Wellington - Lord of the Rings tour

I don’t know anything about Lord of the Rings, but my partner loves it, and I saw an excursion offered by our cruise line (but I’m looking at a private version of it) that visits some of the local sites where the movie was filmed. Has anyone toured the areas around Wellington as fans of the movie? Is it a worthwhile area to do this?

Michael

Even if you're not a fan of The Hobbit, a visit out to Weta Studio Tours covers plenty of other movies like Avatar, Narnia Chronicles, Ghost in the Shell. this isn't Universal Studios - it's a glimpse into the mad creativity being turned out in a little corner of Wellington which is being seen on screens around the world. It's a glimpse into the creative and film-making processes. You've got two options - a location tour that will visit some of the scenes used for filming the LOTR and Hobbit movies plus a visit to Weta Studio Tours to do the behind-the-scenes tour, or a shorter option visiting just Weta-only. My key advice is book - these are hugely popular and often sell out on cruise days, so book in advance.

If your partner is a fan and you have time, you might want to consider also doing the ex-Auckland day trip to Hobbiton - a totally different experience touring the film set use for The Hobbit.

I don’t know anything about Lord of the Rings, but my partner loves it, and I saw an excursion offered by our cruise line (but I’m looking at a private version of it) that visits some of the local sites where the movie was filmed. Has anyone toured the areas around Wellington as fans of the movie? Is it a worthwhile area to do this?

 

Michael

Try this site it might help.https://www.newzealanddiscoverytours.co.nz/tauranga-rotorua-port-cruise-ship-shore-excursions-tours

We went to Hobbiton in Nov 2017. I put a photo and text summary of it on my website.

https://donnagawell.com/2017/11/10/hobbiton-in-new-zealand/

Send me any questions through the site.

Nice. We definitely booked the Hobbiton tour, as well as the half-day LOTR tour in Wellington with Viator that includes the Weta Caves Studio. I'm also trying to do a tour of the mountains from Akaroa, but that's harder to do now, it seems, now that ships stop in Akaroa, not Christchurch.

The LOTR tour is great. I did it a few years ago, so some things may have changed but it was great.

If you love the movie it is so great to stand on the place and quote things.

To stand on the river and say "If you want him, come and get him"was great.

Nice. We definitely booked the Hobbiton tour, as well as the half-day LOTR tour in Wellington with Viator that includes the Weta Caves Studio. I'm also trying to do a tour of the mountains from Akaroa, but that's harder to do now, it seems, now that ships stop in Akaroa, not Christchurch.

Just wanted to mention - make sure you double check that the stop at The Weta Cave does include the behind the scenes tour. A stop without the tour is like a visit to a fun little shop. Nice for a few photos, but not the in-depth, interesting experience that the tour provides.

As for Akaroa, it’s a beautiful, little town to explore on it’s own without spending anything on an excursion. A bit touristy, but beautiful none the less. It’s my favourite spot within a 100km radius of Christchurch.

Just wanted to mention - make sure you double check that the stop at The Weta Cave does include the behind the scenes tour. A stop without the tour is like a visit to a fun little shop. Nice for a few photos, but not the in-depth, interesting experience that the tour provides.

 

I'll second that. Without the back tour it is just a souvenir shop.

Raina