On this full-day shore excursion, take a journey deep into Middle Earth without the stress and strict scheduling of a large group tour. Drive from Tauranga into the heart of the Waikato with a small group and guide, also spend some time in the secluded New Zealand bush at McLaren Falls Park and see the striking titular waterfall.

No long waits at the ticket office: entry fees covered in advance
Leave your maps on the cruise ship: pick-up in Tauranga provided on request
Upload all your photos without waiting: WiFi available onboard your vehicle

What's Included

Snacks
Air-conditioned vehicle
WiFi on board

Lunch

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

1 Salisbury Avenue
1 Salisbury Avenue, Mount Maunganui 3116, New Zealand
Our tour will commence by the flag poles at the Port of Tauranga sign - unless otherwise arranged prior to tour.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.

Opening hours

7/1/2022 - 9/30/2023
Monday - Sunday : 12:00 AM - 11:30 PM
10/1/2023 - 6/26/2024
Monday - Sunday : 08:00 AM - 04:00 PM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Pick Up can be made within the Tauranga area with prior arrangement

What To Expect

Hobbiton Movie Set

3 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

McLaren Falls Park

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
Travelers will be required to walk for over an hour un-assisted. Mixed terrain (not all flat ground).
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 19 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 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

Featured review

Stephen_S

Great tour. Both the falls and Hobbiton were above what we expected. Would do it again. Steve & his wife looked after all of us in a relaxed, friendly manner making it more enjoyable.

Reviews

5.0

32 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 32 reviews

Enjoyed the tour of...

Michael_S, Mar 2023

Enjoyed the tour of Hobbiton and also the visit to the waterfalls. Since we had the whole day, it would have been nice to have a bit more time after the one tour to have a nice lunch, instead of something hurried, but otherwise, no complaints.

Great shore excursion out of Tauranga

Stephen_S, Mar 2023

Great tour. Both the falls and Hobbiton were above what we expected. Would do it again. Steve & his wife looked after all of us in a relaxed, friendly manner making it more enjoyable.

Awesome experience

Chris_F, Mar 2023

Great trip. Our tour guide Stephen was awesome. Easy to find when we got off the ship. His number one priority was to get us back on board before departure. The second was to have fun. Had a couple of extra stops which you don’t get with the big guys. His knowledge of the trip and area was very informative and interesting Hobbiton definitely worth the expense and trip. Stephen also provided light snacks and refreshments for the trip and had on board charging for phones etc. Great day had, thank you

Hobbitron Movie set

Lotchie_K, Mar 2023

Excellent tour of Hobbitron. Enjoyed it. Good connection to the movie. Loved seeing Bilbo Baggins house. Sam Wise's house will be able to enter it in the future.

Loved this opportunity to “experience” Hobbiton

Lucille_D, Feb 2023

Excellent tour. Stephen was professional, knowledgeable and fun. We enjoyed the waterfalls, the scenery, the close up Kiwi farm and of course, the highlight, Hobbiton! If you enjoyed the Trilogy, enjoy this tour!

Steve, our tour guide was the best

Edward_G, Feb 2023

We lucked put in having only three passengers in our tour. Steve provided many extras and was always conscious of the time so we returned to the ship on time. I regret not bringing all my equipment as Steve provided so much extra time that I would have enough time to set up photos the way I'd like. I would have thought we would have been on the run the whole time. Steve was well informed and entertained all of our questions. He was most friendly generous with his time, and very detailed in his presentation I recommend Steve very highly for this tour. Once you arrive at Hobbiton you are handed off to one of their guides. Ours was just OK. She seemed more interested in being funny than informative. The grounds themselves are breath taking and it was easy to see why Peter Jackson chose this site. Walking around one could easily envision themselves in the shire.

Excellent day. Hobbiton did not disappoint

Pat_B, Feb 2023

The day was better than expected. Steven was a very knowledgable guide and made our day interesting. Our ship was late getting in and all aboard time was earlier than planned. Steven was able to accommodate this without any impact on our enjoyment of the day. We had plenty of cold water on board and some lovely snacks. The home made brownies were excellent. The bus was comfortable and had both Wi-Fi and charging points. Our only concern was the bus was at full capacity meaning one of our friends was a bit squashed in the corner on the back seat. Otherwise the stops were good with some lovely scenery. Steven was always on hand to take photos. We had a great day and made it back to the ship in plenty of time.

A very good tour

Lorraine_S, Feb 2023

Stephen is a very attentive and informative tour leader and pointed out many points of interest along the way to Hobbiton which was the highlight of the tour. He also provided cold bottled water and snacks. Highly recommended tour.

Wonderful tour and guide. Crowded bus.

Susan_M, Feb 2023

Stephen was fabulous! The tour was fabulous! Hobbiton was better than I imagined. The reason I gave the tour 4 stars, rather than 5 stars, is because the bus should never have 19 people in it. The bus was very nice and comfortable but there should never be four people in the back seat. My husband was stuck in the corner in the back seat with absolutely no view!! My claustrophobic self would not have been able to sit there…

Day trip to Hobbiton.

