Small-Group Hobbiton Tour from Auckland with Party Marquee Lunch
Description
Enter the magical world of ‘the Shire’ on this small-group movie set tour to Hobbiton from Auckland. See where the The Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed and pose for pictures in front of hobbit holes. Visit the party tree, Green Dragon Inn and have your picture taken outside the gate to Bilbo Baggins’ house. Explore inside a Hobbit home on BagShot row! Afterward, enjoy a cider, ale or ginger beer in the Green Dragon Inn followed by sumptuous buffet lunch in the Party Marquee. This is a must-do tour for any The Lord of the Rings movie lovers! No minimum numbers required! Please note: This tour is limited to 13-15 people for the transport to and from Hobbiton but does join a larger group at Hobbiton.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your tour starts when we pick you up from your Auckland central accommodation in one of our comfortable Mercedes Sprinters.
One of our friendly, informative, and helpful guides will include a full commentary on the way to Hobbiton with insights into the beautiful farmland areas you are travelling through and background to the movie set you are visiting. On the way down to Hobbiton there is a brief stop at a local café in case you want to buy some local baking or a coffee (or as we like to call it a ‘second breakfast’).
At Hobbiton you travel down to the movie set and have one of the specialist Hobbiton guides take you on a walking tour around the 44 Hobbit holes. You will get to stand by the gate to Bilbo’s house ‘Bag End’ overlooking the Party Tree and the whole set to the hills in the distance. A highlight of the tour is the opportunity to go inside a Hobbit hole. This interactive part of the tour gives you 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. *The tour at Hobbiton is with a larger group for the tour on set. The tour is 2 hours followed by time in the Green Dragon Inn & then buffet lunch at the Party Marquee
At the end of your walking tour you cross the bridge by the mill to go into the Green Dragon Inn where you can enjoy a complimentary ale, cider or ginger beer before heading to lunch. Your lunch on this tour at Hobbiton is a sumptuous buffet feast in the themed Party Marquee next to the Green Dragon. Afterwards we’ll give you a $10 souvenir voucher to spend at the Hobbiton gift shop You then return to Auckland (2 hours journey with a toilet stop)
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The above list does not include all pick up hotel locations - Pick up is included from most inner city Auckland accommodation - please advise where you are staying and we can give you a pick up time or meeting location. Pick up in the city is between 6.30-6.50am depending on your inner city Auckland hotel accommodation (we depart the city just before 7 to be able to be at Hobbiton on time)
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- This tour is not appropriate as a shore excursion - due to early departure times and risks of traffic on the return journey
- This tour is limited to 13-15 people for the transport to and from Hobbiton but does join a larger group at Hobbiton.
Reviews(508)
This review is mostly for the Bush and Beach tour company. It was really seamless and easy to communicate with Bush and Beach staff over the messaging system. They respond relatively quickly and are very informative and helpful. Our tour guide, Kelly, was simply one of the best tour guides we’ve ever had! Because it was a small group for this day, on our return trip, we asked Kelly all sorts of questions about New Zealand life and society. His many years of experience was valuable for teaching us about New Zealand and Hobbiton. We ended up chatting the whole ride back and he was so patient to be answering all our questions. As for the Hobbiton experience itself, we loved the small group feel of it. The timing of the tour and the lunch was perfect. We arrived to Hobbiton with enough time to experience the shop to use our $10 voucher, the cafe, and a restroom break. Our tour started at 9:40am and when it finished, Kelly met us at the Green Dragon as we were receiving our included drink. Then we were right on time for the 11:30 lunch at the party tent. We were the first ones there so the food was so fresh and delicious. After we were almost done with lunch, we saw a huge tour group come in and it suddenly became crowded. At that moment, we were so happy that we chose the small group tour from Bush and Beach! It was worth every dollar.
The Hobbiton tour was amazing and interactive and better than we expected. But Damian was a highlight as our tour guide. Every part of this day was exceptional, including the lunch. Damian goes above and beyond to ensure his guests have a great experience. He is informative, funny and exceptionally kind. Great day!
Meredith was our tour driver and she was very helpful and patient. We left a bag that we needed to bring for the day and she was kind enough to turn back and allowed us to retrieve it from the hotel. She was engaging and organized throughout the day and made the Hobbiton trip fun despite the long drive. Definitely recommend this tour! Just wished we had more time for pics…. The buffet was sumptuous and the staff encouraged everyone to go for seconds! What a fun day it was for everyone in our group!
We very much appreciate you posting a review and are thrilled you had a lovely time. Thank you also for the kind words about Meredith your Tour Guide!
Rain or shine the tour will go on. Luckily for us, the strong rain stopped to an intermittent light drizzle during the actual walking tour.
We are so pleased you realised your "dream" to visit Hobbiton! The rain would have added to the atmosphere of the Hobbiton area :). Thank you for posting a review.
Tour was better than expected. We were picked up on time from our hotel. Our guide, Jason, from Bush and Beach was excellent. He was very friendly and knowledgeable.
Thank you for the review much appreciated.
Damien was an excellent driver and guide. Every detail was attended to and information was clear and communicated thoroughly. I highly recommend this tour and tour company
Thank you for your feedback, much appreciated!
An early start but well worth it as we got to the set before the crowds. Our driver, Wayne, was a legend and has an endless repertoire of jokes, interspersed with great local knowledge. The small group worked well, great access to the hobbit holes and plenty of space to take great photos. Very well organised and defo worth the day out.
Thank you for taking the time to post a review, we are thrilled you enjoyed the tour.
Amazing tour with Bush & Beach! Excellent communication regarding pick up and the logistics by Alex, our transport chaperone (as he referred to himself) and then handed us over to our driver & guide Steve who was amazing! I highly recommend Bush & Beach for this tour, and a visit to Hobbiton should not be missed, even for those that aren’t fans of the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies. It is a ‘magical’ place and the lunch was wonderful!
Thank you for posting this review, we are so pleased you enjoyed your trip to Hobbiton.
A very Memorable experience for everyone. Take lots of pictures and videos. Make sure your phone is fully charged
Thank you for posting a review.
In the local summer months, this trip is ideal; especially in small groups. For the round trip, the company "Bush and Beach" is highly recommended, especially the driver DAMIAN.
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