Below are a few of the most commonly asked questions we receive. If you have a question about Red Carpet Tours that is not answered below, send us an email.

But all those backdrops in the film were CGI weren't they?

A: No, a lot of them were only enhanced in minor ways. You will instantly recognise where you are in the film, with the locations the Red Carpet visits.

Weren't the sets taken down after filming was over?

A: Yes, but the landscape itself evokes the drama that took place there. Here's some reactions from the December 2002 tour group:

"…everyone is a little nervous about walking towards the site itself which is still hidden over the brow of the hill. This is the first site we've been to, in theory the most recognisable of all of the filming locations and if this doesn't live up to expectations and it proves hard to recognise the place from the film then the whole tour will have a dark cloud looming over it.

"But, in keeping with the sunshine of the day, we're all knocked back as we come over the hill to gaze into Hobbiton itself. It's all there... Bag End, the Party tree, Bagshot row and over a dozen Hobbit holes still in the hillsides. Although there's none of the set dressing left, no gardens or frontages to the holes, there's still so much more than we were expecting." - Ben's Tour Diary.

" You need but little imagination to make it all come alive again." - Tanja's Tour Diary

And imagination is something that LOTR fans do not lack!

"Walking in there, you know exactly where you are. It's fantastic. I even took the opportunity to sit down where Bilbo and Gandalf had their smoke before the party and wrote in my journal for a minute. The experience of being there was…Well, you kinda had to be there." - Josh's Tour Diary.

"Among the most dramatic scenery in The Two Towers is the grassy mountain valley in which the Rohan capital of Edoras is built. Almost no computer graphics are used in the creation of the town…Sadly none of the buildings remain but you can make out the locations for the royal burial cairns and the path leading up to the gate. Exploring the site was a bit like doing some archaeology, having to try and locate clues to the existence of different structures and line up terrain features to the few photos and memories we all had. The hill itself was easily recognisable from every angle… Once we got to the base of the hill it's a steep hike up to the top but once you are there the adrenaline buzz is amazing as it's one of the most recognisable places we've been to. I must have used an entire roll of film in the couple of hours we were there." - Ben's Tour Diary.

Aren't some of these film locations on inaccessible private farms?

A: Inaccessible to most people! Red Carpet has exclusive contracts with the owners of the properties which allow our tour groups access; in many cases the owners saw and participated in months of filming and are happy to share their memories of the film project.

"Reach today's final destination at around 5:30 p.m.: Twizel, a.k.a the Pelennor Fields. Friendly greeting by owners of farm, Simon and Priscilla, as well as cute little dog. Learn Priscilla has been an orc-extra ("I'm one of the little, multiplied dots."). Extremely hard to believe! Must have been nicest orc in middle-earth… Learn film crew spent 4 weeks on farm, working with over 300 horses, 600 extras and a big blue screen in front of hill. Don't envy Rohan-Riders that much anymore, now knowing they spent up to 10 hours a day on horseback. In armour. False beards glued to their face. Do however envy Simon and Priscilla for experience of having more than one hundred horses galloping through their backyard at 40 km/h. Awesome!" - Tanja's Tour Diary

I've never been on a guided coach tour before and I don't usually hang around with Lord of the Rings fans. Aren't I committing myself to a week or two in the company of mainly white male mid-twenties geeks with no social skills?

 A: That hasn't been our experience, in fact far from it! The people who enjoy the LOTR trilogy enough to book one of our tours have proved to be an intelligent, witty and very diverse group, made up of all ages and all nationalities.

"I was nervous because I'd never been on anything like this before; no roadshows, no conventions, no movie premiers and certainly no themed tours like this one was. I (naively) kind of expected the people on the tour to be all very similar and a lot like the stereotyped sci-fi or fantasy geek. I'm very pleased to be able to report that I was proved very, very wrong." - Ben's Tour Diary

"Yet I think my personal highlight was to realize how close we all got within this short amount of time. In only four days, the group grew to be the 'Fellowship of the Tour'. And sitting in the hotel talking to everybody, realizing how much I'm going to miss all the people who stay behind, really added a great deal to the whole experience." - Tanja's Tour Diary

What sort of accommodation do the tours use?

A: Comfortable hotels, and in many cases the same ones that the cast and crew used.

"I got Elijah's room! That's right, I spent the night in Elijah Wood's bed…For six weeks Elijah slept in the bed that I am currently in. I mean, the entire crew, well, lived here." - Josh's Tour Diary

How long are the tours?

A: There's a standard 12-day tour that covers the North and South Islands; you can elect to do just the North Island (6 days) or the South Island (6 days) Red Carpet also does smaller 'boutique' tours tailored to fit smaller groups or special interest groups. You could combine some hobbit-hunting with a bit of wine tasting or geyser-watching or outdoor activities, for instance. In that case apply to tours chief Vic James info@redcarpet-tours.com.

What does it cost?

A: Here are our current estimates for different tours. Those numbers look pretty big, don't they? But they're in NZ Dollars, which are usually around half the value of the American dollar. You can convert these New Zealand dollar amounts into your currency here.

Tour prices quoted may be subject to alteration due to hotel availability and internal flight costs. Most tours will be by mini-coach, unless numbers exceed 11 passengers.