Lord of the Rings New Zealand: Auckland to Queenstown in Ten Days

Overview

From the Shire to Isengard, one island at a time

This trip follows the films down the length of New Zealand. On the North Island you see the Shire as it still stands at the Hobbiton Movie Set, the volcanic slopes of Tongariro that played Mordor, with Mount Doom on the skyline, and the waterfall where Gollum caught his fish. In Wellington, the city where the films were made, you walk the woods on Mount Victoria where filming began in 1999, take a guided tour at Wētā Workshop and spend a morning in the forest at Kaitoke, the setting of Rivendell.

Then we fly south. From a base in Queenstown for three nights you drive along Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy and the Dart River flats under the Isengard mountains, and spend a slower day in the gold-rush town of Arrowtown beside the river used for the Ford of Bruinen. Kiri Walsh leads the whole tour. The group is never more than 14, so there is time at every stop to line up your own frame.

Itinerary

Lord of the Rings tour: day by day

A 14-seat Mercedes Sprinter van with a professional driver on the road days, plus a direct domestic flight from Wellington to Queenstown with a checked bag. Ticketed times shift with the season; your final timetable comes two weeks before departure.

Day 1AucklandArrive in Auckland

• Kiri or a colleague meets you at Auckland airport; transfer to the hotel in the city center, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Check-in from 3 p.m.; if you land early, your bags wait at the hotel and you can walk the waterfront.
• At 6 p.m. the group meets in the lobby for a short briefing and a welcome dinner nearby.

Meals: dinner

Day 2Matamata and TaupoThe Shire at Hobbiton

• Leave Auckland at 8 a.m. and drive south through the Waikato farmland, about 2 hours.
• Guided tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set, about 2 hours: Bag End, the party field, the mill and a drink at the Green Dragon Inn.
• Lunch in Matamata, the small farming town that now greets visitors with a hobbit-style information center.
• Drive on to Taupo, about 2 hours, for a night by New Zealand's largest lake.

Meals: breakfast, lunch

Day 3Tongariro National ParkMordor and Mount Doom

• Drive to Whakapapa Village in Tongariro National Park, about 1 hour 30, with Ngauruhoe in view as we come round the lake.
• Walk to Tawhai Falls, the Forbidden Pool, then the Taranaki Falls loop, about 4 miles, with views of Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu.
• Drive up the Bruce Road to the Whakapapa ski field, the slopes used for Mordor and the battle of the prologue.
• Fit walkers may instead do the full Tongariro Alpine Crossing with a licensed local guide, weather allowing, at extra cost.
• Evening drive to Ohakune at the foot of Ruapehu for the night.

Meals: breakfast, lunch

Day 4Ohakune to WellingtonSouth to the capital

• Morning walk to Mangawhero Falls on the Ohakune Mountain Road, the second waterfall used for Gollum's pool.
• Drive south to Wellington, about 4 hours with a lunch stop on the way.
• Check in at the waterfront hotel; free evening on the harbor.

Meals: breakfast, lunch

Day 5WellingtonMount Victoria and Wētā Workshop

• Morning walk in the pine woods of Mount Victoria, where the hobbits hid from the Black Rider and where filming began in October 1999; then the lookout at the top.
• Drive to Miramar for a guided tour at Wētā Workshop and time at the free Wētā Cave museum and shop.
• Free afternoon: Te Papa, the national museum, is free and a short walk from the hotel.
• Dinner together on the waterfront.

Meals: breakfast, dinner

Day 6Upper HuttRivendell at Kaitoke

• Drive north up the Hutt Valley to Kaitoke Regional Park, about 45 minutes.
• Walk to the Rivendell filming spot and the replica elvish archway, then along the river and over the swing bridge.
• Picnic lunch in the park.
• Back in Wellington by mid afternoon; ride the cable car up to the Botanic Garden if you like.

Meals: breakfast, lunch

Day 7Wellington to QueenstownFly south

• Transfer to Wellington airport and fly direct to Queenstown, about 1 hour 30, with the Southern Alps in view on a clear day.
• Check in at the hotel near the lake.
• Late afternoon ride on the Skyline Gondola up Bob's Peak for the view over Lake Wakatipu to the Remarkables.
• Evening free in town.

