From Auckland:Hobbiton Movie Set & Waitomo Caves Small Group Tour
Description
Experience New Zealand's cinematic and natural wonders in one incredible day. Begin with a pickup from Auckland and a scenic drive through the Waikato region, featuring stunning landscapes of rolling hills and mountains. The first stop is the Waitomo Caves, where a guided tour takes you deep underground to see breathtaking limestone formations, ending with a magical boat ride through the Glowworm Grotto, where thousands of glowworms create a starry canopy. Then, continue to the Alexander Family Sheep Farm, the gateway to Hobbiton. Here, board the iconic green bus for a 2.5-hour guided tour of the famous movie set. Explore 44 hobbit holes, stroll through vibrant gardens, and discover behind-the-scenes stories from "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" films, finishing with a refreshing drink at the Green Dragon Inn. This tour perfectly combines adventure, stunning scenery, and cinematic magic, making it a truly unique experience.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Embark on your expedition from the largest city in New Zealand. As we set out, your guide will kick off the day's adventures, laying the groundwork for an enthralling exploration. Travel journey time from Auckland to Waitomo Caves
As you arrive at the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves, prepare to be amazed by the spectacular limestone formations, including stalactites, stalagmites, and lime columns. A guided tour takes you deep into the caves, leading to the Glowworm Grotto. Here, you'll board a boat for a serene cruise through the grotto, where thousands of glowworms create a mesmerizing, starry display overhead—a truly unique and magical experience.
Before heading into Hobbition, stop by at the Waitomo homestead for lunch Lunch stop ( approx 45 minutes) Drive to Hobbittion ( 75 minutes)
After your underground adventure, the tour heads towards the Alexander Family Sheep Farm and Shire's Rest, the gateway to Hobbiton. Here, you'll be welcomed by the sight of sheep grazing across picturesque hills. Take a moment to enjoy a meal, coffee, or ice cream while your guide prepares your entry to the Hobbiton Movie Set. Next, board one of the iconic green Hobbiton buses for a 2.5-hour guided tour of this enchanting 12-acre film set. Led by an expert guide, explore 44 charming hobbit holes, stroll through vibrant gardens, and uncover behind-the-scenes stories from the making of "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" films. Your Hobbiton adventure concludes with a refreshing drink at the famous Green Dragon Inn, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the magical world of Middle-earth.
As you make your way back to Auckland, enjoy views of New Zealand's longest river, the Huntly power station, and the Maori Queen's burial site, reminiscing on the captivating encounters at hobbition and the mesmerizing glowworms at the Waitomo Caves
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
- If your accommodation is not yet confirmed, we suggest selecting The SkyCity Hotel for now—you can update it later if needed! - We offer convenient pick-ups from selected hotels. If your location isn’t listed, simply choose the nearest available option and meet us there. - Pick-ups start up to 20 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Please be ready and waiting outside by then for a smooth start. - Pick-up locations are planned based on each tour and may vary by day. If there are any changes to your pick-up spot, please let us know in advance. - Our guides make multiple stops and may arrive within a 10-minute window. To keep the tour on schedule, we recommend being ready 5–10 minutes early, as we are unable to wait for late arrivals. - As our hotel pickups operate from downtown CBD, guests located near the airport or South Auckland can be picked up from The Sebel, Auckland Manukau at 16 Lakewood Court, Manukau City Centre, Auckland 2104,
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(29)
This tour was absolutely wonderful, and our tour guide Jason was a highlight for our whole trip. He made the early morning start cheery right off the bat, and made us laugh the whole day. Can't recommend enough, and would definitely book with them again next time we visit. Hobbiton and Waitomo caves are incredible.
Thank you so much for such a lovely review — this really means a lot to us. I’m so happy to hear the tour was a highlight of your trip! Jason will be thrilled to hear this too, he really does have a way of turning those early starts into something fun and memorable. It’s great that you enjoyed Hobbiton and the Waitomo Caves as well — they’re pretty special places, and it sounds like you got the full experience. Thanks again for the recommendation, and we’d absolutely love to have you back next time you’re visiting.
Don’t think about it. Just do it. Lifetime experience our guide was perfect. I’d do it again in a heartbeat
That’s such an awesome review to read—thank you! We love the “just do it” advice, it really is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. So glad your guide made the day feel that special and everything came together perfectly. Hearing you’d do it all over again means a lot to us. Really appreciate you coming along!
Jason was a fantastic tour guide, and brightened the day immediately despite the early pick up. Hobbiton and Waitomo were both incredible, and Jason made sure everything was seamless and easy. Well worth the cost, and highly recommend going with this tour!
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re really glad to hear Jason made such a great impression from the very start—those early pickups can be tough, so it’s awesome he was able to set a positive tone for the day. Hobbiton and Waitomo are pretty special places, and it’s great to know you had such an incredible experience at both. We’ll be sure to pass your feedback on to Jason—he’ll really appreciate it. Thanks again for choosing to tour with us, and for the recommendation!
