Itinerary
Day 1 Auckland on arrival you will be transferred by private car to your hotel in the city for an overnight stay at Hotel De Brett.
Day 2 Auckland-Matamata-Rotorua (280 km) please collect your rental car from the Hertz depot. Drive south to Matamata in the Waikato Region and visit the original Hobbiton village set. The remnants of the movie set are on picturesque private farmland. Enjoy a guided tour through the 10 acre site before continuing south to Rotorua for two-night stay at The Springs (Breakfast is included today).
Day 3 Rotorua at leisure for a full day of optional sightseeing. You may like to visit the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, Te Puia Thermal Reserve, the native garden setting of the Rainbow Trout Springs and Kiwi House or the entertaining Agrodome Sheep Show (Breakfast is included).
Day 4 Rotorua-Tongariro National Park (200 km) drive south via Lake Taupo to the Tongariro National Park. Spend two nights in the area at Bayview Chateau Tongariro. (Breakfast is included).
Day 5 Tongariro National Park full day at leisure for optional sightseeing. Visiti the area used to portray Mordor, the battle marking the end of the Second Age of Middle Earth. With blasted volcanic rock, steep bluffs and ash, little imagination is required (Breakfast is included).
Day 6 Tongariro National Park-Wellington (315 km) continue south to Wellington for a two-night stay at Lambton Heights Boutique B&B (Breakfast is included).
Day 7 Wellington at leisure, you may like to visit Mt Victoria which was turned into Outer Shire, or the Embassy Theatre where the Australasian premieres were shown. Nearby, visit the site of the film set for Helm's Deep (set has been removed) (Breakfast is included).
Day 8 Wellington-Picton-Richmond-Nelson (140 km) drop off your rental car and take the InterIslander Ferry across Cook Strait to Picton, where you collect another vehicle for the drive to Richmond, Nelson for an overnight stay. Spend the afternoon at leisure perhaps visiting Jens Hansen Gold and Silversmith - designers of the One Ring. Overnight at Kershaw House (Breakfast is included).
Day 9 Richmond/Nelson-Collingwood (131 km) drive to Collingwood and enjoy unspoilt beaches, striking mountain landscapes and dramatic holes in the earth on route to the 972m summit of Takaka Hill. This area was used as a location for general filming. Continue to Collingwood Homestead for two nights (Breakfast is included).
Day 10 Collingwood explore the nearby Abel Tasman National Park or perhaps journey out to Farewell Spit (Breakfast is included).
Day 11 Collingwood-Hokitika (382 km) head off via Motueka and Murchison to Hokitika on the West Coast following a choice of route. Travelling via Westport is a little longer, but you can visit the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks en route. Overnight at Kapitea Ridge (Breakfast included).
Day 12 Hokitika-Fox Glacier (208 km) continue south to Fox Glacier for one night at Distinction Fox Glacier Te Weheka. Optional tours of the glacier are available (Breakfast is included).
Day 13 Fox Glacier-Wanaka (287 km) drive Haast Pass to lakeside Wanaka, with views towards the Alps that were used as a backdrop in the first film. Overnight at Wanaka Springs Lodge (Breakfast is included).
Day 14 Wanaka-Te Anau (273 km) drive to Queenstown via the Crown Range. At the bottom of the range cross the Kawarau River, which doubled as the Anduin River. Continue to Te Anau, stopping en route to visit the serene Mavora Lakes before reaching Fangorn Forest. Overnight at Fiordland Lodge in a Lodge Room (Dinner & Breakfast included).
Day 15 Te Anau-Manapouri-Doubtful Sound (15 km) journey the short distance to Manapouri and take a cruise across Lake Manapouri passing alpine scenery used in the trilogy. Disembark and travel by coach over Wilmot Pass before boarding the vessel for your overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound. Dinner is included on board. Note: cruise does not operate mid May to end September when an extra night is spent in Te Anau; enjoy instead a full day Doubtful Sound cruise from Manapouri including a picnic lunch on board.
Day 16 Doubtful Sound-Manapouri-Queenstown (185 km) after breakfast on board and a short time to explore, return to Deep Cove and disembark. Return to Manapouri Wharf and continue to Queenstown for three nights at the Dairy Luxury Private Hotel (Breakfast is included).
Day 17 Queenstown take a full day 4WD Safari of the Rings Tour into the heart of New Zealand's high country - the embodiment of Tolkien's Middle Earth and the base of filming for many of the scenes in the films (Breakfast is included).
Day 18 Queenstown drive to the hamlet of Glenorchy and board the Dart River Jet combining 1.5 hours jet boating amidst the spectacular scenery of the Southern Alps, a gentle walk in the ancient forests and a back road journey through high country farmland and forests - around Paradise - film location for Lord of the Rings. Afternoon at leisure (Breakfast is included).
Day 19 Queenstown-Mount Cook (263 km) this morning time is available for an optional ‘Trilogy Trail’ helicopter flight with Glenorchy Air, used by the film crew. See numerous locations from the air and at least one landing at an isolated location (approx. 2½ hours, at additional cost). Depart Queenstown and drive to alpine village of Mount Cook. Overnight at The Hermitage Hotel (Breakfast is included).
Day 20 Mount Cook explore Mount Cook and around, including the Tasman Glacier which is 30kms long and more than 3kms across at its widest point. Also worth seeing is the Hochstetter Ice-Fall. There are a wide variety of walking trips available. Overnight as above (Breakfast is included).
Day 21 Christchurch-Christchurch (331 km) depart Mount Cook this morning and drive over the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch. On arrival in Christchurch make your way to the airport and drop off your rental vehicle prior to your departure (Breakfast is included).
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