The 7 Private Tours in Wellington That Earn Their Price

1.Spectacular Wellington: Full Day Private Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 92 reviews · from $260Our pick

Spend 4 to 6 flexible hours with Wellington guides Jo or Suzee, traveling by private vehicle from your port, airport, or central hotel. Ride the Cable Car, visit Weta Cave, Parliament, Botanic Garden, wild south coast beaches, and hilltop lookouts, with snacks included.

“The best aspect of our tour of Wellington was our guide Jo. She was absolutely fantastic, very knowledgeable and very friendly. She personalized our tour by including visits to sights we were interested and bypassing sights we weren’t interested in seeing. A personal tour from Jo is the only way to see Wellington.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Private Wellington Full Day Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 78 reviews · from $223

Spend about seven hours touring Wellington by private vehicle with a guide such as John, Steve, Andrew, or Selwyn. See Mt Victoria, Red Rocks, Weta Cave, Parliament, Old St Paul’s, and the Botanical Gardens, with lunch at Chocolate Fish Café included.

“We booked this trip just two days in advance, and Andrew was able to make our private trip a reality. Andrew was fantastic, prompt, kind, informative, and accommodating. It was a very overcast and windy day, that because of Andrew, was made fun. We learned a lot about Wellington, which was our hope for the day! Thank you Andrew for a lovely day!”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Spectacular Wellington: Half Day Private Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 73 reviews · from $198

Join Wellington locals Jo or Suzee for a private 2 to 3 hour tour with pickup and drop-off. See the south coast, wind turbine lookout, Weta Cave, Oriental Bay, Parliament, Old St Paul’s, and ride the Cable Car. Snacks, local treats, and flexible routing are included.

“Guide was both professional and friendly. Clearly committed to doing whatever it took to make the tour pleasant and informative.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Private Group Puzzle-Solving Adventure Game: Temple

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 72 reviews · from $27Best value

Work with two to six teammates at Escape Mate in central Wellington to stop the Death Gods in a 90-minute Temple escape game. Expect tactile puzzles, high-tech effects, refreshments, photos, and help from hosts such as Adam when your team gets stuck.

“Our family tried our luck at the temple puzzle/escape room. Theme was great, plenty of puzzles to solve, and we all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Adam was amazing and provided us with the help we needed to complete some of the tasks. Definitely the best escape room we have been to by far.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Chefs Private Martinborough Wine Tour with lunch from Wellington

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 59 reviews · from $297

Join chef and guide Aaron for a private, food-focused day from Wellington to Martinborough. Travel by air-conditioned vehicle, stop at the Remutaka Summit, visit three wineries, taste selected Pinot Noirs, enjoy lunch at Coney Wines, and explore Martinborough town.

“Really wonderful day out with Aaron. Personable, engaging and knowledgeable. Had sorted out a personalised itinerary of great vineyards and (truly fantastic) food which was amongst the best I have tasted in a month touring New Zealand. Read more”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Chefs Private Martinborough wine tour with Gourmet Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 6 hours · from $508

Travel privately from Wellington to Martinborough with a qualified French chef guide, such as Aaron or David when available. Taste boutique wines, meet producers, enjoy a regional lunch, and learn how Martinborough became New Zealand’s Pinot Noir country.

“This tour was the highlight of our trip thanks to David. We enjoyed chatting with him about Wellington, wine, and Martinborough. The wineries were all so much fun and we enjoyed learning from the winemakers who were so passionate about their product. And finally the lunch was spectacular! We loved visiting 3 little words for lunch. Highly recommend this tour!”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Private Lord of the Rings Tour Wellington with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 7 hours · from $358

Spend seven hours with an English-speaking guide such as Aaron visiting Wellington-area Lord of the Rings locations, from Helm’s Deep and Rivendell to Hobbit hiding places. Dress in capes, pose with swords, enjoy a catered lunch and tour Weta Workshop, with hotel pickup and return included.

“Four of us spent the day with wonderful guide Aaron of Kosher Tours (Wellington) seeing LOTR sights and more. The tour was outstanding. We visited about 5 LOTR sites in the morning and several in the afternoon. Aaron's LOTR knowledge was extensive. He described how the locations were incorporated into the films and had personal stories since he lives nearby. Aaron supplied swords and capes and took pictures on our phones. While we drove from spot to spot he played video clips and music to set the mood. But he also entertained us with many other things, including New Zealand and Wellington history. For lunch we went to Cocina Cubana,…”

Check availability →Read our full review