature tour.

Review by:   Leanne S,    January 2017
Great tour even if you aren't a Lord of the Rings fan as the lookout was great. We had mist covering Wellington the first time we went to the lookout so we went back later when the fog had lifted. Great tour guide and really enjoyed the Weta workshop.

Review by:   norristara,    January 2017
I enjoyed this tour. It was divided up into a trip into the woods behind Wellington with pictures and descriptions of what happened in the Lord of The Rings. The other part was taken by a trip to the animation/film effects studios, I found it a real insight into the cinema industry in New Zealand, but also an eye opener because a lot of work is done internationally on very well known films.

Review by:   Kimberly S,    January 2017
The WETA studio was very informative. They could only show two filming locations with the half day tour, but it was interesting to hear how they accomplished the filming tricks.

Review by:   Elizabeth I,    January 2017
Great tour, fantastic guide who was obviously interested in what he was showing us. Just the right amount of time spent at each location.

Review by:   andrew a,    January 2017
The workshop tour is just eye opening

Review by:   Kwan C,    January 2017
Very enjoyable tour with a highly knowledgeable movie-lover tour guide. Thank you

Review by:   janielkins,    December 2016
The guide stopped for photos and managed to keep us on schedule and avoid the big crowds. We found the Weta Cave to be very interesting. My husband uses a walking stick and so the walk in the woods was challenging, but there was no problem with us taking a slower pace.

Review by:   E-Kan S,    November 2016
They were fun and engaging hosts- they even gave my mother and I a drop off in the city to visit another site in Wellington!

Review by:   calico30533,    October 2016
Awsom, , lots to see and do! We had been there on 2008 and really liked it, but now there is so much more to see-- great experience!

Review by:   Barry R,    October 2016
Jack, our driver and leader was courteous, knowledgeable and very obliging_br/_ The tour was one of the most enjoyable we have undertaken with Viator

Review by:   griffsnz,    September 2016
guide was excellent _br/_ weka studios , expected more from way it was talked up could of got info from u tube ,_br/_ 1/2 day tour standing in mt Victoria , looking at photos in folder expected the wow factor

Review by:   PAUKI,    May 2016
Very knowledgeable guide but we didn't get to visit the Embassy theatre we simply drove past would have liked to have been able to get a shot of the Gandalf statue out front but weren't given the opportunity. Some of the information on the website is misleading making you believe you will see more than you actually do like the photo of the trolls.... this is only at Weta cave which you don't get to visit, again just a drive by, also the sights you get to see from the film are all within about 300m of each other. Having said that, the guides are good and the visit to Weta Workshop t was well worth it

Review by:   John W,    April 2016
Great tour particularly the WETA facility

Review by:   Sandra,    March 2016
Our guide was Emma and she was very interesting and informative. I very much enjoyed this tour. As we drove through Wellington to get to our first stop, Emma gave us interesting info about the city. We visited the area where the first part of the Lord of the Rings was filmed and Emma talked about how special effects were filmed and created. Very informative. We visited the studios where not only the Lord of the Rings special effects were created, but also where other special effects, props and studios are used for filming. An interesting tour.

Review by:   Beth S,    March 2016
We saw a few locations in Central Wellington as well as Weta Cave. A highlight of our trip.

Review by:   Sandra O,    March 2016
A must for any LotRs and Hobbit fans. Great value for money.

Review by:   Jessica C,    March 2016
fantastic knowledgeable friendly staff, beautiful locations and a great price. Highly recommended!

Review by:   Carol J,    February 2016
The tour was interesting, but not exactly what I thought it would be._br/_ I would have enjoyed more stops to see where they filmed and more stories. _br/_ Driving through the city was interesting._br/_ I wasn't expecting that we would be hiking down and up a hillside so I opted to stay at the top so I missed whatever was being said. That's my fault, not the tour's._br/_ The stop at the Weta studio was informative and the movie they showed us was excellent._br/_ If you are a big Lord of the Rings fan I think this tour would be enjoyable, I just wanted a little bit more.

Review by:   Veryafraid,    February 2016
This was a great tour. Nathan our guide was perfect in every way. I posted a much more detailed review but the site asked me to login again and I lost it so this time I will be brief!

Review by:   Margie M,    January 2016
It was awesome! Would love to go back!_br/_ Wear appropriate footwear for short trek up Mt. Victoria._br/_ Cameras are not allowed inside the Weta studio itself.

Review by:   Janelle S,    January 2016
Absolutely loved every minute of this tour. Weta studios was fantastic.

Review by:   caroline1176,    January 2016
Tour guide was friendly and had a wide variety of knowledge about the tour._br/_ Weta workshop guide was also knowledgeable

Review by:   Suzanne S,    January 2016
Our guide, Laura, was very knowledgeable and a true LOTR fan. She had lots of inside information about the filming of the movies and has inspiredf me to come back home and watch them all over again so that I can see the places we visited. Thank you for a fabulous day.

Review by:   Shirley m,    December 2015
Hi, our driver was very efficient and friendly. He was very informative. I found it difficult at times to hear or see the items our tour guide at WETA was showing us as we had a few tall people who always seemed to stand in the front. I was also hoping to see people actually working on projects, but that did not eventuate. My grandson however loved it.

Review by:   zorro,    November 2015
This was a pretty good tour. The guide Laura was great and informative. She took us to few of the places were some of the Lord of the Rings scenes were shot and showed photos of the film scenes so we could relate to the different scenes._br/_ The Weta workshop tour was very informative and fun, but they only show you a very small area.

Review by:   James S,    November 2015
Great to see some of the places where fixing occurred. The Weta Workshop tour was also fabulous. Craig was really knowledgeable, friendly and a expert guide.

All Traveler Reviews...