Visit two of the North Island’s most popular attractions in one day on this small-group tour from Auckland. First, hear behind-the-scenes stories from the making of the 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' films on a guided tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set. In the afternoon, continue to Rotorua to explore the city and visit the Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Wonderland, where highlights include geysers, volcanic mud pools, sulphur springs, and geothermal craters.

Guided Hobbiton tour including a drink at The Green Dragon Inn
Spectacular sights and photo opportunities at the Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Wonderland
Hassle-free hotel pickup and round-trip transport from Auckland
Small-group tour with a maximum of 11 people

What's Included

Small Group and Fully Guided Tour
Entry Tickets
Snacks
Bottled water

Gratuities
Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Food and drinks, unless specified
Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Lunch

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

06:00 AM

Pickup details

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). Swiss Belsuites Victoria Park 05:40 AM Park Hyatt 05’:40 AM Sofitel Viaduct Harbour 05:40 AM M Social 05:45 AM Hilton Hotel 05:40 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 Avani Auckland Metropolis Residences 05:45 AM Pullman Auckland 05:45 AM SO/Auckland 05:45 AM Queen Street Backpackers 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 Airedale Boutique Suites 05:55 AM Kiwi International Hotel 06:00 AM VR Auckland City, 188 Hobson Street 06:00 AM YMCA Auckland 05:55 AM Cordis Auckland 06:05 AM Haka Lodge 06:05 AM Butterfly Creek, 10 Tom Pearce Drive 06:20 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. Auckland Airport (Butterfly Creek) pick up must be requested and approved by our team in writing to receive your pick up time. Pick up time will normally be 20 - 30 minutes after the tour start time.

What To Expect

Auckland Central (Pass By)

Waikato Region (Pass By)

Hobbiton Movie Set

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Tirau

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Rotorua (Pass By)

Auckland

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
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 aged 7 years and below 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
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
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.

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

Very recommendable tour, you see three beautiful places in one day.

Reviews

5.0

120 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 120 reviews

Friendly Tour

Michael_R, Sept 2023

Michael (the minibus driver) was great and friendly with lots of knowledge about the area! Unfortunately the minibus didn't have usb C connection but it had normal usb connection. They couldn't cover to pick up my location so i had to take uber to go to the closest place that they could pick me up.it would be good if they could pick up me at my place. Overall, it was very good experience specially visiting Volcano site for the first time...

Majestic

susan_d, Aug 2023

Simon was a great guide. He was personable and very informed. He shared all sorts of facts about the countinent and advice for our stay

Fun but long

Kdot01_G, Jul 2023

Hobbiton and Wai ta pu were awesome sites and truly enjoyable. The tour schedule (too many groups going different places and too many pickups) did make the overall experience long and arduous. The bus was uncomfortable and too small for a day that long. However our tour leader Michael was the ultimate professional and really added to the overall experience.

Best tour ever

Lucero_L, Jul 2023

Amazing trip! Had loads fun. Hobbiton was just amazing and I loved it. Simon the tour guide was just the best! Simon Go Florida!

Great Tour!

JaredJohn_C, Jun 2023

A lovely sunny day in Hobbiton, Rotorua, and Waiotapu. Thanks Simon for being a great tour guide! I'll have to come back for a New Zealand summer.

A stunning trip in the gem of north NZ

XIAODONG_W, Jun 2023

Stunning view and excellent experience, professional interpretation and good service. An unforgettable trip in North island of NZ.

Magical Day

Rachael_W, May 2023

Grant our tour guide made our day a wonderful experience. His local knowledge and stories just added to the experience. The small group format is a must when you think of comfort and general ease of the day. Highly recommend this company!

Kirby_S, May 2023

John B was very informative and a lot of fun. We only wish we had a little more time in Rotorua. The variety on this tour is great!

Beautiful and educational

Emily_S, May 2023

What a magnificent day!!! Hobbiton is so much fun and so cool to visit even if you aren’t a LOTR fan! Rotorua and Wai-O-Tapu should seriously be an 8th wonder of the world. I was so interested to learn about the thermal baths and land.

