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Lord of The Rings Full Day locations tour incl Weta & keepsake

Offered by Ka Rawe Tours

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$290.00 per person

5.0 (28 reviews)

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Booking handled by our partner, Viator

6 hours 30 minutes (approx.)Pickup Available Mobile or paper ticket accepted Offered in: English

Wellington tour visits the Embassy Theatre, Mount Victoria, Weta Workshop and Kaitoke Regional Park, with Lord of the Rings filming locations in Hutt Valley.

Tour Overview

This Wellington tour combines central city sights with key Lord of the Rings filming locations, led by a guide who shares film references and local context throughout the day.

After collection from the port, your hotel, or the iSite, the tour begins in the city at the Embassy Theatre on Courtenay Place, known for hosting the world premiere of The Return of the King and other major premieres from the trilogy. From there, head up Mount Victoria for 360 degree views across the central business district, the harbour, and the southern coast, with stories linked to the taniwha Whataitai and the naming of Tangi-te keo. Mount Victoria also doubles as the Hobbits Hideaway, where some of the trilogy’s early scenes were filmed.

At the Weta Cave, your tour includes the 90 minute behind the scenes experience at Weta Workshop. There is also time to see displays, browse memorabilia, and photograph the Cave Trolls before passing the Wellington sign.

The route continues around Oriental Bay and out to the Hutt Valley, where Dry Creek Quarry is linked to Helm’s Deep, Poets Corner stood in for the River Anduin, and Harcourt Park became Isengard. The day also includes Kaitoke Regional Park, recognised here as Rivendell, before returning to the city for drop off.

What's Included

  • Admission to the 90 minute Weta Cave Experience is included in your cost
  • Licensed guide/ driver

Not Included:

  • Guests meet their own costs for lunch

What To Expect

  1. 1

    Wellington

    COLLECT Our journey starts by safely collecting all of our guests & getting onboard our vehicle. If you are coming in by cruise ship, we will collect you directly from the port. You do not need to get on a shuttle bus or head to the city as we are accredited to collect you as you walk off the ship. If you are being collected from your hotel then please wait in reception or just outside where you can been seen by your friendly guide. Sit tight, sometimes traffic (or people) can delay our arrival. If you are being collected from the iSite then pop out to the tour bus stop just outside/beside the iSite. Keep an eye out for Ka Rawe signage on the vehicle & we'll see you soon!

    15 minutes

  2. 2

    Embassy Theatre

    What a beautiful cinema & plenty of history to go with this one too. The Embassy Theatre is located at the Eastern end of Courtenay Place in the shadow of Mount Victoria. It was thrust into the international cinematic limelight when it hosted the world premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King on December 1, 2003. Nearly 120,000 people lined the red carpet along Courtenay Place to watch the procession of actors and filmmakers as they made their way into the theatre for the screening. The theatre also hosted the Australasian premieres of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. The theatre held a red carpet screening of Peter Jackson's King Kong in 2005 and the 2012 world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

    10 minutes

  3. 3

    Mount Victoria Lookout

    Check out the best vantage point in our beautiful city. Breathtaking 360 degree views of the central business district, the harbour & the ocean to the south. Stunnnnning! Legend has it that Wellington harbour, originally a land-locked lake, was home to two large and very active taniwha (sea monsters). One taniwha forged a passage to the open sea creating the entrance to the harbour. The second, named Whataitai, tried a different route, became stranded and died. It is believed that Tangi-te keo (Mt Victoria) was named after the soul of Whataitai. Probably the best photo opportunity on the tour, our guide/host would be delighted to be your personal photographer for the day. What a beautiful city!

    15 minutes

  4. 4

    Mount Victoria

    HOBBITS HIDEAWAY Not only is Mount Victoria the best vantage point in Wellington with those 360 degree views but where the first day of filming took place for the Lord of the Rings trilogy back in 1998. Some of the most iconic scenes from the trilogy were filmed here & your guide will use imagery from the trilogy to bring those scenes to life. Hideaway from the Black Riders & move swiftly to Buckleberry ferry & who knows, maybe we might just recreate those scenes........Don't forget, your guide LOVES taking photos for you. Your guide will share loads of insider knowledge weaned from training given by Lord of the Rings experts & hours of watching behind the scenes documentaries! Get off the rooooad!

