The tour comprises of:

• A short bus ride from The Shire’s Rest down to the movie set
• A 1 hour 15 minute guided walking tour
• A ~20 minute visit to The Green Dragon Inn including a complimentary beverage
• At the end of your experience, you will walk with your guide back to the bus and take another short bus ride to The Shire’s Rest

 Tours that include a meal (like Evening Banquet Tour and Second Breakfast Tour) include additional time on the Movie Set but all experiences with us begin with a guided tour as detailed above.

These times are approximate and may differ slightly for your tour experience. 

The paths on the movie set are mostly compacted dirt/clay tracks with some scattered cobblestone areas. Some portions of the paths can be uneven and when possible the tour also crosses the Party Field which is fully grassed. There is a hill up to Bag End which is a steady incline and includes around 10 low level steps. If you get to this point of the walking tour and don’t think you can complete it, please talk to your guide and they can offer an alternative route for you. There are a number of spots along the way with bench seats where you can rest. 

The total distance covered for the walking tour is around 1.5kms. If you are unsure or unable to do the walking tour, please find additional options below.

As the Movie Set was not originally constructed to become a tourism attraction, there are some limitations we face with accessibility on the Movie Set.

If you are able to walk without assistance at a slow leisurely pace and can stand unaided when boarding and disembarking our bus, you will be able to do our standard walking tour experience. While it is a 2 hour guided walking tour, the actual walking distance is around 1.5km and you are on your feet for approximately 1.5 hours in total.

If you have a walking frame, you are welcome to bring this on tour with you as long as it is collapsible and can be stored in the undercarriage of our bus when transporting to and from the Movie Set. Please note if you choose to bring a walking frame with you on tour, you will need to carry it with you for the duration of the tour. 

For customers not able to complete the walking tour, we do offer a Mobility Restriction Golf Cart option. This includes the use of a Golf Cart where you take a slightly altered route around the Movie Set with the assistance of an additional tour guide who will operate the cart and provide extra commentary and storytelling for you. Please note, our Mobility Restriction Golf Carts can seat two passengers and are available on a needs and availability basis. In order to use one of our Golf Carts, guests must be able to sit un-supported as they do not have standard seat belts.

We are only able to offer a Mobility Restriction Golf Cart on selected tour departure times and only one Golf Cart is able to be used per tour departure. If we have multiple requests for a Mobility Restriction Golf Cart for the same tour departure time, guests may be asked to share this service with another party.

Golf Carts must be pre-arranged at least 48 hours in advance due to the additional staffing requirements. If you request a Golf Cart within 48 hours of your booking we cannot guarantee one will be available for your tour. Weight restrictions also apply. Please only book a Mobility Restriction Golf Cart if you require it and include as much detail in your booking as possible so that we can tailor your experience. 

To book a Golf Cart tour please get in touch.

If our Mobility Restriction Golf Carts are not suitable for your needs, we can offer an alternative route for wheelchair users and offer a price reduction where appropriate.

All wheelchairs, both manual and electric can be used on lower levels of the Movie Set, with the alternative route accessing most areas with the exception of the road along Bag End and some other areas with narrow paths. You will still be able to see Bag End from the Party Field and a number of other lower level locations. Please ensure you have a person in your party who is able to assist with your manual chair where needed - if this person is a carer, they may be eligible for a discounted rate. Depending on the chair and its abilities, there may be additional areas on the tour route that you can use. Manual wheelchairs must be collapsible so they can be stored in the undercarriage of our bus when transporting to and from the Movie Set. If your manual chair is not collapsible, or you are using an electric wheelchair, these can not be transported by our buses to and from the Movie Set. In this case, you are welcome to follow the bus to the tour entry using your own accessible vehicle. See below for additional information.

A personal tour guide will be on hand to help assist with the route and provide commentary and storytelling for wheelchair users. If you are using a wheelchair for your tour, you will depart at the same times as our regular scheduled tour times, so any family and/or friends in your group can choose to do the wheelchair alternative route, or join the wider walking tour then meet at The Green Dragon at the end if they prefer. The Movie Set terrain can be difficult to manoeuvre some chairs around due to the landscape and pathways. 

Please note: while The Green Dragon Inn is wheelchair accessible, not all of our venues at The Shires Rest are. See more information under Our Venues below.

If require the use of a wheelchair for your tour, please contact us at least 48 hours before your preferred travel date.

Our tour experiences begin and end with a short 10 minute bus ride from The Shire’s Rest down to the movie set. We do not currently have any Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles in our fleet. If you are not able to board or disembark our vehicles unassisted, or require a wheelchair that is not collapsible, you are welcome to use your own vehicle to follow your tour to and from the Movie Set. If you have booked a Mobility Restriction Golf Cart or will be using a wheelchair for your tour, your personal guide can ride with you in your own vehicle to provide commentary and storytelling for the ride to and from. Alternatively, we can provide a tablet with our Welcome Video for you to view on the ride down.

Carers travelling with guests requiring assistance are eligible for a discounted rate. Please contact our team for rates and to make a booking.

There are unisex accessible bathroom facilities at The Shire’s Rest, at the beginning of the tour on the Movie Set and at The Green Dragon Inn.

We provide printed tour commentary for hearing impaired guests as part of your souvenir brochure. We hope to provide a digital audio commentary option in future.

If you have visual or hearing impairment, you are eligible for a discounted rate for our tours. Please contact our team to make a booking.

Certified service dogs are welcome to join our tours under the following conditions:

• The dog must be on a leash at all times and wear an identification tag with the owner's name, address and telephone number
• If asked, you must be able to provide proof that the dog is a certified service dog from an organisation recognised by the NZ Dog Control Act

We offer a discounted rate for guests with intellectual disabilities. Please contact our team to make a booking.

The Shire’s Rest is our tour departure base and home to our Ticketing Centre, Gift Shop and Café and is a converted woolshed. The Ticketing Centre and Gift Shop are in one side of the building on ground level and is fully accessible with ramps and double doors.

The Shire’s Rest Café is located on the first floor of the building is currently only accessible by stairs. We do have seating on ground level where we can serve you for a meal if you require it. We have printed menus available that we can provide.

The Green Dragon Inn is fully accessible with ramps and wide door frames.

The top level of The Millhouse is fully accessible however the bathrooms are located on a lower level and are only accessible via a pathway outside.

If you require any assistance for your tour experience, please get in touch at least 48 hours in advance. Please include as much detail in your enquiry as possible so that we can tailor the experience to suit your needs. 

Kimberly who runs the Grab Your Wheels and Go blog recently visited us for a tour with her family. You can read her blog about her experience here.