‘The Lord of the rings’ was first published in 1955 by Professor John Reuel Tolkien and created a mythology which is uniquely Tolkienesque. The films associated with ‘The Lord of the Rings’ have introduced this Merton professor of English language and literature to a wider audience and it seems appropriate to acknowlege the 50th Anniversary of the publication of the book by offering readers the opportunity to visit the sites in New Zealand associated with the making of the films.
Specialist Travel, in association with Air New Zealand and RDC Tours, have structured a programme which will appeal to all Lord of the Rings fans whether scholarly or fanatic. The idea for the trip organised with one of our own staff who is such a Lord of the Rings fan, she organised a back pack visit to New Zealand with a group of friends in 2003.
The tour is organised by Specialist Travel of Kirkgate, Silsden, West Yorkshire who are ABTA menbers and our Tolkien expert there is Helen.
Flight Details
We fly with Air New Zealand whose routing takes us to Los Angeles and then onward across the Pacific (and the International Date line) to Auckland.
Special fares are avaliable from all major European cities to link with this special departure, as indeed are fares from UK domestic points. A stopover is allowed on the return journey in Los Angeles, subject to a minimal surcharge.
Air New Zealand are the official airline to Middle Earth and have painted four of their international fleet with images from the films.
Watch out for the Frodo Boeing 747, another Boeing 747 featuring Aragorn and Legolas, a Boeing 767 with the love story of Aragorn and Arwen and an Airbus with Arwen and Eowyn.
Stay On Packages
Specialist Travel would be delighted to quote for bespoke itineraries within New Zealand or based on the West Coast of the USA. If you have specific requirements please let us know, subject to a minimal surcharge.