Hobbiton & Rotorua including Te Puia Day Tour from Auckland
Description
Experience the world-famous Lord of The Rings Hobbiton Movie Set plus the geothermal and Maori cultural wonders of Te Puia all in one day. This unforgettable combo tour takes you to two of the top tourist attractions in the North Island. Highlights: • Hobbiton & Alexander Family Sheep Farm • Te Puia Geothermal Park & Pohutu • Maori Cultural Village and Arts School • Rotorua City Highlights While the destinations you will be visiting are truly spectacular, we at Cheeky Kiwi Travel believe it is our small groups, our guides, the journey and the little details that set our tours well apart. Secret stops, wildlife viewings, specially designed vehicles and many other pleasant surprises ensure our tours are an experience to remember. Our tours are led by our famously passionate tour guides, notorious for bringing your journey to life by sharing their stories and rich background knowledge, and run in a modern, comfortable minibuses packed with extras ensuring your comfort and safety.
Tour Options
Itinerary
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.
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.
Arriving at the first feature attraction ‘Hobbiton’ you will board one of the big green Hobbiton buses and depart on a two and 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’.
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.
Arriving at our second feature destination, Te Puia, you will receive a fully guided tour to best experience the geothermal and Maori cultural wonders including: Pōhutu Geyser, Māori Architecture, The National Māori Arts School, geothermal craters, geothermal events and even the chance to view a Kiwi bird in the Kiwi viewing house.
To finish off our Rotorua experience we do a guided driving tour seeing the most famous sites in Rotorua city including: Lake Rotorua, Rotorua Museum, Government Gardens, Whangapipiro (Rachel Spring) & the Blue Baths. If there is time, we may even visit a special souvenir shop for some discounted shopping and to try Manuka Honey.
Sadly 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.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
*If no pickup is selected at time of booking, you will be allocated our default meeting point (SkyCity Hotel). You are welcome to update this at any time. If your location isn’t listed, please choose your nearest available option & meet us there. *Pick-ups can begin up to 20 minutes before the tour departure time, depending on location. To ensure a smooth start, please be ready and waiting outside 5 minutes prior to your specific pickup time. *Pick-up locations are carefully planned for each tour and may vary by day. If your pick-up location changes, kindly inform us in advance. *Our guides make multiple stops and may arrive within a 10-minute window. We are unable to wait for late guests.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Due to uneven surfaces & a moderate amount of walking is involved, this tour is not recommended for travelers with severe mobility difficulties,
- Minimum numbers apply - if minimum numbers are not met you will be offered an alterative tour, reschedule, or full refund
- The legal drinking age is 18, and ID may be required
Reviews(35)
Jeoff was an awesome tour guide. Very friendly and knowledgeable!
It was a packed day that started early in the morning but our guide Jeoff brought kind positivity, was extremely organised and taught us more about New Zealand’s rich and varied culture along the way. Hobbiton was beautiful. Then we got lucky and spotted kiwi birds AND geysers at Te Puia. I would recommend this trip especially if you have limited time and want to see as much as possible in one day!
John is a brilliant tour guide/driver. A lot of fun, informative, kept the group energy up from 5.45 till the drop-off. I had a thought to drop off at Rotorua for the Māori show if there were tickets. He went out of his way to check a hotel room where they normally stay. He called the office to check if I could be picked up the next day. All was set but the evenin experience ticket I had seen was gone. But I appreciated the effort and desire to help me experience the Māori evening. Def recommended and will do more with them.