Edward_M, Jan 2023

Our driver, Amanda, who drove us from Mt. Maunganui to Hobbiton and our tour guide Braden did a great job. Very enjoyable day. Would recommend it to any Hobbit fans.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Hi Edward, so pleased to know that you enjoyed your day! It was an absolute pleasure to have you join us.

Great day out

Markus_M, Jan 2023

Great small group tour, had a fantastic day out. Would definitely recommend this tour and provider. Tour guide was very pleasant, provided lots of information.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thanks for the review Markus, it was our pleasure to have your group on board and great to know that you had a fantastic day. Safe travels!

Magical

Jodi_M, Jan 2023

Our tour guide, Stephen was informative and fun. The tour of Tauranga was beautiful along with McClaren Park. The favorite was Hobbiton. Magical! Thanks for a wonderful time!

A magical tour delivered by a professional and trustworthy tour operator

Ailsa, Dec 2022

Every part of this trip is exceptional, from the meet at the port, to the drop off at the end. Stephen and Amanda were the most approachable and professional people to book with, and very knowledgeable. After a shock cancellation of our trip to Hobbiton by our cruise company, we looked to book through Viator, and found this tour, which marketed itself as a shore excursion. I was immediately put at ease when the fact that the ship details were taken, the docking time, and the sailing time. Amanda met us at the port and directed us to our mini van, a much more intimate affair than would have been experienced through the ship, and a we were accompanied by 14 other guests. The mini bus was equipped with free wifi, free cold bottled water and snacks! We toured Tauranga, experienced McLaren falls, had some of Amanda's most delicious home made brownies, and driven to and from Hobbiton. The visit to Hobbiton itself was simply mind blowing. To say expectations were exceeded is an understatement. This is a truly magical place and so lovingly tended. It was worth every penny. We never felt rushed throughout this tour, had plenty opportunities for bathroom breaks and photo stops, and Amanda was always happy to take a picture. I cannot recommend their professionalism enough. 11/10

Outstanding Tour!

Daniel_B, Dec 2022

We joined this tour which was on a really nice medium sized Iveco bus driven by Amanda. We highly recommend this tour and company. On the way to Hobbiton we stopped at places that the larger tour buses wouldn't have been able to get to, and Amanda gave great commentary along the way. The small additions such as snacks (including home made brownies!) were really nice, as was being in a relatively small tour group. Of course we loved Hobbiton, where we joined the official tour (as everyone does). Amanda was waiting afterwards to transport us back to the ship via some more sights. If you're looking for an excursion from your cruise ship, don't hesitate to book this tour! I'm glad we did, especially compared to the offerings onboard.

Great experience! love the tour !

WEI_Z, Dec 2022

We had a fantastic tour with Stephen! Stephen is friendly,thoughtful and well-knowledged tour guide. We really enjoyed his tour guiding during the whole trip full of fun and knowledge! plus the brownie is so delicious! and thank you stephen for sharing the lens to me. We had a super great time there,great experience ! highly recommend!!!

Hobbiton Tour with Adventure and cultural tours. Bat of Plenty.

Michelle_D, Dec 2022

We had a fantastic tour with Stephen and Amanda. Lovely comfortable bus to drive around in. Loved Hobbiton! Such a cute place. The tour was great fun and great brownies!!

First Class Tour

James_R, Dec 2022

Stephen the tour guide was first class. Punctual, friendly, approachable, extremely knowledgeable , and always made sure everyone was comfortable. His bus was also top tier. The tour itself was fantastic. Lots of lovely scenery on the trip to Hobbiton. The stop at Mclaren Falls is well worth it. Plenty of birds and waterfalls to take photos of. Overall a great tour that I highly recommend.

Excellent experience

Teresa_Z, Oct 2022

Stephen was awesome. We liked the small group, only four of us. The brownie snack was delicious! I really appreciated that he emailed several days before the tour with detailed information on the time and meeting place. He was knowledgeable about the area and provided a nice narrative along our route to Hobbiton and thru Taurango. The stop at the park to see the waterfall was a wonderful easy walk thru the trees. He was very consciousness about our tour time and getting us back to the ship in plenty of time. Great experience and tour operator!

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Thank you Teresa. Was pleasure meeting you all and having the opportunity to show you around. You were awesome, and wish you all the very best with your ongoing adventures. Regards, Stephen

Lord of the tours

Gabriella_S, Mar 2020

We had a fantastic time with our guide Stephen. There were only four of us on the tour, which made it a very personal experience. Stephen was friendly, informative and knowledgable about the area/tour. He even squeezed in a couple of extra stops, which went above and beyond what we were expecting. He was such a great guide and we thoroughly recommend his service...especially as he provided yummy brownies too.

Great - highly recommended

Stephan_N, Feb 2020

Great tour, great guide Stephen is a great guy, really friendly and helpful. Size of the group really great(max. 18). We really enjoyed it. Greetings from Amsterdam