- Overview
- Trip Outline
- Trip Includes
- Gallery
- Booking
A tour appealing to those Frodo and Gandalf fans, with visits to official sites used in the filming of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
Itineraries
Day 1
AUCKLAND – HOBBITON – WAITOMO - ROTORUA
Setting off from Auckland, travel through the lush farmland of the Waikato and King Country regions. Take a guided tour of the famous Hobbiton Movie Set, located inside a picturesque 1,250 acre sheep and beef farm near Matamata. Here, the village of Hobbiton was carefully created in amazing detail as a film location for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie trilogies. During your guided tour of this amazing location you’ll see sights like Hobbit holes, the Mill and the Green Dragon Inn, and learn how farmland was transformed into a living, breathing piece of Middle earth. After exploring Hobbiton, enjoy a delicious buffet lunch at Hobbiton. At the world famous Waitomo Glowworm Caves, take a 45-minute guided tour through impressive underground caverns and learn how stalactites, stalagmites and other limestone structures were formed over millions of years. Your tour includes a boat ride through the Glowworm Grotto - glide silently along an underground river as you gaze at the twinkling glowworms overhead.Continue to Rotorua where you will stay this evening. Overnight: Rotorua.
Day 2
ROTORUA - CHRISTCHURCH
Discover Rotorua on a unique 90 minute sightseeing adventure onboard a WWII amphibious vehicle able onto travel on water and then head out to the airport for your flight to the South Island.
Overnight: Stay 2 nights in Christchurch.
Day 3
EDORAS
Journey to the LOTR filming locations, remote and beautiful Mt Potts high country station, home of Mt Sunday. See how this peaceful mountain was transformed into Edoras, the capital city of the Rohan people in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Day 4
CHRISTCHURCH – MOUNT COOK – QUEENSTOWN
Leaving Christchurch in the morning we travel through the diverse farmland to Lake Tekapo, where you can view the solitary Church of the Good Shepherd and take in the sights of the spectacular Misty Mountains. Continue to the location of New Zealand’s tallest mountain Aoraki / Mount Cook. Travel south through the tawny tussocks of the Mackenzie Country and on to world famous Queenstown.
Overnight: Stay 3 nights in Queenstown.
Day 5
TRAILS OF MIDDLE EARTH
Today you embark on the “Trails of Middle Earth” full day guided Middle-earth experience visiting over 20 locations, sights and scenes. View and handle some “top secret” items from the making of the movies and hear all the gossip and stories from the set. Lunch included.
Day 6
SAFARI OF THE SCENES
Travel by 4WD vehicle on Nomad’s “Safari of the Scenes” tour to the Ford of Bruinen, Misty Mountains, Pillars of the Kings and Road to Mordor. The afternoon is free for you to add on a tour including Lothlorien, Isengard, Ithilien Camp and Amon Hen.
Day 7
QUEENSTOWN - TE ANAU
Journey to Te Anau and take a Jetboat ride up the River Anduin (Waiau River), during the one hour jetboating experience your driver tells you about the history and geography of the area including a visit to the 3 different film locations on the River Anduin.
Overnight: Te Anau.
Day 8
TE ANAU - MILFORD SOUND - QUEENSTOWN
Pass through pristine beech forests and the Homer Tunnel to view the majesty of Mitre Peak and Bowen Falls aboard a scenic cruise on Milford Sound. Sit back and relax as you journey back around Lake Wakatipu to Queenstown.
Overnight: Queenstown.
Day 9
QUEENSTOWN
Your tour concludes this morning on check-out.
- Transport
- 8 nights accommodation
- Waitomo Glowworm Caves
- Explore Hobbiton and The Shire then stop for a drink at the Green Dragon Inn
- Flights from Rotorua to Christchurch
- Visit Edoras and other Christchurch locations
- Scenic Mt Cook and Lake Tekapo
- ‘Safari of the Scenes’ Queenstown location tour
- “Trails of Middle Earth” Queenstown location tour
- Jetboat down the River Anduin
- Spectacular Milford Sound cruise including lunch
