Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Pass By: Auckland Central, Auckland Central, North Island
Your tour starts in New Zealand’s largest city. As we drive out of the city your guide will not only set the scene for your adventure today but also point out and guide you past some of the city’s top highlights.
Pass By: Waikato Region, Waikato Region, North Island
Exiting Auckland we travel south through the stunning Waikato countryside, the most extensive farming area in the world, encountering beautiful scenery, mighty rivers, great photo opportunities, impressive mountains and a variety of farm animals along the way.
Stop At: Hobbiton Movie Set, 501 Buckland Road Matamata, Hinuera 3472 New Zealand
– Arriving at the first feature attraction ‘Hobbiton’ you will board one of the big green Hobbiton buses and depart on a two & a half hour fully guided tour of this amazing 12 acre movie set, with a professional Hobbiton guide to ensure you get the most out of your visit. During your tour step into the lush pastures of the Shire, visit 44 hobbit holes, see amazing gardens, hear the secrets and stories about the making of the movies and enjoy a cold complimentary beverage at the famous Hobbiton pub ‘The Green Dragon Inn’.
Duration: 2 hours
Pass By: Tirau, Tirau, Waikato Region, North Island
Departing for Rotorua we pass through Tirau on our adventure. Dubbed the 'Corrugated Iron Capital of the World' because of the many unique corrugated iron sculptures and buildings, this town never fails to get a look and a laugh and our guides will point out all the main highlights on the way through.
Stop At: Lake Rotorua, Rotorua New Zealand
Once in Rotorua your guide will drop you at your accommodation in Rotorua (central hotels only) or at a main Rotorua central location. drop you to a central location. Or you are welcome to continue with us to another Rotorua attraction (at extra cost).
Duration: 5 minutes
See Availability.
SkyCity Hotel Auckland, 72 Victoria Street West, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Traveler pickup is offered
Hotel pick-ups are from the below hotels only. If you do not see your pickup location please select the closest one to you to be picked up from.
If you haven’t yet booked your hotel – please choose SkyCity Hotel as this is our central meeting point. If you want to change your pick up, please feel free to contact us.
Please be waiting in your accommodation's lobby or outside no later than this time to avoid missing your pick up. Guides have multiple pick-ups so can on occasion run up to 10 minutes late. Guides cannot wait for late passengers as it will mean the entire group is at risk of missing out, so please be waiting and ready (5-10 minutes before your listed time is highly recommended).
Park Hyatt 05:40 AM
Sofitel Viaduct Harbour 05:40 AM
Hilton Hotel 05:40 AM
M Social 05:45 AM
Movenpick Hotel 05: 45 AM
Adina Apartment Hotel 05:45 AM
Copthorne Auckland City 05:45 AM
Nesuto Stadium Hotel and Apartments 05:45 AM
Pullman Auckland 05:45 AM
SO/Auckland 05:45 AM
JW Marriott Auckland City 05:50 AM
Heritage Auckland 05:50 AM
Ibis Budget Auckland Central (Pick up also for CityLife, Barclay Suites, Holiday Inn Express) 05:50 AM
Crowne Plaza 05:55 AM
Rydges Hotel 05:55 AM
The Grand By SkyCity 05:55 AM
SkyCity Hotel 05:55 AM
Four Points by Sheraton 05:55 AM
Grand Millennium Auckland 06:00 AM
Mercure Hotel 06:00 AM
Kiwi International Hotel 06:00 AM
VR Auckland City, 188 Hobson Street 06:00 AM
Cordis Auckland 06:05 AM
Sebel Auckland Manukau 06:15 AM
Passengers that miss their pick up will be required to meet the tour at the tour's first stop at their own expense to continue on the tour. No refunds will be given to late or no show passengers.
06:00 AM
8 hours(approx.)
Rotorua, New Zealand
Not wheelchair accessible
Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
A moderate amount of walking is involved.
Stroller accessible
Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair.
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
Near public transportation
Children below 7 years old are required to travel in a child safety car seat. If you don't have a car seat one can be provided (with 24 hours notice).
Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Posted By : Lee_F
Pickup at our hotel was easy and our guide (Grant) was a native Aucklander full of interesting history and engaging stories. The early morning start gave us the opportunity to see the sunrise on our way out of Auckland. Grant gave a running commentary on what we were seeing along the way and how the day would play out. A couple of rest stops allowed for bio-breaks and grabbing coffee and food en route.
