Enjoy a full day, all-inclusive adventure in Wellington, the home of middle-Earth. Visit some amazing locations from the Lord of the Rings movies, enjoy a delicious lunch and visit the famous Weta Workshop, where the films were created. We are Wellington's original Lord of the Rings tour and have been operating since 2002. Formerly Rover Rings Tours [before Covid], Welly Rings Tours is proud to show you Wellington as Middle-earth. Our fans-turned-guides will share with you fascinating stories of the making of these movies that you likely won't hear anywhere else - mainly because some of our guides were actually there!

Start your full-day tour of "The Lord of the Rings" filming locations with hotel or port pickup in Wellington. You'll start by visiting the Weta Cave in the Weta Workshop to get an inside peek at the making of "The Lord of the Rings." Watch a short documentary describing the studio's history and other films they have worked on. Get the chance to dress up and pose for photos, LOTR style.

Continue on to Mt. Victoria and the Greenbelt before a stroll through the Outer Shire, site of the Black Rider movie scenes and many more. Your guide is well-versed in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and shares insider knowledge about the Wellington movie industry. Refuel with a tasty café lunch at the Aston Norwood Gardens.

In the afternoon, learn why New Zealand is the ideal place to create movie sets as you explore more locations. See the Great River Anduin on a visit to the Hutt Valley with stops including the Hutt River, and view the Gardens of Isengard - aka Harcourt Park - where the Orcs filled the trees.

Imagine the Elves living in the 1,000-year-old native rainforest of Kaitoke Regional Park, the setting for Rivendell. Then see the location where Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith were filmed, before concluding your full-day tour with drop-off at your Wellington hotel or your ship.

【Weta Workshop】 (90 minutes, Admission Ticket Included)
Delve into the heart of Wellywood and visit the Weta Workshop, a physical effects workshop who created all the props, armour, weapons, costumes, miniatures and prosthetics for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. Learn the secrets of movie magic on a behind-the-scenes tour by a Weta employee, who will explain the creative process behind bringing these films to life. You'll also have chance to take photos with various characters and weapons, as well as treating yourself to a souvenir or two, if desired.

【Mount Victoria Lookout】 (15 minutes)
Enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the harbour and city from the Mt Victoria lookout. Your guide will talk about the landmarks you can see from the top and help you take photos. Mt Victoria is always on the list of things to do in Wellington, so we thought we'd save you the trouble of walking up the hill to get there!

【Embassy Theatre】 (Pass by)
Drive past the Embassy Theatre that was used to host two world premieres of the Middle-earth movies - The Return of the King and An Unexpected Journey. Your guide will share stories and pictures of how Wellington was transformed literally into the middle of Middle-earth.

【Mount Victoria】 (60 minutes)
Descend into the forested slopes of the nearby Outer Shire, where our expert guides will explain the process of film making and entertain you with stories of how the Lord of the Rings movies were brought to life. You will follow in the footsteps of Frodo and the Hobbits as they began their quest to destroy the One Ring. You will see the "shortcut to mushrooms", "get off the road" and hide from the Black Riders before fleeing to the Buckleberry Ferry. You will have the chance to recreate some of the most famous scenes from The Fellowship of the Ring and make your social media streams go crazy!

【Aston Norwood Gardens】 (60 minutes, Admission Ticket Included)
Enjoy a feast fit for a Hobbit to recharge your batteries for more film locations in the afternoon.

【Poet's Park】 (15 minutes)
See a section of the Great River Anduin as the Fellowship make their way to Parth Galen.

【Harcourt Park Disc Golf Course】(30minutes)
Harcourt Park aka The Gardens of Isengard. Here you will see how this normal, everyday park was transformed into the scenes where Gandalf rode to Saruman seeking council and the wizards walked through the gardens discussing their situation. This is also where the orcs began felling the trees once it was revealed Saruman had turned to the dark side...

【Kaitoke Regional Park】 (60 minutes, Admission Ticket Included)
Kaitoke Regional Park, a stunning, thousand year old, temperate rain forest. This was used as the location for the beautiful Rivendell, the last homely house east of the sea. Here you will immerse yourself in the magical setting and learn how the area was transformed into Elrond's house, Frodo's bedroom and the bridge where Arwen and Aragorn share a kiss. You can release your inner Elf and snap a photo reenacting a famous Legolas image and then recreate the scene where Frodo leads the newly formed Fellowship towards Mordor by posing in front of the Rivendell gate tower which is the only Lord of the Rings replica structure in the whole of New Zealand outside of Hobbiton. You will also see a scene from the Fords of Isen, where Eomund was found by Eomer at the start of The Two Towers, and have a chance to cross a swing bridge and visit a giant 800-year-old native Rimu tree and learn something of New Zealand's flora and fauna.