Lord of the Rings - Journey to Edoras from Christchurch
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LIKELY TO SELL OUT*
Lord of the Rings - Journey to Edoras from Christchurch
By Hassle Free Tours
Recommended by 100% of travelers
This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher
Fans of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as anyone who appreciates beautiful landscapes, will love this day tour from Christchurch to Mt. Sunday. The mountain 'played' Edoras in the films, and your guide will point out the spots that featured, plus show you behind-the-scenes photos of filming. It's only accessible be 4WD vehicle, making for a fun and adventurous day out.
from per adult
$191.59
from per adult
$191.59
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 5-99, max of 16 per group
Duration: 9h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
English
Highlights
- Hotel transfers from Christchurch are included
- Pose with replica props from the films
- Hear stories about what went into the filming of the LOTR movies
- A picnic lunch with sparkling wine is included
- Picnic lunch with sparkling wine
- Driver/guide
- Live commentary on board
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
What's not included- Gratuities
- Departure details
- Canterbury Museum, 11 Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch 8013, New Zealand Tours depart from outside the main entrance of the Canterbury Museum on Rolleston Avenue.
Return details- Returns to original departure point
- Not wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2922LOTR01- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Not recommended for child aged 4 and under
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Please wear good footwear and bring along a warm jacket
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- Which attractions will I visit with Lord of the Rings - Journey to Edoras from Christchurch?
- During this experience, places you will visit include:Discover and book Lord of the Rings - Journey to Edoras from Christchurch on Tripadvisor
- How much is Lord of the Rings - Journey to Edoras from Christchurch?
- Lord of the Rings - Journey to Edoras from Christchurch price starts from $190.70. Discover and book Lord of the Rings - Journey to Edoras from Christchurch on Tripadvisor
- What is the Lord of the Rings - Journey to Edoras from Christchurch cancellation policy?
- Lord of the Rings - Journey to Edoras from Christchurch cancellation policy: For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience. Discover and book Lord of the Rings - Journey to Edoras from Christchurch on Tripadvisor
- Which company provides Lord of the Rings - Journey to Edoras from Christchurch?
- Lord of the Rings - Journey to Edoras from Christchurch is hosted by Hassle Free Tours. Read reviews, discover additonal experiences or contact Hassle Free Tours on Tripadvisor. Discover and book Lord of the Rings - Journey to Edoras from Christchurch on Tripadvisor
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2922LOTR01
Itinerary
- You'll start atCanterbury Museum11 Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch 8013, New ZealandTours depart from outside the main entrance of the Canterbury Museum on Rolleston Avenue.See address & details
- Pass byCanterbury Museum
- 1Mount SomersStop: 10 minutesSee details
- 2Lake ClearwaterStop: 15 minutesSee details
- 3Mount SundayStop: 60 minutesSee details
- 4Mt Potts LodgeStop: 60 minutesSee details
- You'll return to the starting point
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator.
JoleneRo5
00An amazing day!
This was an amazing experience, had such a good time and we were very lucky with such clear weather that day! Our t…
susanhaut
00A plus
We toured from a cruise ship out past the Lord of the Rings shooting site, to Erehwon Station, and it was all fabul…
Dianne L
00Molesworth - A great day in the High Country
MOLESWORTH STATION.. A dream of a life time to take a journey through a high country farming environment. Mark h…
RobertT4971
00Great fun
Our day began with being picked up in central Christchurch at 8.30 travelling over the Canterbury plains to Springf…
Scotslass20
00A fantastic well run your with fantastic guide
We had an amazing day with Barry in the tour. We were the only two pick ups so we had our own wee private excursion…
Robert R
00Long Wait Times
Three of us bought 2 day passes (January 28-29) in lieu of taking transit buses/taxis. Problem was that the downtow…
patriciahR4583UY
00A beautiful sunny day to see whales
I had a great experience on this tour. I was picked up at my hotel and we headed to Kaikoura. Our guide showed us t…
Pál S
00Two routes
The driver of the red route speak to fast and wasn't so informativ, the driver of the blue route was perfect and ve…
411lynnr
00Lovely few hours
Having arrived in Auckland, where I was staying two nights, I decided to buy the 24 hour bus combo which allowed me…
Sh0rtleg
002 Whales, seals and albatross
Excellent day out. We were very fortunate with the weather though. Picked up from hotel on Christchurch Steve gave …
RobinP853
00Could not understand the guide.
