Hobbiton & Rotorua including Te Puia Small Group Tour from Auckland
Overview
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Hobbiton & Rotorua Te Puia Tour, this small group, fully guided day trip combines two of the top attractions in the North Island. It also brings together nature and Maori culture plus allows you to see the highlights of Rotorua City all in one day. Led by our famously passionate tour guides, notorious for bringing your journey to life by sharing their stories and rich background knowledge, and run in a modern, comfortable minibuses packed with extras ensuring your comfort and safety.
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:
- Hobbiton & Alexander Family Sheep Farm
- Te Puia Geothermal Park & Pohutu
- Maori Cultural Village and Arts School
- Rotorua City Highlights
Itinerary:
1. Auckland - Your tour starts in New Zealand’s largest city. As we drive out of the city your guide will not only set the scene for your adventure today but also point out and guide you past some of the city’s top highlights.
2. Waikato - Exiting Auckland we travel south through the stunning Waikato countryside, the most extensive farming area in the world, encountering beautiful scenery, mighty rivers, great photo opportunities, impressive mountains and a variety of farm animals along the way.
3. Hobbiton Movie Set – Arriving at the first feature attraction ‘Hobbiton’ you will board one of the big green Hobbiton buses and depart on a two & a half hour fully guided tour of this amazing 12 acre movie set, with a professional Hobbiton guide to ensure you get the most out of your visit. During your tour 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 enjoy a cold complimentary beverage at the famous Hobbiton pub ‘The Green Dragon Inn’.
4. Tirau – Departing for Rotorua we pass through Tirau on our adventure. Dubbed the 'Corrugated Iron Capital of the World' because of the many unique corrugated iron sculptures and buildings, this town never fails to get a look and a laugh and our guides will point out all the main highlights on the way through.
5. Te Puia Geothermal Park – Arriving at our second feature destination, Te Puia, you will receive a fully guided tour to best experience the geothermal and Maori cultural wonders including: Pōhutu Geyser, Māori Architecture, The National Māori Arts School, geothermal craters, geothermal events and even the chance to view a Kiwi bird in the Kiwi viewing house.
6. Rotorua City Highlights – To finish off our Rotorua experience we do a guided driving tour seeing the most famous sites in Rotorua city including: Lake Rotorua, Rotorua Museum, Government Gardens, Whangapipiro (Rachel Spring) & the Blue Baths.
7. Auckland – Sadly we must start to head north again but your day is not over with a fully guided return trip to Auckland including secret stops along the way.
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.
What‘s Included
Small Group Tour
Fully Guided
Entry Tickets
Water available & snacks provided
Meeting points
Select a meeting point
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Reviews
467 reviews
The shire
William B,Mar 14, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Hobbiton was so beautiful! Learning about "forced perspective" gave a glimpse into movie magic. Rotorura was such a contrast as to be shocking
Precious adventure!!
Tammy C,Mar 14, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Hobbiton is a must see and so much fun!! Trent was a great driver and guide. The stop at wai-o-taup was reminiscent of Yellowstone.
The flowers at Hobbiton are amazing, as a true fan would expect.
Leo S,Mar 8, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Understand the itinerary and know what you are getting into. These sites are a long way from Auckland, so be prepared for a long day on the bus with short stops at the sites (the Hobbiton tour part is only 2 hours). I was told by another on the tour that the Hobbits are very proud of and competitive about their gardens, and it shows here because the plants are amazing, the pumpkins and gourds are gigantic. The sulphur smell at the volcanic pools is quite strong. There are 3 walks to choose from, ranging from 30 to 90 minutes. We did the middle one, which was 50 minutes and sufficient to get a real take of the place.
An adventure
143mitchd,Mar 7, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Very fun and interesting Full of humor and ice cream
The only touring company you need Right now! don't wait and book!
Rocky W,Mar 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.005* Review!!! 🤩 Our tour guide Simon was awesome on tour, It felt personalised, fun and thoughtful as he would tailor parts of the tour accordingly to the group and we got every where with the right amount of time and home by 7 so we can still enjoy a dinner out or early snooze in!. I think alot of people can appreciate the spare time after a day of touring! can not recommend Cheeky Kiwi enough and if you are lucky you may get Simon!
Great tour!
Bonnie M,Mar 5, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00WOW! What a great experience! The entire tour ran so smoothly. We were picked up our location we chose from the list. Our guide, Hanoz, was great he was patient and knowledgeable. And he was a great driver as well. The group was always on time. Hobbiton was awesome!! There is some hilly walking there. The guides there so great as well. We stopped at the thermal springs and how gorgeous!! I'm so glad we did this tour. I would highly recommend the entire thing with Cheeky Kiwi. The time between when we got to Hobbiton and when the tour started was about 30 minutes and that was the time to get a few Hobbiton pictures as well as visit the gift shop. It felt a little rushed. I understand why we did it that way though. We did a very short stop, 10 minutes in the corregated steel town and an additional stop, 20 minutes, for ice cream. That was cool. It was perfect for what we needed as we only had 1 full day in New Zealand
We had an absolutely...
Haylee,Mar 5, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00We had an absolutely fantastic day exploring Hobbiton and Rotorua with Simon as our tour guide! From the moment the tour started, Simon’s friendly personality, deep knowledge, and great sense of humor made the entire experience unforgettable. Simon went above and beyond to make sure everyone was comfortable and enjoying the journey. On the way to Hobbiton, he shared fascinating stories about the filming of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, along with interesting facts about the region. His passion for New Zealand and its culture really shone through. What really stood out was Simon’s attention to detail and genuine care for the group. He kept everything running smoothly while still making the day feel relaxed and fun. If you’re lucky enough to have Simon as your guide, you’re in for a truly memorable experience. Highly recommended — this tour was one of the highlights of our trip!
If you are A LOTR FAN or...
Cheryl C,Mar 1, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00If you are A LOTR FAN or a Hobbitt fan this tour is amazing!!!! The guides were knowledgable and so much fun.
Wonderful Tour Experience
lauren22lauren,Feb 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Really enjoyed this tour! Michael was a friendly and knowledgeable guide with a great sense of humor. Hobbiton and Wai-o-tapu were absolutely stunning and must sees.
Fun day in Hobbiton
leosO1859PM,Feb 25, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00It was a perfect day in New Zealand. Our guide Cheeky Tim was very helpful and informative. Hobbiton was a fun 2 hour walk around, the inside of the hobbit was impressive. All the gardens and flowers were beautiful. The hot springs were a unique experience.
From A$360.70
Auckland, New Zealand
- Free cancellation
Reserve Now & Pay Later - available
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