Hobbiton & Rotorua Small Group Tour including Te Puia from Auckland
Recommended by 99% of travelers
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Auckland, New Zealand
- 13 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Maximize your stay in Auckland with a full-day combo tour to two of the North Island's top attractions: the Hobbiton™ Movie Set and Rotorua’s Te Puia Geothermal Park. Depart from Auckland after a hotel pickup for a scenic drive to Hobbiton, where you enjoy a guided tour of the famous film set. Then take in the geothermal activity and Māori culture of Te Puia, an only-in-New-Zealand experience.
- A must-do tour for fans of Tolkein and fantasy movies and fiction
- Observe the magnificent Pohutu geyser at Te Puia Geothermal Park
- Avoid the hassle of self-driving through the North Island from Auckland
- Receive personalized attention on an intimate small-group tour
What's Included
- Small Group and Fully Guided Tour
- Hobbiton Movie Set & Te Puia Guided Tours
- Water available & snacks provided
- Lunch - opportunities to purchase along the way.
- Restroom on board
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
*If no pickup is selected at time of booking, you will be allocated our default meeting point (SkyCity Hotel). You are welcome to update this at any time. If your location isn’t listed, please choose your nearest available option & meet us there. *Pick-ups can begin up to 20 minutes before the tour departure time, depending on location. To ensure a smooth start, please be ready and waiting outside 5 minutes prior to your specific pickup time. *Pick-up locations are carefully planned for each tour and may vary by day. If your pick-up location changes, kindly inform us in advance. *Our guides make multiple stops and may arrive within a 10-minute window. We are unable to wait for late guests.
Operating hours.6:00 am
Itinerary
Auckland Central (Pass By)
Waikato Region (Pass By)
1
Hobbiton Movie Set
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Tirau (Pass By)
2
Te Puia - Rotorua, NZ
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Rotorua (Pass By)
Auckland (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
- Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
- Children aged 7 years and below are required to travel in a child safety car seat. You can hire seats ($20NZD per seat) or you can provide your own
- The legal drinking age is 18, and ID may be required
- Not recommended for travelers with severe mobility difficulties - A moderate amount of walking is involved.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 211 reviews
Sam_H, May 2026
Hobbiton is magical and we enjoyed the geothermal features in Te Puia. Jimmy is fun and a great driver. It was such a fun day for us.
Barbara_D, Apr 2026
Had a wonderful day even in the pouring rain. Vicki was a great guide and was so informative. Would definitely recommend Cheeky Kiwi!
Kaulai_H, Apr 2026
It was awesome the Hobbiton and Te Pua was beautiful. Our Driver Arie(apologies if spelled wrong), she was awesome. She explained everything and gave us the history of New Zealand.
Doris, Mar 2026
Absolutely fantastic day, my friends and I had a fab day even though they had not seen the films or read the books. We also enjoyed learning about the Mouri culture.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Kia ora!
Sounds like a fantastic day out! It’s great to hear everyone enjoyed it, even without knowing the films, and that learning about Māori culture added to the experience as well.
We’d love to welcome you back for more adventures in the future. Until then, safe travels and thanks again for choosing Cheeky Kiwi!
Ngā mihi,
Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
Flynn_S, Dec 2025
Hobbiton Tour
Such a magical experience! Hobbiton is absolutely beautiful and feels just like stepping into the movie.
Te Puia
An amazing cultural and geothermal experience. The geysers and Māori culture were fascinating and well presented. Thanks again to Jeoffey for the smooth drive and great guidance throughout the day. A truly memorable visit!
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Kia ora Flynn,
That really does sound like one of those days that sticks with you. Hobbiton has a way of pulling you straight into the films, even if you think you know what to expect, and pairing that with Te Puia makes for a pretty special contrast. The geysers, the stories, and the cultural side all add real depth to the day.
Thanks as well for the kind words about Jeoffrey. A smooth drive and calm, knowledgeable guidance go a long way on a long day like that, so it’s great to hear he helped make it such a memorable experience.
We’d love to welcome you back for more adventures in the future. Until then, safe travels and thanks again for choosing Cheeky Kiwi!
