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Middle Earth Tour: Explore Iconic Film Locations
5.0
304 Ratings
Queenstown
Embark on a half-day Lord of the Rings tour. Visit iconic film locations, enjoy scenic views, and immerse yourself in Middle Earth lore.
Embark on a half-day Lord of the Rings tour. Visit iconic film locations, enjoy scenic views, and immerse yourself in Middle Earth lore.
Duration:
4 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Skippers Canyon - Visit the Skippers Canyon Lookout to experience New Zealand’s renowned “Most Dangerous Road.” This location offers not only breathtaking views but is also a filming site for the Lord of the Rings, situated deeper within the canyon. Following this, stop at the nearby Coronet Viewpoint to admire the expansive views of the Wakatipu…
- Skippers Canyon - Visit the Skippers Canyon Lookout to experience New Zealand’s renowned “Most Dangerous Road.” This location offers not only breathtaking views but is also a filming site for the Lord of the Rings, situated deeper within the canyon. Following this, stop at the nearby Coronet Viewpoint to admire the expansive views of the Wakatipu Basin and plan the journey from a bird’s-eye perspective. (These stops are subject to weather conditions.)
- Arrowtown - Recognized as New Zealand’s ‘Most Beautiful Small Town’ in 2020 and 2023. Discover the gold rush history of this charming village that seems to have stepped out of the 1800s. Explore two Lord of the Rings filming locations within a short walk from town, and enjoy morning or afternoon tea in this quaint setting.
- Gibbston - Central Otago’s Premier Wine Region. Visit a remarkable Lord of the Rings filming location and learn about the production stories along with the region’s winegrowing history. Witness thrill-seekers leaping from the world’s first commercial bungee jump at the Historic Kawarau Bridge.
- Lake Hayes - Travel to this picturesque and tranquil lake, offering stunning views of the surrounding mountains reminiscent of Middle Earth. Spend time here enjoying the peace and engaging with Authentic Replica Props. Dress up as your favorite LOTR characters and wield lifelike swords, daggers, axes, and helmets from your favorite fantasy trilogy!
What's Included
- Photos with Authentic Props
- Largest selection of Authentic Licensed replica props
- Tea and coffee
- Copies of original scripts and production call sheets
- Photos with Authentic Props
- Largest selection of Authentic Licensed replica props
- Tea and coffee
- Copies of original scripts and production call sheets
What's Not Included
- For children under 7 please bring child seat or message us to arrange one at an additional charge
- For children under 7 please bring child seat or message us to arrange one at an additional charge
Additional Information
Epic Adventures to the Real Middle Earth and Back Again! Join our Lord of the Rings “Nerds” aka tour guides who have superior knowledge on all things “Rings”. We’ll take you to the original film locations and put YOU in the scene while narrating humorous and intriguing tales from the time of filming. Join us for your personalised journey through the…
Epic Adventures to the Real Middle Earth and Back Again! Join our Lord of the Rings “Nerds” aka tour guides who have superior knowledge on all things “Rings”. We’ll take you to the original film locations and put YOU in the scene while narrating humorous and intriguing tales from the time of filming. Join us for your personalised journey through the real Middle Earth. Our scenic Half Day Tour includes visiting Skippers Canyon Lookout (weather permitting), Arrowtown, The Gibbston Valley and Lake Hayes. You will be able to enjoy Lord Of The Rings locations such as The Ford of Bruinen, The Gladden Fields, The Pillars of the Kings and More! This tour includes Morning or Afternoon Tea and Snacks, Photos with Authentic Props as we have the largest selection of Authentic Licensed replica props! We also have copies of the original scripts and production call sheets, adding so much more depth to your Middle Earth experience!
- Travel time between locations was included on the total tour duration.
- Children 6 years and under require a child seat by NZ law. Please let us know if you have your own or would like to rent one from us (fees apply).
- Children under 5 years not permitted. Please book a private tour for Families with Children under 5.
- Not recommended for travelers who cannot walk more than 10mins on uneven ground. There is 1 walk where people unable to walk may have to wait for up to 20 mins.
Location
43 Camp Street
Camp Street
In front of the station building on the corner of Camp St and Shotover St. There are wooden benches for waiting right where the buses pull up.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(304 Ratings)
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Rw549
Mar 25, 2026
Fantastic Lord of the Rings tour - Absolutely brilliant. Ian our tour guide was really knowledgeable. Not only that he also was able to answer questions on the geology of the area. It was a small group which was great. We had a fabulous time and I would definitely recommend. Even if you are not a full blown Lord of the Rings fan. You would still enjoy this experience. Thank you for a great afternoon.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mgreene16
Mar 24, 2026
One of the highlights of our time in New Zealand - Wonderful tour whether you're a casual viewer of the movies or an in-depth aficionado. The tour was part in-depth visits to LOTR movie locations, and part wonderful scenic tour of the greater Queenstown area. Our guide Benji was informative and accommodating and made the tour a delight. He started by learning about everyone's depth of knowledge and tailored his discussion to everyone. We went to numerous places in a relatively short amount of time. Benji basically had all the movies memorized and could quote any scenes. He also had tons of backlot stories about the filming and actors.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jameslg1928qk
Mar 22, 2026
I am so glad we booked this tour! - Benji, our guide, was a walking encyclopedia of LOR facts. He made the whole trip come alive. The combination of narrative, visuals, New Zealand beauty, and Benji's non-stop enthusiasm made this an unforgettable event for us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christinam802
Mar 19, 2026
Excellent Tour - We loved the Trails Of Middle Earth Half Day LOTR Tour. Our tour guide, Benji, was amazing. He was very knowledgeable and shared lot of facts, trivia and cool stories about the movies, books and New Zealand. The scenery and filming locations that we visited were stunningly beautiful. We loved that it was a small group and felt that we had plenty of time to take in the sites and take photos. Also getting to dress up and cosplay was very fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elizabeth_m
Mar 17, 2026
Amazing tour experience with props!! - Our guide Eby was extremely knowlegable and made the trip so much fun! Super love that they had props for us to reenact scenes from the movies! Had a truly remarkable experience! Highly recommended if you're a crazy LOTR fan!
Review provided by Viator
Mikea4078
Mar 16, 2026
Queenstown to Middle Earth (Glenorcy) - We toured with Bengi who from start to finish kept us enthralled with his knowledge of the whole of Tolkins world as well as testing ours too. Great fun especially the cos play. We did the Glenorcy side which was spectacular, you are immersed into middle earth and feel far away from our civilization.
Well done Bengi a fantastic entertaining host, wish we could give more stars.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marilyn_g
Mar 15, 2026
Fantastic scenic views and movie locations tour - Wonderful tour whether you're a casual viewer of the movies or an in-depth aficionado. The tour was part in-depth visits to LOTR movie locations, and part wonderful scenic tour of the greater Queenstown area. Benjy was informative and accommodating and made the tour a delight. We went so many places in a relatively short amount of time.
Review provided by Viator
Garryp976
Mar 13, 2026
Great family day out - Very knowledgeable tour guide Shane and the added props including outfits and movie scenes made it a sensational day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Geoffph2307yg
Mar 13, 2026
Middle Earth - Absolutely fantastic Shane our guide was very informative
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yee747
Mar 12, 2026
Fun Tour! - Eby was the guide for this half day tour (I chose the afternoon one). He was funny, enthusiastic and knowledgable about all things Lord of the Rings. He helped take photos and had props and costumes for everyone too. I had a great time! Thanks again Eby!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