Thank you so much for this wonderful review! It's great to hear John kept the energy up all day and went the extra mile trying to arrange that Maori evening for you — that's exactly the kind of care we love to hear about. We hope to welcome you on another tour soon! - GM, Cheeky Kiwi Travel
It was the best! The drive there was smooth and our driver Trent made sure to keep us all comfortable with some snacks and water along the way. He also made sure to inform us of the time, where to meet, and what to do to make sure the entire trip would go without a hitch. Hobbiton was the best and we thoroughly enjoyed it. If you want more time we would suggest getting a somewhat private tour to really get into the world of the Hobbits and enjoy it freely. All the admission fees were already included in the package though, so we can’t complain. One thing we would have wished for Te Puia would have been to experience the cultural presentation and see the Haka. Unfortunately the tour only included the first package. We suggest upgrading even just to the higher package next to it to avail of the cultural performance which we think will tie up the whole experience and make it better. Aside from that, the tour was amazing. Worth enjoying a full day of driving, seeing the sights, and learning more about New Zealand.
Well planned and comfortable vehicle
This was a fun and informative tour. Simon our driver/guide provided information about New Zealand and what we would see along the drive. Hobbiton was amazing, it boosted the memories of LOR movies - so much that we have started to re-watch. Te Puia cultural park was informative about Māori cultural plus there’s a huge geyser and we saw 2 kiwi birds. Long by great day!
Kia ora Patricia, Sounds like a full day in the best way. Great to hear Simon set the scene well on the drive and helped make it both fun and informative. Love that Hobbiton sent you back to rewatch the films, that’s usually a good sign the visit hit the mark. And Te Puia offers something quite different again, from the geothermal activity to learning more about Māori culture. Seeing kiwi birds is always a bonus too. We’d love to welcome you back for more adventures in the future. Until then, safe travels and thanks again for choosing Cheeky Kiwi! Ngā mihi, Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
Hobbiton Tour Such a magical experience! Hobbiton is absolutely beautiful and feels just like stepping into the movie. Te Puia An amazing cultural and geothermal experience. The geysers and Māori culture were fascinating and well presented. Thanks again to Jeoffey for the smooth drive and great guidance throughout the day. A truly memorable visit!
Kia ora, It really does feel like stepping straight into Middle-earth, doesn’t it. I’m glad Hobbiton lived up to that magical expectation and that the day flowed nicely from there into Rotorua. Te Puia is such a special contrast to Hobbiton, with the geothermal landscape and the depth of Māori culture adding a whole other layer to the experience. Lovely to hear that came through clearly and felt well presented. Jeoffrey does a great job keeping the day smooth and relaxed while sharing just the right amount along the way, so I’ll be sure to pass that feedback on. Thanks for choosing to spend your day with us and for taking the time to share your experience. We’d love to welcome you back again in the future. Ngā mihi, Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
Great day tour combination for Hobbiton and Te Puia! Great Cheeky Michael! He told us stories and gave information all throughout the tour. It was a great experience! Cheers Cheeky Tours!
Kia ora Reymundo, Thanks for sharing your experience! We’re thrilled you enjoyed the Hobbiton and Te Puia combination and that Cheeky Michael made the day so engaging with his stories and insights. It sounds like a truly memorable adventure. We’d love to welcome you back for more fun and discoveries in Aotearoa. Until then, safe travels and thanks again for choosing Cheeky Kiwi! Ngā mihi, Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
Thank you, Cheeky Kiwi Travel, for our awesome full day experience to Hobbiton & Ta Puia Rotorua. We had a great day out, despite the rain. Our tour guide, Alessandro, provided us with umbrellas, snacks & water and was friendly & knowledgeable of the areas visited. He also made sure we were comfortable and happy at all times. Although our day was very long, we would highly recommend this trip to any first-time visitors to Auckland as we learnt so much.
Kia ora, Thanks so much for sharing your experience! We’re delighted you enjoyed your full day tour to Hobbiton and Te Puia, rain and all. Alessandro loves looking after guests and it’s great to hear his care and local knowledge made the day comfortable and enjoyable. We’d love to welcome you back for more adventures in Aotearoa. Ngā mihi, Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
We enjoyed our tour with Michael to Hobbiton. We have seen sets for movies before but you really feel like you are there when visiting. We also went to Te Puia which we enjoyed, but Hobbiton was the highlight.