    30 minutes

  5. 5

    Wellington

    WETA CAVE Don't be fooled into thinking we're here to see some New Zealand native insects up close...... Whilst the Weta is a native new zealand cricket like insect, its also the name of a World famous Film & Special Effects company right here in little old Wellington! Arguably Weta is most famous for the incredible work of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, however their impact on the greater industry is much broader than that. Included in your cost of the tour, you'll also participate in the 90 minute behind the scenes Weta Cave experience. Our guide will check you in for that. This is also your chance to purchase some memorabilia, check out some of the items on show in the mini museum & you'll even have a photo opportunity with the Cave Trolls! At Ka Rawe, our guides make great photographers too. Once we leave the Weta Cave, we check out the Wellington sign on our travels, this is the one our friends from Hollywood copied!!

    2 hours

  6. 6

    Oriental Bay

    We make our way back into the city around the bay & your guide will keep you informed as we go. We make it around to Oriental Bay known for being both a popular beach and an opulent centre of affluence in the city. Its a little bit pricey around here!. You'll get to see some amazing architecture & perhaps this will be the only "man made" beach you'll ever see in your lives!!? Check out Carter Fountain too. Originally named Duppa Bay after its original sole resident George Duppa, it was renamed to Oriental Bay after one of the first to bring settlers here to Wellington. Spectacular! Beautiful

    15 minutes

  7. 7

    Upper Hutt

    HUTT VALLEY & QUARRY We take a short journey out to the Hutt Valley region, where more movie magic was made. Whilst it looks a little different these days, the Dry Creek Quarry housed some of the most impressive sets from the movie. Believe it or not, this is where the epic Battle of Helms Deep was shot. Our guide helps bring these scenes to life with historic pictures & images from the movie. They'll also share some of the lesser known facts about the movie that relate to this particular site. For example, did you know that some of the crowd noise generated for the Battle of Helms Deep was derived from an International Cricket match that took place around the time of filming?? Genius huh!!? A reminder, don't forget to bring your imagination!

    30 minutes

  8. 8

    Poet's Park

    The locals know this location as Poets Corner, however at Ka Rawe, we know it & show it as part of the Riven Anduin! Similar to the Dry Creek Quarry, whilst much has changed here in the last 25 years, what hasn't changed is that Poets corner served as part of the River Anduin where the Fellowship travelled in boats after leaving Lothlorien. Our guide will share other interesting facts regarding this location as we do throughout our journey, we bring these facts to life with supporting imagery.

    10 minutes

  9. 9

    Upper Hutt

    ISENGARD We continue our journey a little deeper in to the Hutt Valley & as we slip off the main thoroughfare, we encounter what the locals know as Harcourt Park but we prefer to recognize as Isengard! A great opportunity to recreate one of the shots from the movie where the background still looks largely similar to how it did those 25 years ago. We showcase some of Peter's ingenuity as we reimagine how he shot some of the scenes & how they morphed into the final images you see on screen. As always, our guide is happy to act as photographer for you & has images to share to fuel your imagination! And we share a little insiders knowledge as we go.

    20 minutes

  10. 10

    Kaitoke Regional Park

    Well if you ever wanted to experience the beautiful scenery & mature that New Zealand is renowned for, then look no further than Kaitoke Regional Park. We prefer to think of it as Rivendell! Once again we marvel at Peters ingenuity as we share how composite scenes are created & talk a little about the use of miniatures & bigatures! There can be no mistake that Kaitoke Park was used in the filming of Lord of the Rings, as there are many items & land marks to showcase this fact. Fantastic photo opportunities (again) as we escape the van to soak up the serenity & imagine just what it looked like some 27 years ago. Your guide will once again share some little known facts with you, show you some imagery from the film & act as you personal photographer. Magic!

    30 minutes

  11. 11

    Wellington

    DROP OFF To conclude our journey, we head back to the city & we rejoice in the success & fun that our day brought to alll!

    45 minutes

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup available

If requesting pickup, please select your preferred location when booking through Viator.

Pickup details

For those being collected off a ship, we'll get you at the port. Do not head in to the city. Those who have nominated the collection point, please go to 217 Wakefield Street & wait at the pick up point. Keep an eye out for our branded vans! ...

Or Meet At Meeting point

isite Bus Pickup Point

217 Wakefield Street, Wellington Central, Wellington 6011, New Zealand

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Those who have nominated the collection point, please go to 217 Wakefield Street & wait at the pick up point.

End Point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Additional Info

  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Please note that the order of the itinerary items may vary
  • Note that we visit filming locations not movies sets. Please bring your imagination!
  • Lunch venue & duration of break time varies depending on traffic & other timings
  • Please stay flexible regarding travel times & itinerary times
  • There is some track walking required up & down a mild incline

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.