Travelers with a short time in Wellington can enjoy a Lord of the Rings-themed tour in just half a day. Visit Hobbiton Woods, where many scenes were filmed, and take a tour of Weta Workshop, where many of the films’ special effects were thought up and brought to life. You’ll even see the theater that hosted the films’ world premiers. This is a must-do tour for Tolkien fans.

Return hotel or port transfers will be provided
Save time with skip-the-line access to attractions
Learn more about Wellington and LOTR through live commentary
Avoid the hassle of self-driving by joining a tour

What's Included

Driver/guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Live commentary on board
Transport by air-conditioned minivan
GST (Goods and Services Tax)

Gratuities
Bottled water
Coffee and/or Tea

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

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Pickup points

Select a pickup point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER BOOKINGS: Your pick-up time will be 45 minutes after the ship has docked (even if your ship has been delayed or arrives early) with 8.45am being the earliest pick-up time. For the convenience of other guests, please ensure you arrive at the tour area promptly as the tour may not wait for you. Look out for the Xplor Tours guides who will greet you. Please select "The Wharf" option as your pick up location and enter your ship name in the additional booking details. NON-CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER BOOKINGS: Pick up times may differ from tour start times if there are multiple guest pick-up locations. We will contact you in advance of your tour with your estimated pick-up time if this is the case.

What To Expect

Mount Victoria

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Mount Victoria

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Weta Workshop Group Space

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Infants must sit on laps
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Stroller accessible

Most travelers can participate
Wheelchair accessible
Cruise Ship Passenger bookings should select the following option as their pick up location which is the Port: 151 Aotea Quay, Pipitea, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
Cruise Ship Passenger bookings should add their ship name in special requirements field.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

36 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 36 reviews

A Must Do Tour When You are in Wellington!!

AnthonyK, Aug 2023

Despite the early rain, the tour operator showed up promptly on time and got us to all of the stated Lord of the Rings filming sites and made it a very interactive experience! Plus, the Weta Workshop tour is an absolute treat and a must-see for anyone who enjoys films and filmmaking. With the half day option, we got back to town in time to do some more sightseeing before dinner. Highly recommend!

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thanks for your review Anthony. A shame the weather didn't play ball, but glad you still enjoyed your tour with us.

The Weta experience

Karen_D, May 2023

What a great tour. Starting with a trip to the forest of the Hobbits, Stan used photographs to so us exactly the scene that was filmed where we were standing. He had a wealth of information to impart. The Weta tour was amazing. Liam was friendly , answered questions happily and it was a great chance to get up close with the various processes and skills the workshop employs. A real highlight of our trip so far.

Response from Host, May 2023

Thanks Karen, good to hear Stan gave yet another of his great tours for us. Thanks for your review.

Very informative and very...

Rene_M, Apr 2023

Very informative and very organized. Had a great time even if the weather didn't cooperate. The driver was very knowledgeable and entertaining.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Glad you enjoyed your time on our tour Rene. It's a shame when the weather dampens things, especially for visiting outdoor filming sites, but sounds like our guide still made it a good experience for you.

Ok - only for true LOTR fans

Stephen_W, Apr 2023

It was ok- the lady at the WETA studio (aurora) was pretty rude - the lord of the rings film sites was only ok- overall it was a 3 star experience- only for the true fans perhaps.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

We are sorry to hear your experience at Weta Studios was not good, and we will follow up with them on this, as it reflects on our company also, so thank you for including a name. The actual filming site visits are more memorable for the true fans who can remember the scenes in the films.

Maybe better if there was better weather?

Scott_L, Apr 2023

It was foggy and it had rained so we couldn’t get out of the small bus to go to the actual spot where some scenes were filmed. We did tour WETA which is a company that produced the costumes and digital content for the trilogy and many more movies. That part was quite good. Overall, the half day tour was only about 2 1/2 hours.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Hi Scott Thanks for your review. Unfortunately because of the rain and fog we were limited to what we could do at Mt Victoria. To see where the scenes were shot requires you to go down about 200 metres down the hill and with the rain the surfaces would have been very slippery and unsafe to walk down. Our main concern is the safety of our clients and that is why we did not go down the hill.

Very interesting

Pamela_K, Mar 2023

Was very enjoyable tour and learnt some interesting facts regarding the lord of the rings and wellington

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thanks Pamela, glad you enjoyed your tour with us.