It was interesting to see the devastation from the earthquake and views of the city...but the driver was from the U…
S5269NNalanh
00Absolute Joke
The only hop on hop off bus around the world I have been on and asked to get off the bus to let people on. The comp…
BernardR792
00Excellent Driver Commentary, Informative Trip
Like most of this type of trip it is a good way to see the layout of the city and learn about the history and recen…
Y1497UZanitab
00bus tour of Auckland
It was an easy way to have an overview of Auckland. It made several stops making visiting major attractions easy a…
WendysMum
00Spend a pleasant hour
We have just arrived back in our hotel after spending a very pleasant hour on this hop on hop off tour. The driver,…
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
95 reviews
Excellent
91
Very good
4
Average
0
Poor
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laith m
3 contributions
You get picked up around 8:30 AM and start going towards your destination immediately which takes about 3 hours with a stop at a cafe in between for about 30 minutes. Our tour guide (who’s name I can’t remember) was an awesome lady. She picked us up on a Monday morning and didn’t know where she was going in Christchurch and knew nothing about the place, which is fine, just something to note. She was very friendly and funny and had a lot of insightful stories. A lot of the stories consisted of another tour guides background in the lord of the rings films as peter jackson’s security. There was a lot of information you probably couldn’t get elsewhere which is very valuable to a hardcore fan. Looking out of the bus was lovely until the windows fogged up and dirt started sticking to them from the outside. I took a rag and wiped it at the cafe which is what I recommend doing. Once you actually arrive at Mount Sunday, the journey up the hill can be a tad difficult for unfit people but it was relatively easy for the payoff. The top of mount Sunday is absolutely breathtaking, and the guide even let us carry The Shards of Narsil up the hill. You stay up at the peak for about an hour, which could’ve been longer for me, and i’m not typically a person who likes to be at one spot for too long. There’s rocks to sit on, beautiful spots to take memorable pictures, and it’s a small group, so everyone chatted with each other at one point or another which was very pleasant. I noticed our tour guide talked to us all individually at least once she was very sweet and interested in what I had to say. When we walked back down, she served us lunch which were some very delicious sandwiches and even treated us to a glass of champagne while we were outside which was an absolute treat. I will warn you, it’s very easy to spill your champagne there so drink it first then eat. When we loaded up to go back home, she played the appendices of LOTR on a TV in the van with some easter eggs which was nice as it drew my attention more to the LOTR aspect of the trip. Ultimately, this trip is very worth if you’re a LOTR fan, just don’t get your hopes up for Helm’s Deep as it isn’t visible whatsoever whatever they tell you. You’ll feel accommodated and like you’re in a group of friends. Overall a great time and I came back with a happy stomach and lots of amazing memories.
Written December 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Christian D
7 contributions
Aug 2022 • Solo
Lord of the Rings aside, this place is well worth a visit. It was an incredible place! Mark, the tour guide, treated us to lots of great chat and information about the local area, along with all things Lord of the Rings.
Fortunately, the weather favoured us, and we were treated to nothing but breathtaking views all day. Mark’s great driving allowed us to make it to Mount Sunday as well, and have a mooch around on top of it.
This really isn’t a tour to be missed. It’s well worth it!
Fortunately, the weather favoured us, and we were treated to nothing but breathtaking views all day. Mark’s great driving allowed us to make it to Mount Sunday as well, and have a mooch around on top of it.
This really isn’t a tour to be missed. It’s well worth it!
