Wellington Tours

Whether it’s your first time in Wellington or you just want to see as much as possible during your time in port, this half-day sightseeing tour offers a great introduction to the city and a diverse range of sights. Visit the iconic Weta Cave and the historic Old St. Paul’s Cathedral, ride the Wellington cable car to the top of the city, and enjoy panoramic views from the top of Mount Victoria.

Combine award-winning wine and gorgeous scenery on a full-day tour from Wellington to Martinborough that also explores Hutt Valley, the Rimutaka Ranges, the Wairarapa coast, and Lake Onoke. You'll visit Martinborough wineries for cellar tours and tastings, pause for lunch in a vineyard restaurant, then eat dinner at the edge of Lake Onoke after a short shoreline hike. This Martinborough wine tour includes meals and a wine tasting, and it's limited to 11 people to ensure personalized service.

Board the InterIslander ferry for a 3-hour cruise across Cook Strait, which links New Zealand’s capital city in the North Island to a charming enclave in the South Island. The Wellington-to-Picton ferry offers daily service one way, with jaw-dropping views along one of the world’s most scenic waterways.

Kapiti Island is one of New Zealand’s best-kept nature sanctuaries and a predator-free haven for native birds. On this day trip to the island, take a ferry from Paraparaumu Beach and spend your day walking the island, identifying kākā, kōkako, kererū and more with the help of your nature guide. Enjoy a chef-prepared lunch on the island before you head back to the mainland.

We make our way up to the Mount Victoria Lookout to see spectacular views of Wellington’s city by driving up Courtenay Place, past the Embassy Picture Theatre which held two world premieres; The last LOTR instalment The Return of the King (2003), and the first Hobbit movie An Unexpected Journey (2012). Then it is off to Hobbiton Woods where the filming of his epic trilogy began. Home of the Shortcut to Mushrooms scene; Sam & Frodo’s Second Breakfast; the location where the Hobbits hid from the Black Rider (“Get off the Road!”); the Race to the Buckleberry Ferry scene; and King Théoden’s Dunharrow Encampment. Now we are off to the Weta Workshop in Miramar. for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour where you see how props plus weaponry are made and probably maybe meet artists at work. At the Weta Cave see and have photos with Gollum, Lurtz the Uruk-hai, Bilbo’s three Trolls. The tour concludes with a drive around the bays where you will enjoy the delights of a ‘Rivendell Ripple’.

Sip your way around Martinborough — a once sleepy colonial town that’s now a prominent wine village at the heart of the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail — on this private day trip from Wellington. Following hotel or port pickup and a scenic drive through the Wairarapa, you’ll visit three of Martinborough’s renowned wineries. Enjoy a guided wine tasting at each and a lunch platter with wine at Poppies Martinborough. Then, choose to continue hopping around Martinborough’s wineries or travel to nearby Greytown, whose pretty streets are thronged with cafes and antique stores.

First stop is Dry Creek Quarry site of Helm’s Deep and Minas Tirith. Then the River Anduin where the Fellowship travelled to Amon Hen, Gardens of Isengard -Gandalf met Saruman to discuss the Ring, where Saruman’s Orcs destroy the gardens. Rivendell home of the Elves. More adventurous may cross swing bridge. Lunch at a local cafe (not included in tour price). Weta Workshop seeing how props, weaponry are made, maybe meet artists at work and see sets from Thunderbirds. Meet Gollum, Lurtz the Uruk-hai, Bilbo’s Trolls. Hobbiton Woods where the trilogy began. Shortcut to Mushrooms scene; Sam & Frodo’s Second Breakfast; where Hobbits hid from the Black Rider (“Get off the Road!”); Race to the Buckleberry Ferry scene; King Théoden’s Dunharrow Encampment. Mount Victoria Lookout to see views of Wellington. Back into the city Courtenay Place, the Embassy Picture Theatre which held two world premieres; The Return of the King (2003), first Hobbit movie An Unexpected Journey (2012).

An hour or so north of Wellington, Martinborough is fast making a name for itself as one of the Southern Hemisphere’s leading wine regions. Each weekend, Wellingtonians make the trek over the Remutakas to escape to this European-style wine village. This small group tour is a convenient way to visit Martinborough. There’s no need to stress about driving on country backroads, and no need to plan the day’s itinerary - leaving you to focus on the wine and the iconic scenery.

Take the scenic route from Wellington to Auckland and enjoy one of New Zealand’s most spectacular train routes. Hop aboard for a dramatic journey through the Tongariro National Park, passing along the Kapiti Coast, through the Waikato countryside, and beneath the towering peaks of Tongariro, Ngauruhoe, and Ruapehu mountains.

Wellington, New Zealand, is home to an entire community of creative Wētā Workshop artisans who’ve brought life to such films as The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies, King Kong, The Chronicles of Narnia, Avatar, and many others. Wētā Workshop is your gateway to filmmaking creativity. Join our guided tours and learn about the making of movie effects, from armour to weapons, creatures to costumes, make-up to miniatures, and more!

Get out of Wellington for the day and explore scenic wine-making country in South Wairarapa on a private tour. One benefit of going with a guide and driver is you can sample local wines without worrying about driving home. Visit two wineries, scenic Cape Palliser Lighthouse, and a seal colony, and relax over lunch at a top restaurant in Martinborough.