Went above and beyond for late people

Kari_M, Mar 2023

We went on a tour from our cruise and waited 30 mins for people. Then left and hard to hear guide bec co guide on phone doing meet up logistics. Tour itself was fine. Guide nice, had good large photos of movie scenes. Weta small, but worth doing. Reco the tour co have one cleanup bus to get stragglers for small time constrained tours.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thanks for your honest review Kari. It is a very fine line on how we deal with latecomers, despite giving such clear instructions around pickup time. Having a spare vehicle is a good suggestion, but unfortunately, we can have latecomers doing 3 or 4 totally different tours, so not really an option. The only solution is to limit our waiting time to 15 minutes then departing without them. This in itself brings difficulties when they then ring us and expect a solution. It's a tough situation created solely by the few who are late. Our apologies you got caught up in that scenario, but glad you still managed to enjoy the rest of it.

Lord of the Rings - a look behind the scenes

Petronella_K, Feb 2023

Great look behind the scenes. Lots of props from the movie. Movie was filmed 20 years ago, so not many sites/film locations remain. Good explanation though with fotos

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Glad you found the tour informative. Our exclusive filming photos help to bring the sites alive again as much as possible. Thanks for your review

Great Tour

Stuart_F, Feb 2023

Great guides who were extremely knowledgeable. Good value for money and I can highly recommend it. The Weta studio workshop is fascinating.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

It certainly is an interesting tour Stuart, and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for your review.

My friends are jealous

Cheryl_L, Feb 2023

So fun! Danny was a super fun guide. My friends who have screen my pictures now want to come to New Zealand and take this tour.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Great review you have given for Danny. Glad you enjoyed your time with him and have good memories of Wellington.

great tour and tour guide

Eileen_D, Feb 2023

Loved the Weta workshop but the highlight was going to Mt. Victoria and seeing where some key scenes were actually shot. It was amazing

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Great news. We try to make the site visits as informative as we can, especially with our exclusive sets of filming photos etc. for each site.

Disappointed

Ros_R, Feb 2023

It wasn’t the tours fault but it was wet cold & windy so we only got to experience a partial amount of this tour.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

We're sorry the weather spoiled your tour with us. We have certainly had unseasonable days in Wellington this summer. It's a fine line between cancelling a tour or sticking with it, unless safety is involved.

What a day!

Nelchor_V, Feb 2023

Taking a tour of some LOTR locations, holding some of the props and a photo with Gollum and the tour of Weta workshop

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Hi there, thanks for your review and I'm glad you left with some good memories of your tour with us.

Our excellent adventure in Wayne’s world of middle earth and beyond!

Judy_L, Jan 2023

Wayne was fantastic, informative and enthusiastic about imparting lotr stories, showing great photos, offering last minute change of some plans due to the weather conditions. He made us feel as though we were almost family when sharing wonderful stories about people, places and history of NZ.His driving was excellent so we felt very relaxed and comfortable.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Oh that's a great review and I will make sure Wayne sees this. Thanks for taking the time to write it, and glad you had a great experience with us.

Good tour company

Donna_S, Jan 2023

Loved this tour! Saw the WETA studio where so many movies have sourced costumes, weaponry, creatures and characters. Seeing the steps in creating a helmet for “Lord of the Rings” was amazing. But the guide wouldn’t tell us about the next Avatar movie (HAHAHA!). Later went to some of the actual sites where Rings was filmed in the woods above Wellington. Thanks to our guide and driver Wayne for picking up and returning us to the cruise ship. Well run operation.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you for your review. I am glad that you enjoyed the tour with Wayne

Excellent fun tour

Angela_W, Jan 2023

Tour guide was wonderful. Very informative. Loved all the LOTR stories and merchandise. Definitely recommend for all movie lovers.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you for your review it is really appreciated. Glad you enjoyed the tour.

Wellington

Mark_M, Jan 2023

Excellent tour, studio was great experience, surprising and interesting. Our guide was informative and helpful.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you for your review it is really appreciated. I am glad you enjoyed the tour.

Weta tour

DOREEN_J, Jan 2023

Seeing how many of the props were made was very interesting. Weather not good for walking in the forest. But our guide was excellent in showing us photos and Giving interesting snippets about the films.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you for your review it is really apprecited Glad you enjoyed the tour

Great experience

Amel_M, Dec 2022

Great experience with nice and friendly lord of the ring story tellers ! Weta cave was nice but a bit fast, weta workshop was interesting as well and the most interesting part was in the Victoria mt, on the path of frodon and his friends !

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Hi Amel Thank you for your review it is really appreciated. I am glad that you enjoyed the tour.

Please remove " 100 minimum" characters requirement

Christina_W, Dec 2022

Recommend this tour to others. Enjoyed it. Driver was Very knowledgeable & professional. I believe his name is Grant.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thank you for your review it is really appreciated. I am glad you enjoyed your tour with Grant