Free Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
Free Cancellation
June 12100% refund
June 13No refund
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 good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Please select a travel date and travelers to show booking options.
Inclusions / Exclusions
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
Admission to the 90 minute Weta Cave Experience is included in your cost
Licensed guide/ driver
Guests meet their own costs for lunch
Overview
One tour to rule them all......
You'll get to check out the filming locations of our magical Lord of the Rings trilogy & you also get to wander around our beautiful city. All hosted by our expert guides!
Including but not limited to the Outer Shire, Helm’s Deep, Minas Tirith, Isengard & Rivendell. We'll recreate some iconic scenes & enjoy some stunning scenery whilst we go!
Your tour includes the 90 minute Weta cave experience where you'll be taken behind the scenes of Weta Workshop.
For those being collected off a ship, we'll get you at the port. Do not head in to the city.
For collection from the iSite, head to the bus stop just outside the iSite & keep an eye out for our branded vans!
For those being collected from a hotel, wait ...
in reception or & we'll be there to get you Read more ▼
OR
Meeting points
The Wellington iSite is just by the Michael Fowler Centre. Keep an eye out for Ka Rawe signs on cars or vans!
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.
Itinerary
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Sample Menu
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
Free Cancellation
June 12100% refund
June 13No refund
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 good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her
Reviews by TravelOne travelers
Showing 1-3 of 3 reviews with 5 stars
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Our tour guide Nathan...
Published on Jan, 2025
Our tour guide Nathan made the experience just as memorable if not more than visiting the locations themselves. I highly suggest booking this tour for anyone who is interested.
Great tour for LOTR fans!
Published on Dec, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyable tour, great guide, completely recommend it! It includes the WETA tour too, thank you so much for a great day!
Great tour with Nathan!
Published on Dec, 2024
This was an amazing tour! Nathan is very knowledgeable and tailored the trip towards what we wanted to do and see, he is the perfect host and truly enjoyed spending the day with him, he took a ton of pictures and even set up fun scenarios for us to participate in, I am vegan, and he actually stopped at a vegan bakery so I could have a nice lunch, even though it wasn't on the itinerary! Weta workshop is not to be missed, Nathan gets 5 stars, i can't recommend him highly enough!
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