Written September 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
CA F
Starnberg, Germany1 contribution
Jan 2020
We were in New Zealand for two weeks in January, starting in Auckland and ending the holiday in Queenstown. Of all the trips and tours we did, this was defintely one of the best. We had fantastic weather and relatively mild winds for the area. Our guide Hammond was fantastic, told us all about Christchurch, the Canterbury area and spoke about his experience working as sound editor on Lord of the Rings. He was knowledgeable, friendly, humorous and humble, especially considering his acchievement of winning two Oscars, something we only found out after our tour. We were shown various clips from the making of Lord of the Rings, in particular Edoras, while driving through beautiful landscapes. We had a short stop at a very nice cafe with excellent coffee and food before heading to Mound Sunday. One stop was made at a beautiful lake to take a couple of pictures and take in the scenery. Another picture stop (from which one could already see Mount Sunday) was made before heading into the valley. Once at the foot of Mount Sunday, a short and easy hike up the hill followed, equipped with different swords from the LotR movies. Hammond was kind enough to take lots of pictures of everybody and explained us all the details about building the Edoras set at this amazing location. For me, this experience would have already been more than enough but after Mount Sunday we headed to Mount Pott Lodge for a delicious lunch consisting of sandwhiches, a piece of cake and sparkling wine. On the way back to Christchurch we were shown a couple of more clips from the making of LotR. It was a fantastic experience, not only for LotR fans but for anyone who just wants to explore the beauty of NZ. Highly recommend it while in Christchurch!
Written January 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kia Ora and thank you for joining us on our Lord of the Rings tour.
We are so pleased to hear that you had such a fantastic day! Great to hear you got awesome weather too.
We appreciate your comments about the great job that Hammond did. We believe that our driver/guides are 'story-tellers', it is our job to tell the story of our history, culture and people, in an authentic, personal and honest way. Our drivers take much pride in developing their commentary and they regularly update this as needed. It is wonderful to know that this 'special touch' is appreciated by our customers.
Thanks again for taking the time leave a review. We hope you got some epic photos of your time in Middle Earth :D
Warm regards,
The Hasslefree Tours team
Written March 31, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ajkachoria
Worcester, MA2 contributions
Jan 2020
We were in New Zealand for about two weeks and I can say this was easily one of the best things we did while there. Our tour guide was the main reason we had such a good time as he was fully engrossed in the LOTR lore and was able to give us little anecdotes along the ride to Mt. Sunday (Edoras).
The drive itself is beautiful as you're passing through a lot of the country side. As you get closer to Mt. Sunday, you take stops intermittently to see the sights and learn a little more about the area. Again, our tour guide was awesome and took a lot of photos for us and knew the best angles to get the best shots.
The actual climb up Mt. Sunday was only about 10 minutes as we drove pretty close to the "summit". We brought up prop swords including Sting and were able to take a lot of photos. At the summit, again, we heard a lot of stories about filming and how they actually built and filmed Edoras.
While we were there, much of the smoke from the Australian bushfires was moving over New Zealand and we actually had very, very limited visibility. Our tour guide stated that in the 500+ or so tours that he has done, he has never had such limited visibility to not be able to see the surrounding mountains. And even then, it was such an incredible time.
We had lunch on our way down and then headed back to Christchurch to end the day. On our journey back, our tour guide revealed that he had actually worked with Peter Jackson on the filming of Lord of the Rings as a sound engineer and had won 2 Oscars in 2003 and 2005 for Return of the King and King Kong. He had a lot of great inside stories to share and was incredibly humble about his experience.
The drive itself is beautiful as you're passing through a lot of the country side. As you get closer to Mt. Sunday, you take stops intermittently to see the sights and learn a little more about the area. Again, our tour guide was awesome and took a lot of photos for us and knew the best angles to get the best shots.
The actual climb up Mt. Sunday was only about 10 minutes as we drove pretty close to the "summit". We brought up prop swords including Sting and were able to take a lot of photos. At the summit, again, we heard a lot of stories about filming and how they actually built and filmed Edoras.
While we were there, much of the smoke from the Australian bushfires was moving over New Zealand and we actually had very, very limited visibility. Our tour guide stated that in the 500+ or so tours that he has done, he has never had such limited visibility to not be able to see the surrounding mountains. And even then, it was such an incredible time.
We had lunch on our way down and then headed back to Christchurch to end the day. On our journey back, our tour guide revealed that he had actually worked with Peter Jackson on the filming of Lord of the Rings as a sound engineer and had won 2 Oscars in 2003 and 2005 for Return of the King and King Kong. He had a lot of great inside stories to share and was incredibly humble about his experience.
Written January 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Christine F
Raymond Terrace, Australia36 contributions
Feb 2020
My first time to NZ and I couldn't have started it better. Booked our tickets from Australia, before we left, and arranged for pick up at Methven Information Centre. Bus arrived promptly on time. We were greeted by Hammond, who was our driver for the day. He was a font of knowledge, having worked in the sound industry and also with Peter Jackson on the LOTR movies. Hammond knew this locality and the weather and warned us that the wind builds up where we will be going.
