| 14 Day Lord of The RingsBudget Motorhomes | Itineraries | Auckland Itineraries Overview | 14 Day Lord of The Rings Auckland to Auckland.
This short tour takes in the best of the North Island's Lord of the Rings' locations, plus some of the New Zealand's most scenic areas, in an 8 day self drive tour from Auckland.
Day one: Auckland - The City of Sails
Upon arrival at Auckland Airport, pick up your rental vehicle. This day is free for you to relax and explore the city area.
Places to visit:
Viaduct Basin. This vibrant waterfront precinct was developed to provide a focus for America's Cup Yacht Race. Great also for nighttime entertainment with it's many cafes and bars.
Sky City. Towering at a height of 328 meters, this is one of New Zealand's most popular entertainment destinations. With 2 casinos, ten restaurants and bars, and from the Observation level the best view of Auckland City and surrounding areas.
Shopping. Queen Street, Vulcan Lane, High Street, O'Connell Street and Chancery.
Day two: Auckland - Hobbiton
Drive to Hobbiton (Alias Matamata).
Hobbiton Movie Set Tours, 2 Hours - Cost: NZ$ P.O.A.
Hobbiton is situated on a privately owned 10 hectare working sheep farm that was transformed into the Shire for the Lord of the Rings. Here your tour guide will escort you through the site, recounting fascinating details of how the Hobbiton set was created and the area was transformed into the Shire. A few Hobbit holes are still remaining, as are some of the paths and the Party tree. There is plenty of opportunity for photographs.
N.B. Tour times must be pre-arranged. The first one departs from the Matamata Information Centre at 9.30am and they leave every 75 minutes thereafter with the last tour departing at 3.45pm. - Times can vary according to the season.
Day three: Hobbition - Rotorua
Drive south to Rotorua. Approx. 3.5 hours. Rotorua is one of the Pacific's most active thermal areas and is a place of vibrant Maori culture and great natural beauty. You can view magnificent examples of mud pools, geyers and steaming fumaroles. Some of the many geothermal areas are Wai-o-tapu, Waimangu or Hell's Gate. Surrounding Rotorua are 14 beautiful lakes offering fishing, water sports or maybe try your hand at whitewater rafting, luging or tandem skydiving. Visit a marae, enjoy a concert and hangi (traditional Maori meal).
Day four: Rotorua
Today is free for you to explore this exciting area. Stand upon active volcanoes, peer into massive craters, see boiling mud, exploding geysers and the unspoiled native forests.
Day five: Rotorua - Taupo
Drive toTaupo. This area is were scenes involving the dark lord Sauron's domain of Mordor are represented in the films by the rocky plateau of Tongariro National Park just a short drive from Taupo. View Mount Tongariro which served as the menacing Mount Doom and Whakapapa ski area, on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu were the battle marking the end of the Second Age of Middle Earth was filmed during the off-season.
Day six: Taupo to Wellington
Today you will drive to Middle Earth (Alias Wellington) - Approx 5-1/2 hours driving time. Enjoy some of New Zealand's finest scenery along the way. Wellington is New Zealand's capital city and home to our Parliament Buildings. It is set between a magnificent harbour and rolling green hills.
Day seven: Wellington
Visit Middle Earth. Visit many of the Lord of the Rings filming locations. Whilst most of the film sets have since been removed, the scenery of Wellington mirrors that of Middle Earth.
Your Option of:
+A Half Day Tour of Filming Locations - Cost: NZ$ P.O.A.
Visit the filming locations of the Gardens of Isengrad, the felling of the Orc Tree, Anduin River, Helms Deep and Minas Tirith, the Fords of Isen, Dunharrow and Rivendel. Go to the Mount Victoria lookout and Hobbiton Woods where you can race to the Ferry and get off the Road.
Rover Ring Tour - Cost: NZ$ P.O.A
On this Full Day tour you will explore Greater Wellington with a focus on the film locations used during filming of Lord of the Rings including the Outskirts of the Shire, The Race to the Ferry, Dunharrow, Village of Bree, Rivendell, Fords of Isen, Gardens of Isengard, River Anduin, Minas Tirth and Helms Deep. You will cover a lot of ground, but there is enough time to explore for yourself how the movies were made.
Middle Earth Deluxe Tour - Cost: NZ$ P.O.A.
This tour has the added exhilaration of a helicopter trip over the amazing limestone formations that formed the Dimholt Road. Your lunch is served in luxurious vineyard surroundings before you are whisked back to Wellington to resume your tour. These tours are fun, organised, personal and relaxing.
Day eight: Wellington
Today is free for you to Explore our Capital City
Te Papa - Te Papa is more than a museum. Te Papa tells the stories of a living nation - our land, people, culture and history. Check for special displays. Te Papa also has a fully licenced café, an intimate espresso bar and a world-class restaurant.
The Wellington Cable Car - Cable Car Lane, 280 Lambton Quay. This is one of Wellington's most popular attractions. Your journey will begin at Lambton Quay with the cable car running to the top of the Botanical Gardens where the Cable Car Museum the Observatory and the Planetarium are located. From there you can either take a return trip or take a walk through the beautiful gardens and the historic suburb of Thorndon.
Visitor Tours of Parliament - Free Tours of our Parliament Buildings operate every day on the hour. Tours take approximately 1 hour. Weekdays tours commence at 10.am with the last tour at 4pm. Saturdays and Public Holidays tours commence at 10am with the last tour at 3pm. Sundays tours commence at 12 noon with the last our at 3pm.
Day nine: Wellington - Taupo
Drive North via Kapiti Coast to Taupo. Kapiti Coast is a popular stretch of coastline north of Wellington with many beachside communities. An hour's drive north of Wellington the countryside near Otaki became the East Road from Hobbiton, and the last homely house of the Elves, Rivendell. Waitarere Forest, just south of Foxton, was used for filming scenes in Osgiliath Wood and Trollshaw Forest. Continue your drive to Taupo staying overnight.
Day ten: Taupo
Today is free for you to relax and enjoy more of Tongariro National Park or the many thermal areas surrounding Taupo.
Day eleven: Taupo - Waitomo
Today you are to drive across to Waitomo, home to the famous Waitomo Caves. Approx. 2-1/2 hours driving time. The Caves are the area's best-known natural attraction with their vast caverns full of eerie stalactite and stalagmite formations. A network of limestone caves, they are home to thousands of glowworms. Take a tour of the caves to admire the glowworms by boat, walks or blackwater rafting.
Day twelve and thirteen: Waitomo - Auckland
Drive back to Auckland. The next 2 days are free to Explore Auckland City.
Day fourteen: Auckland
Drop off your rental vehicle as per your Rental Agreement. Check-in in time for your return flight home.
|  |
|
Budget Motorhomes | Itineraries | Auckland Itineraries Overview | 14 Day Lord of The Rings |
