Visit Middle‑earth™ with these iconic ‘The Lord of the Rings’ film tours.
It only took a year and a half to film both ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ trilogies, but the legacy these films have left behind has lasted for decades.
The films were a remarkable achievement for a niche film industry, which rallied itself, as if on steroids, to create more than 150,000 objects and produce the groundbreaking special effects needed to bring a cinematic version of Middle‑earth™ to life.
And much of this output is still on display.
See the filming location for The Shire at Hobbiton™ Movie Set Tours(opens in new window). The former film set comprises forty-four hobbit holes, a millhouse, and the Green Dragon Inn. To mark the attraction’s 20th anniversary, two hobbit holes have been excavated and authentically decorated by illustrators and designers who worked on the films.
Head to the Wētā Workshop Experiences (Wellington) or Wētā Unleashed (Auckland) for a behind-the-scenes look at how the films were made. Originally created simply as a place to send fans who turned up at the studio doors, these tours have grown into a global phenomenon, now ranked alongside the likes of the Warner Bros. tours.
On a Workshop tour, you’ll catch a glimpse inside the working studio to see props being crafted for upcoming films. At Wētā Unleashed, you’ll see massive set pieces from much-loved films. Just expect some light humour – mostly from ‘Jeff,’ an orc-like animatronic that took 60 people almost a year to build but, going by appearances, significantly less time to script for jokes.