Everything was great about this tour! The tour guide, the added props, the light lunch afterwards and even the morning coffee break at the Staveley Store.
Highly recommended, you won't forget it!
Everything was great about this tour! The tour guide, the added props, the light lunch afterwards and even the morning coffee break at the Staveley Store.
Highly recommended, you won't forget it!
Written March 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kia Ora and thank you for your fantastic review of our Journey to Edoras Tour.
We are thrilled to hear that you thoroughly enjoyed your journey and exploring the amazing scenery with us.
We also appreciate your comments about our guide Hammond and agree he is 'awesome'. We hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in New Zealand!
Kind regards from all of our team here at Hassle-free Tours. :)
Written March 25, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
romulusx
Denver, CO5 contributions
Mark’s LOTR tour is a stunning scenic must-see. Jaw dropping scenery combined with the movie lore/locations that Mark excels at presenting, will make the day a truly memorable one. The entire family (18,19,51,52 age group) would do it all again.
Written June 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
fginherminie
2 contributions
Jan 2020
I was picked up at my hotel in Christchurch by Steven. The back of the vehicle was full, so I got to sit in the front seat with the guide, which made the trip even more pleasant. The drive out to Edoras was probably the best part of the trip. It was neat to see the mountains getting closer and closer, and, when we came around the bend and saw Edoras for the first time, it was amazing. The off-roading we got to do to get to the site was really cool. We actually drove right through a 4 foot deep river! The climb from the base of Mount Sunday to the top was pretty easy, and the views from the top were incredible. The first image that pops into my mind from Lord of the Rings is Eowyn standing on the front of Edoras with that gorgeous mountain scenery in the background. And the views on this tour did justice to that image. It was a little crowded at the top, but we stayed and took pictures for about 45 minutes, so there was a lull in the crowd at one point. It really is a 360 degree view! The only negative isn't really a negative. There was very little wind the day I was there. I was actually looking forward to the wind blowing me sideways, and I just didn't get that, but it did make the walk and the picture taking much easier. The ride home was pretty basic, but I got to spend a lot of time talking to our guide about New Zealand and other local tours and things to do. Stephen, our guide, was fantastic. I know there are other guides available who actually worked on filming the movies, and they may have more stories to tell, but Stephen was enthusiastic to the extreme, and his driving of the vehicle made both of the journeys more fun. The best part, though, is that he didn't rush us at the site. He sat and was patient while we took picture after picture after picture. The tour lived up to my expectations for sure. The scenery alone is something everyone would enjoy, and any fan of Rohan would be delighted.
Written February 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kia Ora and thank you for your fantastic review of our Journey to Edoras tour!
We are so thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed your day with Steven - learning about the making of the movies in this spectacular location and taking in the amazing scenery. Thanks for your great comments about Steve, we'll definitely pass them on and out to our whole team. We really appreciate feedback like this!
Thank you again for spending the day with us, we hope you left with some wonderful memories and photos of your time in 'Middle Earth.'
Warm regards,
The Hasslefree Tours team :)
Written March 29, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Pam G
3 contributions
Jan 2020
My husband is a massive Lord of the Rings fan so persuaded me to accompany him on this tour.. I am so glad he did. Beautiful scenery on the way there with regular rest stops.The first was at a lovely cafe where you could buy some food (delicious), then at Mount Potts . This was where we had a very enjoyable lunch on the way back after visiting Mount Sunday (Edoras). The weather started off cloudy but improved and became sunny and warm. Thoroughly enjoyed our climb to the top of the hill and were rewarded by the absolutely fantastic views- truly stunning! Our tour guide, Steve was excellent - his commentary was great and we learned a lot.. Even if you’re not a fan of Lord of the Rings this trip to middle earth is well worth taking for the wonderful scenery.
Written February 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kia Ora and thanks for joining us on our Lord of the Rings tour.
We're glad to hear you were persuaded to come along, it's such a beautiful area to explore even if you don't know much about the movies! We are pleased to hear that Steve did a great job as well.
