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 several farm animals along the way.
Stop At: Waitomo Glowworm Caves, 39 Waitomo Village Road, Waitomo Caves 3943 New Zealand
Arriving at our first feature attraction, you will be guided through the ancient and amazing caves seeing many different cave formations including Stalactites, Stalagmites and Lime Columns before descending even further underground for your Glowworm experience. Board your glowworm boat for a cruise on the grotto river with thousands of Glowworms sparkling above you. Unique to New Zealand for over 120 years, Waitomo Glowworm Caves are a must see for any traveller.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Waitomo Big Bird & Miniature Animal Petting Farm, 17 Waitomo Caves Road Rd 7, Otorohanga 3977 New Zealand
We stop outside the Big Bird & Miniature Animal Petting Farm to see and meet some of our local animals. These guys know our guides well and even though we do not have time to go inside the park, the friendly animals will often come to the fences for a photo or two, thrilling guests.
Duration: 10 minutes
Pass By: Otorohanga, New Zealand
Departing Waitomo and heading towards Hobbiton we will pass many more scenic beauties, see racehorse breeding areas, rivers, and lakes before entering Otorohanga “The Kiwiana capital of New Zealand”. See all things Kiwi as you pass through this unique and charming town.
Stop At: Karapiro, Karapiro, Waikato Region, North Island
This stunning lake is home to one of New Zealand’s first hydro dams and where some of New Zealand’s great rowers train. With amazing views across the lake and countryside, it’s a great place for a quick break and some photos.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Hobbiton Movie Set, 501 Buckland Road Matamata, Hinuera 3472 New Zealand
Arriving at the second 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
Stop At: Auckland, Auckland, North Island
Sadly after Hobbiton we must start to head north again but your day is not over with a fully guided return trip to Auckland including secret stops along the way.
Duration: 5 minutes
See Availability.
SkyCity Hotel Auckland, 72 Victoria Street West, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Traveler pickup is offered
Pickups are from the below hotels only. If your hotel is not listed, please select your closest alternative and meet us there. If you are not sure where your closest alternative is, please contact us in advance so that we can advise you.
If you have not yet booked a hotel then please select Sky City hotel as your pickup location. You can update this once your hotel is booked by contacting us or amending your pickup directly through Viator.
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
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
12 hours(approx.)
Returns to original departure point
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infant seats available
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Minimum drinking age is 18 years old.
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.
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.
Children 7 years old and under are required to travel in a child safety car seat. If you don't have a car seat one can be provided, please contact us at least 24 hours in advance to arrange this.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
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 : Debbie_M
Excellent trip. The caves were very interesting and the worms put on quite a show. Hobbiton was wonderful. The hobbit hole you could tour was so much fun. Grant our drive was fun and informative.
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Posted On : 2024-04-12
Posted By : aotea2013
Fabulous day. Our driver was fantastic very informative & friendly. Made our day almost perfect despite the was long, he was full of positive energy and great vibe. Thanks a million
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Posted On : 2024-04-02
Posted By : Nicole_S
Our guide John was wonderful, kind and knowledgeable. He catered the trip to our diverse group from around the globe and the entire group was passionate about LotR making it a great experience for everyone
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Posted On : 2024-03-10
Posted By : NorthStar57504306343
Fun trip nice experience I'm glad we had pit stops on the way very long drives ,driver was very informative and fun to get along with the caves are a great experience and Hobbiton was fun
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Posted On : 2024-02-28
Posted By : Secretgreg
I was very impressed with John and his informative information and his humor. All of the stops were well planned out and exceeded my expectations. Now for the downside of the transportation. The van was definitely not well organized as in seating. The last two rows in the back were unbearable in sitting. 2nd from the back had a leg clearance of just 7.5 inches or 19cm. The very back seat had only 6.5 inches or 16.5cm using my phone length as a guide. All other rows were around 10 inches or 25.5cm. Last two rows are definitely not enough of leg clearance to sit and I found myself and the others in the back sitting side sadle the entire driving trip of at least 4 hours total time. I'm 5'11" (180cm) and it just didn't work. The other couple struggled much more with her legs being held up with her arms a lot of the time. I kept both my legs over the seat side and leg stayed numb most of the time. My recommendations are to arrange seating with people under 4'6" 138cm to sit in the rear two rows.
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Posted On : 2023-12-15
Posted By : michaelyP5925VH
Simon was our tour guide and was very friendly. He was punctual and the tours were exactly as advertised.
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Posted On : 2023-12-03
Posted By : Dindin-13
Hobbiton was a great experience and am amazed on how well maintained it is. The tour guide was knowledgeable and well trained to show us around and everyone in the tour is patient waiting for people to take photos before moving to the next stop.
While Waitomo cave can be skipped and it’s definitely overrated where you can’t take photos inside the cave and the boat ride was a joke to me as it’s basically the guide moving the boat inside the cave and we can only take photos towards the end which was not as easy given it’s dark
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-11-14
Posted By : Morgan_K
It was a good day out. Hobbitown as expected. The caves were a little disappointing as they’re not as glowy as you think.
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Posted On : 2023-11-04
Posted By : susan_O
Absolutely enjoyed Hobbiton. Guide Danilo was knowledgable and entertaining. I didnt know what to expect but was very pleased with the walking tour.
I was really looking forward to the Waitomo Caves but was very disappointed. Guide was informative but the underground boat ride to see the glowworms wasn’t a boat ride. We flowed for a short while, drifted back, got pulled forward and then flowed back to the entry point. Glowworms were difficult to see due to the woven holes of light overhead. A big thing was made about needing silence but other groups could be heard thruout the tour. Definitely what i expected.
My original order said that a kiwi style lunch was included. But we had to pay for our own. I was disappointed in that.
Driver was hard to hear - not sure if it was because we were in the back of the bus. On the plus side, he drove us safely to & from our destination.
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-10-01
Posted By : Sightseer07908840005
Our tour guide John was friendly, funny, knowledgeable, and made sure everyone was safe and had a great experience. Hobbiton was fantastic, and the Waitomo Caves were beautiful! It was also great to learn about New Zealand and Auckland on the drive. Highly recommend!
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Posted On : 2023-06-11
