High Country Discovery
Private, or a small group departure capped at eight. Never eighteen.
Lord of the Rings and High Country Farm Tour from Queenstown
Our high country tour from Queenstown is a half-day tour out along Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy and into the Paradise Valley, with exclusive access onto Mount Earnslaw Station, a working sheep and beef farm that no other tour operator can take you onto. Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit locations sit along the same road, and your guide points them out as you go.
Book it privately for your own group, 11 max per vehicle, or join a small group departure with other travellers, capped at eight, never eighteen, because the day changes once the numbers drop. More guide, less guiding.
- Exclusive access to Mount Earnslaw Station, a working high country farm
- Private tour, 11 max per vehicle, or a shared departure with others, capped at 8, never 18
- Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit locations in the Paradise Valley
- 8:30am or 2pm departure, back four hours later
- Guides who live locally
- Very little walking, flat and easy going
Tour Info
Pick-up
8:30am or 2:00pm,
Queenstown CBD accommodation, or 9:30am or 3pm from Glenorchy
Walking
500m total, flat
Suitability
Everyone
Return
12:30pm or 6:00pm
What's included
Included
Guide and 4WD transport for the day
Bottled water
Binoculars in the vehicle
Exclusive access to Mount Earnslaw Station
Door-to-door pick-up and drop-off, Queenstown CBD, or Glenorchy pick-up an hour later
Not included
Lunch. This tour doesn't include lunch, unlike our full-day tours. Grab a snack in Glenorchy, or something from Mrs Woolly's General Store, or eat before you leave Queenstown.
Price
Private group, 1 to 3 guests
From $1,250
Each additional adult (private, 11 max per vehicle)
$330
Each additional child, 3 to 12 (private)
$231
Shared departure, per adult (min 2, capped at 8)
$330
Shared departure, per child, 3 to 12 $231
Privately, the vehicle and guide are yours alone, 11 max per vehicle. On the shared departure, capped at eight, you’ll be with other travellers but pay less per person. Both versions go to the same stops, at Mount Earnslaw Station and on into the Paradise Valley.
Closed 25 December. All prices are in New Zealand dollars.
Want to know more before you book?
Download our tour brochure for the full itinerary, inclusions and important information.
Private tour or small group departure
You can book this tour privately, with the vehicle and guide to yourselves, or join a shared departure. Shared departures need at least two adults and are capped at eight guests, never eighteen, because the day changes once the numbers drop. Both versions go to the same stops and take the same four hours.
The drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy
The road out to Glenorchy runs along the western edge of Lake Wakatipu, with peaks rising straight out of the water. It’s about 45 minutes without stopping, an hour with stops, though that can run longer in high season traffic. On the way we stop at Bennetts Bluff, a viewpoint over the lake and the mountains beyond it. Glenorchy itself was first surveyed in 1864 and has been through gold mining, sawmilling, scheelite mining and farming, and more recently, film making. It’s also home to what may be the smallest library in the world.
Mount Earnslaw Station: exclusive access to a high country farm
From Glenorchy the tour continues into the Paradise Valley, and this is where it becomes exclusive. Private Discovery Tours has exclusive access to Mount Earnslaw Station, a working sheep and beef farm of 667 hectares, run by two full-time staff, carrying around 4,500 Perendale sheep and 500 Angus breeding cows. No other tour operator can take you onto this land.
You cross the farm by 4WD to elevated paddocks and Lake Reid, where black swans and paradise ducks live year round and trout sit in the shallows. In season, spring and summer, you can visit the operational woolshed, where up to 1,500 sheep are shorn in a day. At Diamond Lake, reached on private station roads, you stand beneath Mount Alfred and Mount Earnslaw, 2,830 metres high, looking across to Mount Chaos, Cosmos and Pluto Peaks.
Lord of the Rings locations in the Paradise Valley
Continuing through the Paradise Valley, the tour passes Arcadia Homestead and points out, at a distance, three Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit locations: Isengard, the forest of Lothlórien and Beorn’s House, used in The Desolation of Smaug. None of the film sets remain. What you’re looking at is the landscape itself, the same country the crews chose because it needed no dressing up.
No other half-day tour has access onto Mount Earnslaw Station, a private working sheep and beef farm. Along the way, your guide also points out Lord of the Rings and Hobbit filming locations in the Paradise Valley, from public land.
Your guide for the day
Your guide is a long-term local or a Kiwi, not someone reading from a script. The commentary covers the district’s history, from early settlement and gold mining through to farming and film making, but the shape of it depends on what your group is interested in. No large coaches, no fixed scripts. Beyond the obvious and away from the crowds is the idea, and Mount Earnslaw Station is the clearest example of it on offer from Queenstown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this tour private, or will we be sharing it with other people?
Either. Book it privately, 11 max per vehicle, and the vehicle and guide are yours alone. Or join a shared departure, which needs a minimum of two adults to run and is capped at eight, never eighteen. Both go to the same places.
How many people can come?
Private is 11 max per vehicle; the first three are included in the price, and each extra guest is charged individually. A shared departure is a separate product, it needs at least two adults to run and is capped at eight guests total.
Is lunch included?
No. This tour includes bottled water only, not lunch. You can grab a snack in Glenorchy, or something from Mrs Woolly’s General Store, or eat before you leave Queenstown.
Is access to all paddocks available during lambing season?
During lambing season (typically late September to early November), access to some paddocks may be restricted to avoid disturbing the sheep and their newborn lambs. We ask all visitors to respect these temporary restrictions to help us protect the animals and give them a peaceful environment. Alternative routes may be used where necessary, and we appreciate your understanding.
What makes this different from the other Lord of the Rings tours based in Glenorchy?
Most of them work from public conservation land under a DOC concession. This one also crosses Mount Earnslaw Station, a private working farm that no other operator has access to, alongside the same Lord of the Rings and Hobbit viewpoints.
Is there much walking?
Very little. Around 500 metres in total, on flat ground with short walks around the farm.
What should we bring?
A shower-proof jacket and warm layers, sun hat and sunscreen, comfortable walking shoes and a camera.
What vehicle will we be in?
A Prado or Hiace, matched to the terrain, the station’s farm tracks need proper 4WD.
Who will our guide be?
A long-term local or a Kiwi. They know the district’s history and shape the commentary around what your group is interested in, rather than a fixed script.
What time do we leave, and when are we back?
Two departures: 8:30am, back by 12:30pm, or 2pm, back by 6pm, from Queenstown CBD. If you’re already in Glenorchy, pick-up is an hour later, 9:30am or 3pm.
Where do you pick up from?
Your accommodation in the Queenstown CBD, or Glenorchy if that suits you better.
Can children come?
Yes, anyone can come. Just let us know the children’s ages when you book, so we can bring the right car seats. Children under 3 travel free, 3 to 12 pay the child rate, and 13 and over pay the adult rate.
Does the woolshed visit happen year-round?
Shearing is seasonal, generally taking place in spring and summer, with September and February as rough guides rather than fixed dates. You’ll see the working woolshed either way, but seeing the sheep being shorn is an in-season sight rather than something you can expect on every visit.
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