preface: red carpet tours

Founded in 2001 by retired school principal Vic James and his wife Raewyn, Red Carpet Tours offers small groups of devoted “Lord of the Rings” fans the chance to travel together through New Zealand – or Middle-Earth – for twelve days, while visiting filming sites and meeting individuals who were involved in the films. Highlights for tour members include scrambling into hobbit holes in Matamata, climbing Edoras in Canterbury, walking through the woods of Lothlorien in Featherston, charging across the Pelennor Fields in Twizel, and experiencing movie-making magic first-hand in Wellington.

With their intimate, laid-back tours, Vic and Raewyn have turned Red Carpet Tours into the premiere “Lord of the Rings” tour company in New Zealand. But their success didn’t come without hard work. Vic, after retiring from education, began his foray into tourism with an airport shuttle company, and followed with a share in a high-end limo company. Eventually, he said he was ready for something different.

“I was looking for a niche market,” he said. “You know, something that was really specific; new; fresh. And, about that time, Peter Jackson was in the process of filming, and we saw lots of photographs of the different sets, and I just thought it would be a great idea to take people to those locations.”

Vic began researching the films, reading Tolkien’s novels, and contacting owners of property used in the trilogy. From there, Vic said, things started to fall into place. Since the first Red Carpet Tour in 2001, the company has been nurturing relationships with “Lord of the Rings” contacts and tweaking its tours to make them as tailored to the fans’ desires and expectations as possible.

“It’s all about the fans,” Vic said. “We do this for them.”

This dedication to enthusiastic “Lord of the Rings” fans from around the world who are seeking a true Middle-Earth experience is what sets Red Carpet Tours apart. Their numbers – roughly 100 customers per year – may not be as impressive as those of other, less-specific companies, but Vic and Raewyn’s passion and commitment are what draws fans – often multiple times – to Red Carpet Tours.