Film Locations
From Hobbiton to Laketown, where The Lord of the Rings™ and Hobbit™ movies were filmed in a wide variety of magical locations in New Zealand’s North and South Islands. Many of these beautiful places barely required any CGI enhancement in post-production, so they are instantly recognizable in real life!
Have we tempted you Frodo? Then journey onwards to our Lord of the Rings™ (LOTR) tour options!
In the midst of endless rolling green hills flecked with white sheep is the village of Hobbiton. Be prepared to be transported to the peaceful region of Middle-earth™ where Bilbo Baggins lived and the
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Although the area is better known for the Waitomo Caves and glow worms, the Mangaotaki Valley near Piopio also featured in The Hobbit where it became the location for Staddle Farm and Trollshaw Forest
Trollshaw
Pelorus River is a stunning location where Bilbo and the 13 Dwarves had to ride down the rapids in their barrels!
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Wellington is in many ways the heart of the movie fan's experience, being the home to the Weta Workshop & Cave, Weta Digital, Park Road Post Productions,Motion Capture Studio & Stone Street Studios.
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Nelson is one of New Zealand's sunniest regions with three National Parks that extend from the mountains to the sea, forming some magnificent Middle-earth locations.
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Twizel was purpose-built in the 1960s to provide a home for workers involved with the Upper Waitaki Power Scheme.The cast spent one month here for filming.
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This southern city is the gateway to the vast open Canterbury landscapes and a great base from which to approach Edoras and Lake-town.
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Lake Pukaki is the largest lake in the area, and it proudly shows off New Zealand’s tallest peak, Aoraki/ Mount Cook.
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The surrounding landscape of Queenstown played a key role in The Lord of the Rings films; you can discover a range of memorable sites.
Learn MoreWhat people have said
Traveling New Zealand with RCT and Julie was amazing. It was the trip of a lifetime (but I hope to do it again!). It was very well put together and we got to see such amazing sites and do so many awesome things. I can't even name what my favorite part of the whole tour was because it was...
Lynn S
My second tour through Middle Earth (New Zealand) was just as wonderful as the first, the locations you are taken to are just amazing. Best suited for people with interest in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, you make so many friends throughout your journey that you become your own...
Lisa S
With Julie James as our guide (Feb. 2018) on the 14 day tour... it was excellent! She always took every effort and opportunity to see to everyone's requests. The hotels we stayed in were wonderful. The meals were delicious. But the tour itself??? Awesome!!! We had big LOTR and the Hobbit...
Katherine C
Just concluded my third trip with Red Carpet Tours. 5 stars for the 3rd time running! Excellent planning and attention to detail by the James Family and fabulous guiding by Julie. Once again, a very lovely, friendly ‘Fellowship’ of travellers with a common interest. You might expect...
Sue B
I went solo and am a bit of an introvert, but Julie and the rest of the tour members made this an unforgettable experience and made me feel right at home. This was number one on my bucket list and it exceeded my expectations across the board. If you're contemplating booking this tour, just...
Jordan M
This was a trip of a lifetime. I honestly couldn’t imagine seeing Middle Earth any other way. Julie is amazing and truly cultivated an experience that I will treasure forever. If you’re thinking about booking this trip—just do it. I promise that you will have the time of your life.
Brenna M
This tour changed my life, Julie and Josh were amazing tour guides, everywhere we went was stunning. I could not have asked for anything more from them. Even where there were some hiccups outside of anyone’s control Julie and the team worked tirelessly to ensure we had the best experience...
Jon
Amazing and so well worth it! Days in a row of just being excited for something alone was something special to me but also meeting like-minded people who were so accepting and fun was fantastic! Julie James is a treasure - handles everything with grace and was just everything you want in a tour...
Tracy E
This is the best and ONLY way for a LOtR/Hobbit fan to experience New Zealand. Julie and her team are fantastic, knowledgeable people who, you can tell, put so much time and effort into making sure your experience with them is an amazing one! You will not regret choosing them as your guides...
Stephanie B
"Exceptional! Marvellous! Outstanding! Just a few of the words I could use to describe how fabulous the Red Carpet Tours winter Lord of the Rings tour was. The organisation from beginning to end couldn’t be faulted. Hotels were carefully selected for location and quality. The days...
Judith S