Tick off the top attractions of the Windy City on this private full-day tour of Wellington. Experience the myriad delights of New Zealand’s capital as you take in the views from Mt Victoria, spot seals at Red Rocks, then go behind-the-scenes with a 45-minute tour of the Weta Cave, where the special effects for Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were created. After a scrumptious lunch at the Chocolate Fish Café (included), ride the cable car over Wellington and visit landmarks like the Botanical Gardens, the Parliament Buildings and the Beehive.

Take a break from the city and spend the day in Martinborough, one of the finest food and drink destinations in the North Island. Enjoy the views as you leave Wellington and cross the Remutaka Ranges into the Wairarapa region. Visit a cheese factory, a chocolatier, and a winery, tasting some of the finest local produce as you go. Spend some free time in Martinborough at the end, sampling more food if you wish.

Gain entry to Zealandia at night and take a guided tour of Zealandia: The Exhibition, which showcases New Zealand’s natural history. Interact with a life-size model moa and Haast’s eagle — both extinct — and learn about the country’s conservation efforts to preserve other native species. Located just minutes from central Wellington, Zealandia includes a night tour of Sanctuary Valley, a fenced eco-sanctuary and safe haven for endemic animal and bird species such as the nocturnal little spotted kiwi.

Discover the top attractions of Wellington on this all-day guided tour. The itinerary includes a drive up to the top of Mount Victoria for the views, a visit to Weta Studios on the Miramar Peninsula to see where "Lord of the Rings" was filmed (if option selected), a ride on the Wellington Cable Car, plus stops at the Lady Norwood Rose Garden and Old St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Your tour is your tour only! No mixed groups! You get to have your own dedicated Driver/Guide and 'Memory Creator' for your entire tour. Enjoy a 7 hour private tour capturing the best of Wellington - Oriental Bay, Mt Victoria, Weta Cave & Workshop, Massey, Wahine and Ataturk memorials, scenic drive of Eastern and Southern bays, Wellington Wind Turbine at Brooklyn, Pukeahu National War Memorial Park/Tomb of Unknown Soldier, Wellington Cable Car, Parliament Buildings and Old St Pauls Cathedral.

Wellington’s south coast is both a popular choice and a missed opportunity for visitors; although a visit to Weta Workshop is a popular choice, many visitors pass up the chance to see the rocky beaches and rough surf that Wellington locals have learned to love. From the Weta Cave to the Taputarenga Marine Reserve, this small group tour offers the full south coast experience.

Zealandia is the world’s first fully fenced urban eco-sanctuary and home to some of New Zealand’s most extraordinary wildlife. This 2-hour guided walking tour will introduce you to native birds such as kakariki, tui, and bellbirds; rare species like takahē; and unique reptiles including green gecko and tuatara. Entrance fees are included.

Experience the wildlife of New Zealand in the early evening with a guided 2,5-hour tour of Zealandia, a wildlife sanctuary located on the outskirts of Wellington. This after-hours tour takes place during the most active period for many resident animals, when they transition from daytime to nighttime activity. You may observe birds returning to their nests, hear nocturnal birds waking up, and learn how the sanctuary restores native habitat.

Escape from Wellington for the day on this private fully-day tour of the beautiful Kapiti Coast. Enjoy a variety of sights and attractions to suit your needs and interests, including the views from Paekakariki Hill, the Nga Manu Wildlife Centre, and the Tuatara Brewery. This is an ideal tour for travelers short on time in the Wellington region who want to explore beyond the city.

The hills around Wellington offer a spectacular backdrop for a cycling tour, but you don’t need to worry about biking uphill. This 4-hour electric bike tour takes all the effort out of cycling, so you can concentrate on admiring the sights and enjoying the views.

Wellington rafting's Grade 3 wilderness river tour is the closest wilderness river tour to any city in New Zealand, only 45 minutes from the city the forest you travel through is untouched ancient New Zealand flora. The scenery is outstanding with it's cascading waterfalls and 1000 year old native podocarp's reaching to the sky, this tour is the best grade 3 wilderness tour in New Zealand. The river section is mostly gorge and has over 50 exciting rapids to get you buzzing, the river is flow dependent so catching it after rain makes a more exciting river tour. We embrace the indigenous New Zealand culture and include interpretation of the Maori culture. Staff at Wellington Rafting a full of life and live to share the fun loving culture of the river with you.

Gather a group of friends and prepare for two hours of exciting, challenging fun in Wellington. This private immersive activity focuses around the old mystery of the lost city of Atlantis. Via puzzles and riddles, gadgets and technology, and good old-fashioned teamwork, your aim is to solve the mystery and escape before time runs out.

If you’re reading this then you probably like beer. You might even enjoy a good time and a few laughs. Then you should definitely keep reading. Our flagship tour is a great introduction to Craft Beer and to Wellingtons celebrated Craft Beer scene. Enjoy an all inclusive beer adventure with behind the scenes access to 4 of the capitals best Breweries including Fork & Brewer, Heyday Beer Co, Fortune Favours and Whistling Sisters. Along the way you’ll get to taste some of their award winning beers. But wait! “There is more”. The tour is fully guided and includes beer tastings, delicious food, transportation and most importantly, a really really good time! "We don't want to give you just a tour, we want to give you an experience".