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a lovely review, we really appreciate it. Hope the rest of your time in Canterbury went well :)
Kind regards,
The Hasslefree tours team
Written March 30, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
RKH
Columbus, OH4 contributions
Jan 2020
We loved our day trip to Mt Sunday (Edoras) and had a great time. Although it was very cloudy and hazy the day we went due to the Australian bush fires, our tour guide made the entire experience amazing. I would recommend this to anyone visiting Christchurch, whether a Lord of the Rings fan or not. Even with the haze, the views were beautiful.
Written January 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kia Ora and thanks for your great review of our Lord of the Rings tour.
We are so thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed your day - learning about the making of the movies in this spectacular location and taking in the amazing scenery. Hopefully the smoke haze added to the atmosphere!
Thank you again for spending the day with us, we hope you left with some wonderful memories and photos of your time in 'middle earth.'
Kind regards,
The Hasslefree tours team :)
Written March 30, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kate Burgos
Auckland Central, New Zealand4 contributions
Sep 2020 • Solo
This tour is the best tour I’ve ever been on and worth every cent I’ve paid (and more!). I recommend this to anyone, LOTR fan or not. The scenery was breathtaking and beyond this world; no photo can do justice. The tour was also well-run, with a very professional, thoughtful, and knowledgable guide. Put this on your must-do list in your next trip around New Zealand.
Written September 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Hi, we will be arriving at Mt Somers on 31 August 2022, and we will be staying the night there. We plan to visit Edoras on the 1st of September 2022, but we are only planning a half day trip there.
Is the time sufficient? And is the weather suitable for hiking as we understand that it is still winter time.
Hi, i have an infant of 15months old
travelling with me. But i didn’t see an option to select a headcount for her. The Child age for selection is from 5 years old. Does that mean she cannot join the tour due to age limit or there is no charges for kids below 5 years old? Please advise.
caramel333
Singapore, Singapore3 contributions
The drive is quite bumpy and the hike is quite exhaustive so probably not suitable for such a young kid.
Joanna
31 contributions
Hi, I'm planning a trip to Christchurch for a few days around 5th of November. I was wondering if you could let me know if there are any bookings already made around that time? I'm a solo traveler and would like to avoid cancellations due to insufficient number of participants. Thank you!
Aliciachan1985
Singapore, Singapore51 contributions
Hi, you will need to check with the agency when you do your booking. Usually it’s 2 to go so chances of trip cancelled will be slim as there will be other Travelers who will join you as well. Thanks.
Thomas L
1 contribution
Hi I am planning to NZ and join your tour on 7 Jun, may I know which hotel you will pick up? if hotel Ashely?
Aliciachan1985
Singapore, Singapore51 contributions
Hello, I was picked up at Rendevous hotel Christchurch. Usually they will pick you up if your hotel is located in the CBD area. You can check with the agency if they can pick you up at your hotel. :)
Gonzalez_Trip
Harlingen, Texas, Usa4 contributions
We will be docking at the Akaroa port. Do you offer the - Lord of the Rings 'Journey to Edoras' Tour from Akaroa?
Tony B
Perth, Australia316 contributions
I’m not sure. Probably not as this is a reasonable distance from Christchurch city. I think they only do pick ups from around Christchurch itself. You are better off contacting the company direct ( maybe you meant to do that?). Cheers
love t
Washington DC, DC47 contributions
My family are planning to go to Christchurch, New Zealand in March and we would like to visit the site of the Lord of the Rings. Because 7 of us will be travelling, we are planning to rent a car to go there. Could you please tell me more about it? how is the road to go there? how many hours of driving from Christchurch? How much is the entrance fee? Thank you very much for your help.
762petes
Gold Coast, Australia14 contributions
The trip from central Christchurch to Mt Potts Station, where the filming of the Edoras scenes took place is approximately 2.5hours. The majority of the road is bitumen with only the final few kms being gravel and dirt. There is no town as such and no shops so you need to take your lunch with you or plan to head back out to the nearest town. About four kms from Mt Potts station gate and lodge is the parking area for Mt Sunday (the Edoras mount). A two km walk is then required. I can't say if there are fees but it is private land. I would highly recommend the tour. Everything is provided and the insights are great. The drive back to Christchurch can be undertaken by a different route, thus affording you further views of this wonderful country.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
