Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Day Tour with Lunch from Auckland
Description
Discover two of New Zealand’s top attractions in one unforgettable day. Our small-group Hobbiton & Waitomo tour gives you more - more time to explore, more comfort, and thoughtful touches that set us apart. With a maximum of 15 guests, enjoy a relaxed pace, surprise photo stops, and secret encounters along the way. Led by passionate guides and including a delicious lunch, this is the ultimate North Island adventure Due to the delicate ecosystem within the Waitomo Caves, photography is not permitted inside. This policy helps protect the glowworms, ensuring the preservation of this unique environment.
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 several 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 & 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’.
This stunning lake is home to one of New Zealand’s first hydro dams and where some of New Zealand’s great rowers come from. With viewpoints that have amazing views across the lake and countryside we believe it a great place for a quick break and some photos.
Time to recharge with a tasty lunch, included as part of your tour. Choose from a fresh selection of savoury bites to keep you going for the afternoon. Relax and enjoy the local flavours before continuing your adventure.
Arriving at our second 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.
Sadly after Waitomo 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
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- 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
- 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.
- Due to the delicate ecosystem within the Waitomo Caves, photography is not permitted inside.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
- The legal drinking age is 18, and ID may be required
- Not recommended for travelers with severe mobility difficulties, 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.
Reviews(1,215)
Hi Cheeky Kiwi Team, My partner and I had an amazing experience from the moment we got picked up by Simon to the moment that he dropped us off. We enjoyed the journey, very beautiful and scenic. We loved hearing about Auckland’s history, agriculture and overall culture in general. Overall it was such an amazing experience and we really enjoyed every moment of it! Would highly recommend to our friends and family in Australia. Thank you!
This is feedback from a Japanese participant who joined the tour today. The guide, who is kind, warm, and genuinely caring, creates a truly special sightseeing route that can only be described as the best possible experience. We can confidently recommend this to people all over the world. If you are looking for an unforgettable experience, do not hesitate to choose this service.
Great experience. Very easy pick up and drop off and a wonderful day.
The trip is really nice with our driver and tour guide Alessandro!! His detailed sharing enriches the trip a lot and he is really fun hhh Both attractions worth the time! So pretty and so nice to know more about the place!! Even solo travellers could enjoy the tour and making new friends here!! Love it
Just finished my Hobbiton and Waitoo caves day tour couple hours ago. Simon our driver are fantastic. He was very friendly and warm personality as well. Pick up process no hassle at all. Very proffesional in doing his job and he personalized with his friendly attitude. Very recommended.
Great tour with Dave. Got to see Hobbiton and Waitomo Caves in a full packed day Lunch included. Highly recommended.
Thank you for the great review! Dave will be so pleased to hear your kind words - he loves showing guests the best of both Hobbiton and the Waitomo Caves. We're thrilled you had such a full and packed day exploring these incredible New Zealand icons. Thank you for booking with Cheeky Kiwi Travel and we hope to see you back on another New Zealand adventure soon!
Matt our guide was fabulous and most helpful. Though it’s a long day trip, everything runs smoothly without a glitch and you don’t feel rushed as well. Hobbiton was world class, authentic and real!
Thank you for the wonderful review! Matt will be delighted to hear your kind words. He loves making sure every guest has a smooth and enjoyable day at both Hobbiton and the Waitomo Caves. We are so glad you found Hobbiton to be as world class as it truly is! Thank you for choosing Cheeky Kiwi Travel and we hope to welcome you back on another New Zealand adventure soon!
Our family had a great experience with Cheeky Kiwi tours. Our host “Grant” or you can call him “Graunt”. Very early pickup as it was a 2 hour trip to Hobbiton. Weather in June is really up in the air. Grant was very knowledgeable of the region and history. Pointing out areas of interest to past the time. Arriving at Hobbiton, Grant provided us the details of our ticket and that the tour is over seen and guided by the staff at Hobbiton and would be transferred to their bus and returned back. The Tour itself was wonderful! Our guide in Hobbiton (Tom) was great! Giving us some great trivia facts and movie references that was used while filming. Weather could not have been better. The cool overcast made the walk around Hobbiton very comfortable. During our time wandering Hobbiton. Grant was getting our lunch order ready that was selected during the drive. We stopped at “The Thirsty Weta” in Ōtorohanga. Lunch portion were very generous. Next stop was the Waitomo caves to see the glow worms. This was a shorter visit than Hobbiton. The caves were very impressive and well maintained to keep the environment stable. One very important note: NOT PICTURES ALLOWED. Don’t even try to sneak a shot in. This area has more cameras than Times Square. Also, for cultural reason that the Mãori believe that you will be taking their ancestors spirit from the area, or that the worms would not glow for the next group after you scared them. Take your pick either way it’s all about respect of the area and not entitlement that you want them on you social influence post. The drive back was late due to traffic and nothing that Grant could do about this.
Thank you so much for this lovely review! Grant really is one of a kind and we're thrilled your family had such a great time. We'd love to welcome you all back for another adventure with Cheeky Kiwi!
It was great! Our tour guide Grant was very friendly and gave out amazing facts about New Zealand. The tour started on time and every experience was good and efficient.
Grant bringing the good vibes AND the fun facts?! That is absolutely what we live for! We are so stoked you had such a smooth and memorable day out there discovering the magic of Hobbiton and Waitomo with us. On time, efficient and awesome... we will absolutely pass the love onto Grant. Huge thanks for taking the time to share this!
It was so great! Steven, our tour van driver and guide for the day was wonderful in every way…including kind, patient, gracious.
Steven sounds like exactly the kind of guide who makes a tour truly special. Kind, patient and gracious is everything we aim for. Thanks so much for this lovely review, it means a lot to the whole team!
