We are the Lord of the Rings location professionals in Wellington. We were the first company in the North Island to operate tours and our passengers are constantly telling us we are the best. If you have an interest in the Lord of the Rings and you want a unique Wellington experience, then this is the tour for you.
We cover a lot of ground on the tour, but there is enough time to explore, recreate scenes (over 25 different ones) for yourself and work out how the movies were made. Due to our small group size we are the specialist in getting you amongst the action whilst enjoying a personal experience. The scenery of Wellington mirrors that of Middle Earth. Come explore it with us on this relaxing day tour!
We pick up from your central city 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.
We drive the southern suburbs, including Seatoun and 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 Eva Dixons 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. Our 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.
We train up Lord of the Rings fans to be great guides. They are fun, knowledgeable and our biggest asset. Our 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.