Provides 2 Great NZ Memories

Steve_P, Mar 2023

We thought the Hobbiton scenery and set was spectacular. What a treat. You expect a hobbit to exit a hobbit hole at any moment. The Waiotapu springs were definitely worth seeing. I hadn’t realized that the site covered such a large area. Finally our guide, Grant, was just great. It was a full day and it takes a special personality to keep us well informed, on time, engaged and interested for the duration. Grant gets an A+.

Loved Hobbiton

Neil_W, Mar 2023

Great day Wife loved Hobbiton Tour of Hobbiton was great and the bonus drink at the end was good The Wai-O-Tapu was great, helped clear the nose Very long day But good trip from Auckland

Everything was amazing!

nicole_K, Jan 2023

Hobbiton was everything I expected and more! Wai o tapu is just unique, really amazing! Tour guide knew a lot and was very attentive.

Happy Hobbit

Nikki_T, Oct 2022

This was an AMAZING experience from start to finish! Cheeky Michael was an excellent tour guide and made the day very enjoyable. We will be returning and booking through Cheeky Kiwi again!

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Thank you for joining us on tour! We would love to see you again in the future.

Hobbiton wonderland!

Lilius_C, Mar 2020

We had a wonderful day out exploring Hobbiton and the geothermal hot springs with Grant our excellent guide.

Cheeky Kiwi Tour Review via Viator booking

Gregorio_U, Feb 2020

I was originally booked with a reservation confirmed and my credit card charged. But I also got an email informing me it was no longer available and was offered an alternative Te Puia instead of Wai-o-Tapo with the Hobbiton combo tour. While there were only 11 pax in the van, I was very disappointed with the cramped seats that do not recline and there were no curtains to shield against the heat and sunlight! Fall short of a Mercedes luxury van and by no means comfortable at all. I would have preferred a bigger bus. Got a very good last minute deal with an additional 10% off. Our guide, Andre was funny,accommodating and did his best to provide outstanding service. We were provided with ample water and small snacks. Long road travel time to the sites visited.

A great day out.

touristgk2010, Feb 2020

I really enjoyed this day tour. Hobbiton was even more lovely than I expected and that part of the trip was finished off nicely with a beer in the Green Dragon Inn. The thermal park was really interesting and the small group of ten people was perfect. The chosen lunch place was more than adequate and the scenery on the drive was very impressive.

Tour From Crown Plaza Auckland

cpscm2, Feb 2020

I took this tour last week. My tour guide picked me up at my hotel early and off I went with 10 other strangers who soon became my friends. The van was comfortable and easy to get in and out of. I'm somewhat limited physically so was glad about that. I've never saw The Lord of the Rings or read the books but the scenery where it was filmed was absolutely stunning. There are hills to climb at Hobbiton and admiringly I was out of breath once I got to the top. I made it without the aid of others though. Unless you're in a wheelchair or using a walker, you can too. The people I was with made it with no trouble at all. We were given a choice of one free drink at the end of our tour. I chose the apple cider, yum. It did have alcohol in it but not enough to intoxicate you. They also had a ginger beer that you could get that wasn't alcoholic. The drive through the country side was gorgeous! The thermal pools, Hobbiton, everything we saw along the way was worth the long day it took to get there from my Auckland hotel (Crown Plaza). The one negative I had was that although we had a lunch stop it was so rushed neither my travel buddies or I had time to finish our meal before we were back on the road again. Oh, we had additional photo opportunities along the way but I was more impressed with Hobbiton and the thermal pools than the other stops we made. I highly recommend this tour.

Excellent tour

Christopher_O, Jan 2020

Our tour guides name was Grant. He is a very experience person. Very friendly and good photographer. Our pictures look great !

Rainy

Angela_C, Sept 2019

Even with it rainey it was a nice day. Would of liked to h ave ssen the Maori culture show but apparently we were late cause of a wreck and to see the late show would of put us in at 800 pm and our driver didnt want to stay that late. Didnt see the colors of the volcano that it shows on the advertisement. Must see the crafts where people are carving sculptures and weaving.

Excellent

MichaelJohn_K, Jul 2019

Fantastic tour with an outstanding guide, Jack. Wonderful places, especially Waiotapu is breathtaking. Very recommendable tour, you see three beautiful places in one day.