Join us on an epic Tour through Middle-Earthtm New Zealand
Red Carpet Tours are the original and premier Lord of the Rings tour company operating since 2001. Join us on our next journey and be a part of a fellowship of like-minded people as we travel through stunning Middle-earth, New Zealand.
Middle-earth, LOTR, The Hobbit, One Ring and The Lord of The Rings, and the characters, places, items and events therein are trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises and are used with permission by Red Carpet Tours.
Lord of The Rings Filming Locations Visited
Our New Zealand Lord of the Rings tours include many movie locations such as Hobbiton and Trollshaw in The North Island, to Laketown and Edoras in the South Island! All of these beautiful places are instantly recognisable in real life.
What makes our tours special
100% kiwi guides
The only authorised LOTR Tour company
Family owned and operated
Exclusive access to LOTR movie locations
Fan based and focused
Operating since 2001 with 5 star reviews
Our Tours
Our Tour options range from 6 to 14 days long and feature amazing key filming locations from both movie trilogies!
14 Day LOTR Tour
This 14 day Lord of the Rings New Zealand adventure is our most popular tour. Take a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Middle-earth, traveling from...
12 Day Winter Lord of the Rings Tour
This 12 day New Zealand Winter Lord of the Rings Tour is not to be missed. Take a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Middle-earth, traveling from...
September Hobbit Celebration Tour
Our special 12 day Lord Of The Rings tour will take you on a Middle-earth adventure from Queenstown through to Auckland. This particular tour...
Deals and Specials
LOTR December Anniversary Tour
Join us this December for an exclusive Lord of the Rings Film Anniversary...
Winter Tours of Middle-earth
This 12 day Lord of the Rings New Zealand adventure is designed specially...
Featured Posts
Read our latest blog to keep up to date with Middle-earth news
Weta Workshop Unleashed
02 January 2021
Weta Workshop Unleashed is an extension of their creative work and reflects all the talented people who work on the films
Artists of Film
28 August 2020
A Weta Workshop Artist, Reece Dixon shares with us some insights into his career with Weta and the pieces of art he has worked on for films.
Getting used to the new normal
01 May 2020
As the world adjusts to the new normal we want to keep you all updated as we get through this together, so here is what you need to know about
What people have said
My second tour through Middle Earth (New Zealand) was just as wonderful as the first, the locations you are taken to are just amazing. Best suited for people with interest in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, you make so many friends throughout your journey that you become your own...
Lisa S
Red Carpet Tours is a fabulous company - been with them 3 times. I agree with others posted here that it is the BEST way to see New Zealand, especially if you are a "Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" fan - and even if you're not! From all the Magnificent New Zealand...
John N
This is the best and ONLY way for a LOtR/Hobbit fan to experience New Zealand. Julie and her team are fantastic, knowledgeable people who, you can tell, put so much time and effort into making sure your experience with them is an amazing one! You will not regret choosing them as your guides...
Stephanie B
Amazing and so well worth it! Days in a row of just being excited for something alone was something special to me but also meeting like-minded people who were so accepting and fun was fantastic! Julie James is a treasure - handles everything with grace and was just everything you want in a tour...
Tracy E
With Julie James as our guide (Feb. 2018) on the 14 day tour... it was excellent! She always took every effort and opportunity to see to everyone's requests. The hotels we stayed in were wonderful. The meals were delicious. But the tour itself??? Awesome!!! We had big LOTR and the Hobbit...
Katherine C
Just returned as part of the February 2023 Fellowship with Red Carpet Tours and it was one of the best trips of my life. I've been wanting to do this for years and was worried my expectations might be too high, but it was amazing and I wish it didn't have to end! Love the family...
Emily V
Just concluded my third trip with Red Carpet Tours. 5 stars for the 3rd time running! Excellent planning and attention to detail by the James Family and fabulous guiding by Julie. Once again, a very lovely, friendly ‘Fellowship’ of travellers with a common interest. You might expect...
Sue B
This was a trip of a lifetime. I honestly couldn’t imagine seeing Middle Earth any other way. Julie is amazing and truly cultivated an experience that I will treasure forever. If you’re thinking about booking this trip—just do it. I promise that you will have the time of your life.
Brenna M
Traveling New Zealand with RCT and Julie was amazing. It was the trip of a lifetime (but I hope to do it again!). It was very well put together and we got to see such amazing sites and do so many awesome things. I can't even name what my favorite part of the whole tour was because it was...
Lynn S
Everything about this tour was amazing! Our tour guide Julie is a true LOTR fan, and made sure everybody was looked after. The locations were well researched and meaningful. Even after the tour ended, Julie has kept in touch as we all went our separate ways and travelled home to various parts of...
Jody R