Auckland to Rotorua via Hobbiton Small Group Tour (One Way)
Overview
Available languages
Travel in comfort from Auckland to Rotorua on this one day tour and experience the world-famous Lord of The Rings Hobbiton movie set in the heart of Middle Earth, as well as the charm of Rotorua City.
Description
Please be aware that while lunch is not provided on this tour, there will be several opportunities for you to purchase food along the way.
Highlights:
Waikato
Alexander Family Sheep Farm
Shire's Rest
Hobbiton & Bagshot Row
Rotorua
Tirau
Itinerary:
Auckland- Your tour starts with a pick up from your hotel in Auckland our comfortable minibus. We'll then drive through the stunning Waikato countryside, the most extensive farming area in the world, on a fully guided journey to Hobbiton. During the trip south you will encounter stunning scenery, great photo opportunities, beautiful mountains and several different farm animals along the way.
Alexander Family Sheep Farm- After our drive we will arrive at the Alexander Family Sheep Farm and Shire's Rest, which is the entrance to Hobbiton. Here you can see thousands of sheep, grab a bite to eat, get your coffee fix or enjoy an ice cream while we collect your tickets to the Hobbiton movie set.
Hobbiton Tour- Next you will board one of the big green Hobbiton buses to depart on your 2.5 hour fully guided tour of the amazing 12 acre movie set with a professional Hobbiton guide to ensure you get the most out of your visit. During your tour you will step into the lush pastures of the Shire, visit 44 hobbit holes, see amazing gardens, hear the secrets and stories about the making of the movies, and ending with a cold beverage at the famous Hobbiton pub The Green Dragon Inn. *** Maintenance & restoration construction at Hobbiton is set to begin 01 June 2025, with the major works being completed in September 2025. During this period, construction and maintenance equipment and noise will be present. Tours will continue as normal but will take an alternate route around the construction zone, while being able to get a glimpse of the work that goes into keeping Hobbiton Movie Set as magical as it looked in the films.
Rotorua Geothermals and Tirau- After your Lord of the rings experience you will be guided back through the Alexander Family Sheep Farm before continuing south to the active geothermal area of Rotorua. During the trip we will pass through the unique town of Tirau (the corrugated iron sculpture capital of the world), the stunning Fitzgerald Glade, plus many more attractions to see along the way.
Rotorua- At the end of the tour we will drop you at your accommodation in Rotorua (central hotels only) or at a main Rotorua central Location.
Inclusions:
Small Group
Hobbiton Ticket
Fully Guided Tour
Water available & snacks provided
Cancellation Policy
Terms: Tours will only run if at least 5 people have booked on the tour, we reserves the right to alter the tour due to weather or operational needs.
A full refund will be issued for cancellations made a minimum of 10 days prior to the scheduled departure time.
Meeting points
Select a meeting point
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Reviews
74 reviews
Very enjoyable trip to Rotorua via Hobbiton.
916sukumaranm,Mar 7, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Liam was wonderful as a tour guide and driver. He is very knowledgeable and courteous, well suited for the job.
Hobbiton one way tour to Rotorua
988stephenj,Feb 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We used this tour to see Hobbiton and reposition from Auckland to our next Airbnb in Rotorua. Our guide Geoff made the drive go by fast by telling us lots of information about the sights we passed and the country in general. Hobbiton is not to be missed, especially if you’re a fan of Lord of the Rings - but really interesting for almost anyone. This was our 2nd experience with the Cheeky team - you can’t go wrong with these guys!
So much fun!
N2636OVninas,Jan 18, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I had a wonderful experience exploring Hobbiton and made some friends along the way. Our tour guide was also personable and very informative. Highly recommend!
highly recommended if you're short on time
traceys1595,Jan 15, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I highly recommend this full day trip starting w a visit to the hobbiton movie set. We were so lucky it didn't rain until the very end of the day. No need to bring your breakfast or lunch as you can get it at the shires rest cafe, a huge range of food available and not expensive. Our driver, Matt, was super knowledgeable, helpful, professional and efficient. He even showed us things to do and places to visit when we arrived at Rotorua and pointed out where i needed to catch the intercity bus. Our next stop was wai-o-tapu the thermal wonderland. You have plenty of time to do the full walk around the geothermal park and take heaps of pictures, no need to rush. The track is clearly marked but there are a lot of stairs up and down if you do tracks 2 and 3. Theres a cafe and giftshop. A great day highly recommended, in fact i recommend any cheeky kiwi tour i have done quite a few and they're all friendly and professional.
Great tour
jwexler520,Dec 31, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Had a great experience with a prompt pickup. Micheal was kind enough to pull over when I had to pee more than ever I have in my life. We really enjoyed the Hobbiton tour
loved it!
emoryo425,Dec 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Amazing experience with Dave as our guide! We had so much fun at Hobbiton - Dave’s commentary and positive energy made the trip so enjoyable. We highly recommend this trip and even doing an add on like we did and going to Te Puia!
10/10!!
224connoro,Dec 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Dave was awesome! We had originally only booked Hobbiton but he recommended adding on Te Puia and totally worth it. We left our jacket on the bus and he was able to facilitate getting it back to us.
Hobbiton is one of my...
green,Dec 29, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Hobbiton is one of my dreamed places to visit. Finally I visited it. These Hobbits houses and their gardens, and Hobbiton overall landscapes are better than I imagined. Visiting the inside of a Hobbit house was a huge bonus, every room of that house was fully furnished with cute furnitures and decorations. The entire 2 hours Hobbiton tour were filled with fun!
Excellent road trip filled with fun facts and stories
chenglongs2025,Dec 24, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Had a bit of a scare this morning as the pickup was late by 30min past original time. Despite this, I’d still rate the experience excellent. The team was responsive and emphatic, so it all worked out in the end. The tour experience was great, our guide Ben was friendly and attentive, with incredible knowledge of the history, nature, flora & fauna and legends around Rotorua, which made the road trip that much more enjoyable. Hobbiton was such a highlight to see the movie comes to life IRL, the town felt alive and real, and the interior of the Hobbit holes were extremely detailed, exquisite. Would recommend!
Guide went out of his way to help!
Faith F,Dec 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Tremendous! Guide went far beyond his task by helping me retrieve and then deliver my lost cell phone. Plus a great tour!! Thanks David and Ben!
From A$278.25
Auckland, New Zealand
- Free cancellation
Reserve Now & Pay Later - available
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