Our whole experience was AMAZING! I highly recommend the cronut from the cafe at Hobbiton. Jaime our driver was GREAT!
Wow — thank you so much for this! It absolutely makes our day reading feedback like that. We’re thrilled you had such an amazing experience from start to finish. And you’re not wrong about the cronut at the café at the Hobbiton Movie Set — it has quite a reputation! We love that you’re out there spreading the good word about it. Jaime will be so happy to hear your shout-out. He really puts his heart into what he does, and it’s wonderful to know that came through on the day. I’ll make sure your kind words get passed on to him. Thanks again for the recommendation and for choosing to spend your time with us — we’d love to have you back for round two someday!
What a long but fanatic day we had. The Waitomo caves and Hobbiton tour was a great way to end our wonderful trip from Australia to New Zealand.
Thank you so much for sharing this — it sounds like the perfect way to wrap up your trip! We’re so glad you chose to spend your final day exploring the Waitomo Glowworm Caves and visiting the Hobbiton Movie Set. It really is a special combination — the peaceful magic of drifting through the glowworm-lit caves followed by the charm and detail of Hobbiton makes for such a memorable experience. After traveling from Australia to New Zealand, we couldn’t think of a better way to end your adventure either. Long days like that can be full-on, but they’re often the ones that stay with you the longest. Thank you again for being part of the tour — we hope the memories of those glowing ceilings and rolling green hills stay with you for years to come, and that we’ll have the chance to welcome you back to New Zealand someday.
Had a great day from Auckland out to Hobbiton and then the Waitimo glow worm caves. Well organised tour by Expedigo tours with good communication beforehand and a great guide (Wayne) who was very knowledgeable, helpful and engaging. I felt very safe with all the driving and we had plenty of time at each venue and stopped in a good place for refreshments between the two experiences. We were very well looked after all day and I would recommend this tour.
Thank you for such a thoughtful review — it’s really appreciated. We’re so pleased you had a great day out to Hobbiton and Waitomo. It’s important to us that everything runs smoothly from the first message through to the end of the tour, so it’s lovely to hear the organisation and communication stood out. Wayne will be very happy to read this — he takes a lot of pride in making the day informative, relaxed and safe. We’re glad you felt well looked after and never rushed, with time to properly enjoy each stop (and a good refreshment break in between!). Thanks again for the recommendation — it means a lot to our small team.
The tour started very early in the morning, but it was definitely worth it. Being able to visit two major attractions in one day was very convenient, and the guide’s explanations were extremely detailed and informative, which made the experience even better. Lunch was described as a brunch, but the portion was generous and more than enough. I was very satisfied with the overall experience and would highly recommend this tour.
Thank you for sharing this! We know the early start can be a bit tough, so it’s great to hear the day felt truly worth it. Being able to see two highlights in one go and having a guide who really brings the places to life makes all the difference. We’re also glad the “brunch” kept you well fuelled! Thanks so much for the recommendation and for choosing to tour with us 😊
Its worth the early morning long trip from Auckland to Hobbiton for this tour. If you are a fan then please do book way in advance as seats get taken very quickly during the peak season. We went on this tour on January 2. Our first stop was at Waitamo caves and Paul our very kind and wonderful tour guide for the day offered us all some energy bars and water. You can also buy breakfast at the cafe at the Waitamo caves. The caves themselves are beautiful and I felt like I was looking at the night sky with all the glowworms shining like little bright stars in the dark cave. From there we headed to Hobbiton and were in time for some lunch before starting our journey into the Shire. I have no words to describe how beautiful this place is and I simply loved the experience of walking into an hobbit home and drinking ale at the Green Dragon. Would love to go to Hobbiton again.
Thank you so much for sharing such a thoughtful review — it really sounds like a day to remember We’re glad the early start felt worth it and that you enjoyed combining Waitomo and Hobbiton in one trip. Paul will be especially happy to hear your kind words; he genuinely enjoys looking after everyone and making sure the long day feels comfortable, right down to the snacks and water. Your description of the glowworm caves is beautiful — they really do feel like a little night sky underground. And Hobbiton… it’s hard to put into words, isn’t it? Walking into the hobbit holes and enjoying a drink at the Green Dragon is something special, even for repeat visitors. Thank you again for choosing to travel with us, and we’d absolutely love to welcome you back to Hobbiton (or another adventure) in the future.
We had a great time visiting Waitomo caves and Hobbiton. Our guide Paul was very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend.
Thank you so much for sharing! We’re really glad you had a great time at Waitomo Caves and Hobbiton. Paul will be happy to hear his knowledge and friendliness made the day even better. We truly appreciate the recommendation.
We had a wonderful time at Waitomo Caves and the Hobbiton Movie Set Tour. Our guide Paul was excellent. Thoroughly enjoyable, would definitely recommend.
Thank you so much for sharing this. We’re really glad you had such a wonderful time at both Waitomo Caves and Hobbiton — they’re such special places to experience together. Paul will be delighted to hear your kind words; he truly enjoys making the day relaxed and enjoyable for his guests. We really appreciate the recommendation and hope to see you again.