Meals: breakfast

Day 8GlenorchyIsengard at the head of the lake

• Drive along Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy, about 45 minutes, with photo stops above the water.
• Walk on the Dart River flats near the bridge, facing the mountains used for Isengard; Mount Earnslaw stands above.
• Lunch in Glenorchy by the old red wharf shed.
• On the way back, a short walk at Twelve Mile Delta to the slope used for the Ithilien camp.

Meals: breakfast, lunch

Day 9ArrowtownGold-rush town and the Ford of Bruinen

• Drive to Arrowtown, 20 minutes, a gold-rush town of the 1860s with an old main street and a restored Chinese miners' settlement.
• Walk the river trail along the Arrow River; the stretch used for the Ford of Bruinen is upstream on a four-wheel-drive track, and Kiri shows you the scene on the spot where the trail meets the water.
• Free afternoon in Queenstown: a lake cruise, a wine tasting or a rest.
• Farewell dinner together in Queenstown.

Meals: breakfast, dinner

Day 10QueenstownDeparture

• Breakfast and checkout by 10 a.m.
• Transfer to Queenstown airport, 15 minutes, timed to your flight home via Auckland or Australia.
• Staying longer? We can add nights in Queenstown or a trip to Milford Sound.

Meals: breakfast

On screen

Films and series on the Lord of the Rings tour

The productions behind the stops on this tour, where they filmed and what you see there today.

Filming spots change over time: storefronts get new owners, sets are rebuilt and some interiors were shot on stages elsewhere, so your tour leader tells you on the day what is still there.

Hotels

Hotels on the Lord of the Rings tour

9 nights, rooms with private bathroom, breakfast every morning. We name the class and the area; the exact hotel, or a similar one, is confirmed with your booking.

What is included

What the Lord of the Rings tour price includes

Meals: daily breakfast, 6 lunches, 3 dinners. The price is per person sharing a double or twin room. Flights to the start of the tour and home are not included.

• 12 things in the price
• 9 hotel nights
• Daily breakfast, 6 lunches, 3 dinners
• 8 productions on the film list

Dates and prices

Lord of the Rings tour departures and prices

Price per person sharing a double room. Single room: +$1,290.

• $250 deposit

  Confirms your booking after the free 72-hour hold. The balance is due 60 days before departure. See the booking terms.

• Guaranteed means it runs

  A guaranteed departure goes ahead whatever the final numbers.

• No surcharges

  The price you book is the price you pay. No fuel surcharges after booking.

• Free date change

  Move to another date of this tour up to 30 days before departure, once, at no fee.

Before you book

Straight talk about the Lord of the Rings tour

What the days are really like, so there are no surprises.

• Pace and walking

  Moderate, 3 of 5. Daily walks of 1 to 4 miles on good tracks, some with steady climbs, plus the stairs and slopes of the Hobbiton set.

• What can change

  Filming, events and closures can move a stop or close an interior on the day. Your leader swaps in another location nearby and tells you why.

• Inside or outside

  Museums, studio tours and open businesses you enter as a visitor. Working businesses that ask for quiet, and every private home, are seen from the public street or not at all.

• Getting there

  Flights are not included. Plan to land in Auckland by mid afternoon on day 1 and to fly home from Queenstown after lunch on the last day.

Practical information

Before you go on the Lord of the Rings tour

Your travel pack, with ticket times and hotel addresses, arrives two weeks before departure. Weather, airports and the best months are on the New Zealand page.

• Weather

  Summer days are 65 to 78 F, but Tongariro can be cold, windy and wet at any time. Bring a waterproof jacket, a warm fleece, a hat and gloves even in January.

• Sun

  The New Zealand sun burns fast, even on cool days. Pack sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat with a brim.

• Boots and biosecurity

  Bring broken-in walking shoes or light boots, and clean them well before you pack: customs inspects footwear for soil and seeds, and you must declare all food.

• Domestic flight bags

  The flight to Queenstown includes one checked bag of up to 23 kg (50 lb). Keep a small day bag for the van.

• Money

  Cards work almost everywhere, including small cafes. The currency is the New Zealand dollar; a little cash helps at roadside fruit stalls.

Tour FAQ

Lord of the Rings tour: questions and answers

More answers on the FAQ page and in how to book.