New Zealand is a popular destination for Tolkien fans since it was the filming location for Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit Trilogies as well as the first Season of Amazon’s Rings of Power TV series.
Tourists can visit 3 main types of locations
- Filming Locations
- Weta Workshop (Jackson’s Company) venues in Auckland and Wellington
- Other attractions
Introduction
With the relatively large number of Tolkien fans visiting New Zealand there are many guides to things to do and companies to help you arrange things. Please read reviews so you know what to expect and can select options according to you budget and interest.
Filming Locations
There are many websites and books covering filming locations for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films. An important thing to remember is that apart from Hobbiton almost all the sites had their sets removed right after filming and have reverted to their natural state.
Books and Websites with overviews of locations
- The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook by Ian Brodle
- The Hobbit Motion Picture Trilogy Location Guidebook by Ian Brodle
- The Lord of the Rings trilogy filming locations at NewZealand.com
- The Hobbit trilogy filming locations at NewZealand.com
- Rings of Power filming locations on Budgetair.co.uk
This is the Hobbit Village set for all the movies. It is near the town of Matamata, 2 hours drive from Auckland. It features various levels of tours and special events.
This is a farm that was used for the Trollshaws in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and some Harfoot scenes in the Rings of Power. Tours can be booked. They are also near The Waitomo Glowworm caves
Wētā Workshop
Wētā Workshop is the company involved in the physical aspect of creating films and other experiences. They build costumes, props, and sets for many projects including the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings film trilogies.
They run tours and other events at their Auckland and Wellington locations as well as hosting Wētā Cave Retail Stores at both locations and online selling collectables
Their main website is tours.wetaworkshop.com and their online store is www.wetanz.com
Wellington – Wētā Workshop Experience
This is located in the Wellington Suburb of Miramar, about 20 minutes drive from the central city. The Wētā Cave retail store is located right next to the Workshop.
The Venue offers many sorts of paid experiences. These start at a guided tour of the exhibits as well as Creative Workshops and special events
Auckland – Wētā Workshop Unleashed
This is a smaller venue located near the centre of Auckland Central Business District opposite The Skytower. It offers tours and also hosts a Wētā Cave Retail Store.
More information on Wētā Venues
- The Main website – Lost of information here and ability to book ahead
- Reviews
Other Tolkien-related attractions In New Zealand
The One Room Fan Museum is small museum devoted to the movies. It features original memorabilia as well as replica props and costumes that you can try on etc. It is located in Wellington, a short distance from the city centre.
The main terminal area of Wellington Airport has two suspended Giant Eagles from the Lord of the Rings movies. One of them has Gandalf riding on it. In the past there was also a statue of Gollum but this was removed.