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Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Small Group Tour from Auckland

Auckland Central, New Zealand
Likely to Sell Out

From US$206.66

Select Date and Travelers

Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance.
Auckland Tours
All Auckland Tours
Audio Guides
Likely To Sell Out
Private and Luxury
Unique Experiences
  • 12 hours (approx.)
  • Pickup offered
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

The fictional, yet globally famous, village of Hobbiton and the Waitomo Caves rank among the most popular sites of interest in New Zealand. On this tour, visit both sites in one day—see the home of Bilbo Baggins and explore Waitomo’s subterranean caverns—and enjoy personal attention from your guide on this limited to 15 people.
  • Visit Hobbiton and the Waitomo Caves from Auckland
  • Hit two of the North Island’s most famous attractions in one day
  • Limited to 15 people
  • Hassle-free round-trip travel from central Auckland

What's Included

  • Small Group and Fully Guided Tour
  • Bottled water
  • Snacks
  • Entry Tickets
  • Gratuities
  • Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Optional extras and activities - please select the tour option you want at time of booking

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. Pick ups start up to 20 mins before your tour time. Please see below what group your hotel is in and what your pick-up time is. 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). Group 1: 20 minutes before tour start time. Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour, Swiss-Belsuites Victoria Park Group 2: 15 minutes before tour start time. Adina Apartments, Copthorne Hotel Auckland, Grand Mercure Hotel, Hilton Hotel Auckland, JUCY Snooze, M Social, Nesuto Stadium Apartments, Pullman Hotel, Queen Street Backpackers, SO/Auckland Group 3: 10 minutes before tour start time. AVANI Metropolis, Barclay Suites, CityLife Hotel Auckland, Heritage Hotel Auckland (Hobson Street), ibis Budget Auckland, Rydges Hotel Auckland, Stamford Plaza Auckland. Group 4: 5 minutes before tour start time. Crowne Plaza Auckland, Four Points by Sheraton, Airedale Boutique Suites Auckland, SkyCity Hotel, SkyCity Grand Hotel, YMCA Hostel Group 5: At tour start time or up to 10 minutes after. Cordis Hotel Auckland, Grand Millennium Hotel, Haka Lodge Auckland City, Kiwi International Hotel, VR Auckland City (Hobson Street), St Martins Waldorf Apartment Hotel, Tetra Serviced Apartments by Nesuto, YHA Auckland City Backpackers 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

Karapiro

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Otorohanga (Pass By)

Waitomo Big Bird & Miniature Animal Petting Farm

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Auckland

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 11 hours of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult.
  • Minimum drinking age is 18 years.
  • 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.
  • Stroller accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • 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

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Featured review
Elizabeth_W
Our guide was great! He gave us a lot of background and answered all of our questions. It was a long drive but so beautiful to look out the window the whole time! Super super fun day.

