This trip from Rotorua to Auckland includes visiting two of the iconic New Zealand attractions – Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Glow Worm Caves. Departing from Rotorua at 8am, this is a wonderful way to get to Auckland.
The day includes a fully guided tour of the Hobbiton movie set and a sumptuous lunchtime feast in their Party Marquee. This is followed by a guided tour of the Waitomo Caves with a boat ride through the glowworm grotto.
Enjoy full commentary when you are with your Bush and Beach guide with insights into the areas you are travelling through and background to both Hobbiton and Waitomo caves.
The first stop is at Hobbiton where we will drive you down to the set itself and have one of the specialist Hobbiton guides take you on a walking tour around the 44 Hobbit holes.
A highlight of the tour is the (New from 1st December) opportunity to go inside a Hobbit home. You will have the chance to explore inside a Hobbit home! For example – try out a hobbit sized bed, sit at the dining table and check out the amazing detail that has gone into this creation.
You will see the Party Tree and stand by the gate to Bilbo’s house ‘Bag End’ overlooking the whole set to the hills in the distance. Before your buffet lunch feast in the Party Marquee (which is included in the price) enjoy a complimentary ale, cider or ginger beer in the Green Dragon Inn. After lunch we’ll give you a $10 souvenir voucher to spend at the Hobbiton gift shop before we continue on to Waitomo caves. The drive to Waitomo Caves goes through some beautiful countryside beside Lake Karapiro and across the famous Arapuni Dam.
At Waitomo Glow Worm Caves one of their experienced guides will take you on a walking tour through the caves and talk about the limestone formations and the glowworms. At the end of the cave tour take the iconic boat ride to glide along through the world famous glowworm grotto (subject to water levels). Marvel in silence at thousands of magical glow worms, which are unique to the southern hemisphere, before exiting the cave.
After your tour at Waitomo, travel to your Auckland inner city accommodation with an afternoon tea stop on the way (own cost).
Bush and Beach have been running small group day tours from Auckland for 37 years so you are in very experienced hands. Our fleet of modern vehicles mean you will be comfortable all day.
As this is a one way tour, we do anticipate that all clients will be travelling with luggage and our vehicles allow for this.
From April to November there is some construction work happening on the Hobbiton movie set to get an exciting new feature ready for tours from December onwards. You can read more about it here. From 1st Dec. 2023 there will be an increase in our tour price to include this new feature.
“What a treat to travel to Hobbiton with Bush and Beach! It was an easy, fun trip with some nice extra perks that the other companies don’t seem to have.” – Trip Advisor review 2018
When you book on line you have the option to contribute to our sustainability commitment by donating $5 which will get a native tree planted on your behalf. We are working with Trees That Count and their community-based planting projects to donate native trees to be planted in Auckland. (Bush and Beach will match your donation, which means every $5 donation from you equals a native tree planted in Auckland.)
Operates 364 days of the year.
A minimum of 2 people are required for this tour to run
There are staircases inside Waitomo Caves with approx. 75 stairs
Child price for ages 5-14
Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance – learn more
If you want to go from Rotorua to Auckland and just want to visit Hobbiton movie set on the way then check out our Rotorua to Auckland via Hobbiton tour.
The map is for indicative purposes only.