Hobbiton was magical… even those who had never read the Trilogy was mesmerized by the beauty of the site and the attention to detail in every aspect of the experience.
We did the one-way trip to Rotorua, so Grant dropped us at our hotel and said farewell. A truly engaging and fun day.
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Posted On : 2024-05-01
Posted By : JemimaRJO
I had the most amazing day. Don our bus driver really made my day. He was fun, friendly and just very knowledgeable about everything New Zealand. He was the best guide I have ever had on a group tour and my friend and I had a blast of a day at hobbiton.
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Posted On : 2024-04-22
Posted By : luisp799
The service was amazing. My tour guide went above and beyond in terms of friendliness, answering all of our questions and trying to make us feel comfortable throughout the drive.
But where they really shine is in accommodating and dealing with change: there were road issues and one of the parks was closed due to unforeseen circumstances. Not only they immediately figured ways to make sure the passengers got full value out of their trip but also in a speedy fashion: negotiated om the spot with another of the parks (Te Puia) to let the stranded passangers see an attraction and not go home dissatisfied.
While the trip took longer that expected and roads were chaotic, pur driver didnt Lose his humor and kept us entertained and comfortable.
Kudos guys.
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Posted On : 2024-02-14
Posted By : Cynthia_B
Fantastic experience seeing the grounds and especially inside one of the hobbit huts. Our tour guide and also our driver were great.
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Posted On : 2024-02-08
Posted By : zanzourga
We had the most amazing day. Our pick up in Auckland was great, small bus, on time, and the very best driver and host we could ever have wished for, Alejandro, he is a very kind gracious man. Hobbiton is spectacular, especially if you are a lord of the rings fan. The property is beautiful, the little homes really fun to see, and we were fortunate to tour one of the 2 new homes you can go into, and wander thru. Beautifully done, way larger than expected, so many tiny details. Our time in the house wasn’t rushed, and the general feel of the tour was easy paced. Our start in Auckland was early, but it was great to arrive at Hobbiton before the big lineups.
We had a bright sunny day, it was a great tour, highly recommend this company
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Posted On : 2024-02-06
Posted By : mgtraveler87
My tour was cancelled due to vehicle maintenance issue and since this was my way to Rotorua they still made sure i made it to Rotorua and showed me a few places around the city. I appreciated the professionalism and commitment to providing what they could
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Posted On : 2024-02-06
Posted By : FernandoMuoz
I’m traveling New Zealand with a friend and this was our first tour in our visit. It was a practical and fun way to go from Auckland to Rotorua.
Huzefa was our guide and we got very lucky with him. He is very cool and likes to integrate all the group. He also provides interesting facts along the way. I have to mention that the company provides all the logistics and Huzefa takes care really well of this.
The stop at Hobbiton was really good. You go with the guide that they have there and we also got lucky with a very dedicated one. The set it’s great and you’ll enjoy it despite if you’re fan of the LoR or not.
After, we took the Te Puia visit, in Rotoura, which was great as well. After, Houzefa left us at our hotel.
I’d recommend this tour, no doubts.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-02-06
Posted By : Ray_S
Absolutely one of the best highlights of our trip. Pick up from hotel for our bus trip to Hobbiton through to Rotorua. Hobbiton was so much fun and such a delight to visit. Then personalized drop off to our hotel. Great easy way to travel.
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Posted On : 2024-02-02
Posted By : janan925
Met our expectations and even more. The driver was very knowledgeable and added so much to our trip. Took us on unexpected visits and helped us along the way. Would highly recommend.
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Posted On : 2024-01-28
Posted By : vtrujillo14
We had the best time on this tour!! Starting off with our guide/driver for the day, Alessandro was an absolutely joy! Not only was he knowledgeable about every place we drove through and each destination we stopped at, but he was quick witted and funny, and incredibly kind - he made our tour so much fun!! We started the day in Hobbiton and seeing the set was like living in a fantasy. All of the attention to detail and energy from the staff made this stop so worth it, and exceeded our expectations. We ended our day in Te Puia and didn’t know fully what to expect, but we are so glad we stopped here! We learned about the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, observed students in action, and we were able to ask questions about their craft and the history of the institute. It really was a treat to learn more about Maori culture.
Our only recommend to future travelers is to bring snacks. The breakfast provided was light, and it’s a long day with so much to see!
Overall, this tour was a GEM of a find. It made for a memorable day and we couldn’t recommend it more! Special thank you to Alessandro for making this day such a great one!!
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Posted On : 2024-01-20