Reviews

5.0
491 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 491 reviews
Highly recommended
Elizabeth_W, May 2023
Our guide was great! He gave us a lot of background and answered all of our questions. It was a long drive but so beautiful to look out the window the whole time! Super super fun day.
Amazing!
Brenda_L, May 2023
Your guide was great! Insightful and helpful. Both tours were amazing and would recommend to everybody!
Fun day with a wonderful tour guide, John! Definitely reccomend!
Michelle_P, May 2023
This was a great way of experiencing 2 very different activities, and learning about NZ throughout the drive. Our tour guide, John, went above and beyond to get the group talking to each other and enjoying ourselves. Hobbiton is so cute, even if you haven't seen LOTR, and the glowworm caves were magical!! The van was really nice, with good music, and outlets so you could charge your phone. We stopped at 2 more local spots - once for coffee, and once for lunch - which I appreciated rather than eating at the tours themselves. John took tons of pictures of our group and shared TONS of local info with us all. Can't thank you enough for making it such a fun and memorable experience!
Hobbitant
KHAMPEE_N, Apr 2023
The trip is great. The tour guide is fantastic. He il took good care of everyone. I realy appreciate this trip. The places are fabulous.
Must go Hobbiton and Waitomo Glowworm Cave
VincentL, Apr 2023
Visit to Waitomo Glowworm Cave was a unique experience and the visit to Hobbiton came with souvenir as remembrance
Such a surreal experience!
Nhat_T, Apr 2023
Amazing experience! Would definitely recommend it. Both Hobbiton and Waitomo Glowworm Cave were so surreal and feels so out of this world. Our guide Cam was also very attentive to our needs, taking breaks when we need them, providing water and snacks for the long car ride, and driving very smoothly to allow us to nap on the ride. We were always on time or even early for our scheduled tours so got back to our hotels at a reasonable time!
A Gem of a Tour
Kyndal_W, Apr 2023
We had an excellent tour guide who not only made our experience great but he also gave us great recommendations for things to do during our stay in Auckland and places to eat. The tour was a full day but we were not exhausted at the end. It was a wonderful experience that I would highly recommend. And if you are a LOTR fan, then it is a must.
Just book it
ZanetaOmugtong, Apr 2023
Late review for tour taken in March. We had John as our awesome tour guide/driver. The drives were long but the seats were comfortable. Hobbiton has their own tour guides/driver, very beautiful countryside and informative as how Hobbiton was built, how different scenes were filmed, and what future interactive activities they are planning to have. I liked that we got to have beer at the Green Dragon after the walking tour was done. We had lunch at the Fat Kiwi which is not inclusive of the tour. One of the recommendations were to have the green lipped mussels, which were out of this world. We then drove on to Waitomo, but since were running a bit early we stopped by to see some ostriches. No picture taking is allowed in the caves but was like seeing stars in the dark sky except they were glow worms!!! On the way back, John stopped at this little shop to try Hokey Pokey ice cream, which was one of things on my check list. John also took individual pics and group pics at both Hobbiton and Waitomo, so if you weren't able to take photos, he got our back and was able to capture memories for the whole group. All in all awesome tour.
Excellent guider and wonderful trip
Wendy_X, Apr 2023
Grant is excellent, he looked after us well and was passional about his work. We really enjoyed this trip : )
Must do for LOTR fans. Glow worm tour was also amazing.
HueyYi_L, Apr 2023
Excellent day trip with John. John kept the energy of the group up throughout the day and had a great knowledge of new Zealand.
Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves
Yueh_C, Apr 2023
John entertained us! He was knowledgeable about NZ and provided great “color” commentary throughout the day. Nice touches on engaging the group with self-intros and trivia questions; and on the return trip, allowing everyone to select their music on Spotify to share! By the end of the day, we all felt like old friends at an outing. Would highly recommend the tour!
Great experience
James_S, Apr 2023
John was a great guide. A truly enjoyable day. Seeing Hobbiton was one of my dreams and it was as good as I thought
Fraud ! They were so irresponsible and dishonest, they want charge us without giving us this trip by their mistake
Evelyn_F, Apr 2023
They threw their customers away before regular pickup time, I never receive any phone call from them
Response from Host, Apr 2023
Customer was given a pick up time of 6:20am and location a week before their tour. They responded and agreed to the time via email stating they would be there at 6:15am (5 minutes even before their pick up time). On the day customer was a no show and at 6:27am and after trying both their phone numbers and emailing them with no response we were forced to leave to ensure all other guests didn’t miss getting to their activities on time. By the time they mate contact it was well after their pick up time and to late to turn around and get them. They later said that they have requested a late pick up time late the night before their tour when the office was closed. This was refused as it means all guests would not get to their activities on time and we would be late for all other pick ups with other guests waiting. Unfortunately you don’t get to tell the tour company when you are being picked up, the tour company has a schedule to keep to ensure all guests get pick up and everyone gets to their activities. Please do not blame the company when you are very late and miss your tour, we have to think of the group as a whole and other passengers were waiting.
Wonderful Day Tour
Amy_L, Apr 2023
This tour was the highlight of our Easter Holiday in Auckland. We had a wonderful day with Cheeky Kiwi Travel. Our group were relatively small, bus was very clean, our lovely tour guide Simon was super friendly and spot on in keeping everyone on time and in a line. Highly recommend!!
Auckland memorable tour
Raymond_H, Apr 2023
The tour was really memorable and it lived up to my expectations to see the two most touristic locations Auckland has to offer. The tour was properly managed, making easy for me to change my arrangements. Shoutouts to Grant, the tour guide, who did an exceptional job to make the tour fun and entertaining with his fun facts, jokes and free style lunch. Totally recommend this package for anyone visiting Auckland.
Good tour
Mary_H, Apr 2023
To walk into this Hobbiton movie location is like walking into a fairy tale setting. It is a tranquil place. The little houses are cute and neatly maintained. It is what I had imagined reading Hobbit. I enjoyed my visit. Waitomo Caves was also amazing. Wish I had more time on the boat viewing the glowworms.
Great trip- would recommend
Aubrey_B, Apr 2023
Absolutely amazing guide. Our little tour group felt like a family with how he treated us. Great way to see the caves and Hobbiton in one go. Had so much fun doing this solo and made a few friends a long the way. Loved how upbeat our guide was and the sweet energy he brought. We had a little bit of spare time at the end and he took us to the most amazing ice cream place afterwards. Went as a solo female and felt super safe the whole time. Wished the tour had more time rafting in the caves (felt very short- maybe 20 minutes?) but overall would definitely recommend!
A must visit from Auckland
Indah_M, Apr 2023
A very different experience walked through the stalactite & stalagmite then see the gloworm with a boat at Waitomo . Then continue the journey to Hobbiton. It’s exactly like in the movie, the tour guide explained very well. It’s a long day from Auckland but it’s worth it, the bus is very comfortable & Cam very helpful & informative. Thanks Cheeky Tour
Great experience!
Jennifer_G, Apr 2023
All around great experience. Our driver, Cameron, was lovely and very knowledgeable along the way. He provided the right mix of information, humor and peace and quiet on the long excursion.
Had a great time on this...
Jean_G, Apr 2023
Had a great time on this tour. Hobbiton is excellent & the caves were very interesting. The drive is long but our guide Grant was very upbeat & friendly - he gave us lots of info about the area & history of New Zealand. Thanks Grant!
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