Ngā mihi,
Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
april_p, Nov 2025
Our tour guide Ale was wonderful and made sure everyone had a good time. The van was comfortable for the journey. We started at hobbiton which is where the hobbit and lord of the rings was filmed. The hobbit holes were great fun to see and we got to go into one of them and see it. The local guide Rob was very informative pointing out various areas where parts of the movie took place. I would watch the movie before visiting. After hobbiton we went to see the geothermal pools and the cultural center where you see talented carvers working on making wooden statues. The surrounding area we toured which is lovely. I would recommend.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Kia ora April!
Loved reading your review. It sounds like you made the most of both Hobbiton and Te Puia, and we’re really happy to hear Ale helped make the day fun and relaxed for everyone. He takes a lot of pride in looking after his guests, so your feedback will mean a lot to him.
Great tip about watching the movie beforehand too. It definitely adds to the magic when you recognise the spots from the scenes.
We’d love to have you back for more Aotearoa adventures any time. Thanks again for travelling with Cheeky Kiwi!
Ngā mihi,
Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
MICHAEL_M, Oct 2025
It was great. Grant was conscientious and made sure everything goes smoothly. We definitely enjoyed our tour. Thank you Grant!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Kia ora,
We’re so pleased to hear you had a great time exploring Hobbiton and Rotorua with Grant! He takes real pride in making sure every detail runs smoothly so guests can simply relax and enjoy the experience.
Thanks for travelling with Cheeky Kiwi - we hope to welcome you back for more adventures across Aotearoa soon!
Ngā mihi,
Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
ZacharyJohn_L, Sept 2025
PROS
- our guide, Jeoffrey, was very knowledgeable and informative
- Hobbiton was the highlight of the trip!
- the Pohotu geyser was also a great sight!
CONS
- the tour company should be more flexible with the pickup place… we tried to ask for consideration because we were concerned for our safety since the tour starts dark during the winter and as tourists, we are not familiar with the dark alleys of Auckland but they responded in an insensitive and close-minded manner via email… Only realizing that the Tour Van literally passed by our hotel and it wouldn’t have made a huge difference on the part of the driver to pick us up in our hotel since our hotel is just along the main road instead of making us navigate the dark alleys of Auckland to reach the pickup place. I would understand if there were other guests waiting but it was just us there in the pickup place. I mean a little consideration on the plight of the clients would go a long way, instead of being close-minded about it. That was the only thing that disappointed me.
Chalee_R, Jul 2025
We had fun during the tour amidst the rain. The view, the structural designs, the lanscape, the people who we met, the tour guides, the wprkers' gesture are welcoming, and most of all we learn a lot. Thanj you for the awesome expwrience.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Kia ora!
What an epic endorsement—short, sharp, and full of appreciation! We're thrilled you had such a meaningful day out with Mark. He's brilliant at cutting through the fluff and connecting with curious minds, so it's great to hear his genuine passion came through loud and clear.
Hope we get to welcome you back for more adventures soon!
Ngā mihi,
Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
Shonda_S, Jul 2025
Lots of fun! Our guide was energetic, funny and worked hard to make this an unforgettable day for us. The two destinations (Hobbiton and Rotorua) were breathtaking. Loved our experience!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Kia ora!
Love hearing you thoroughly enjoyed your day out! Hobbiton and Rotorua definitely make a dreamy combo, and it’s awesome to know your guide brought the energy and fun to match. We’re all about creating unforgettable days, so we’re stoked that’s exactly what you got!
We’d love to welcome you back for more adventures in the future. Until then, safe travels and thanks again for choosing Cheeky Kiwi!
Ngā mihi,
Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
Kelli_S, Jun 2025
Everything was kept on a timely schedule, going from our hotel pick up to Hobbiton to Te Puia and back. Our tour guide, Geoff, was witty and knowledgable. Overall, would recommend!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Kia ora!
Thanks for the great feedback! Glad to hear everything ran smoothly and Jeoff kept things fun and informative. Hobbiton and Te Puia make for a perfect day trip, and we’re stoked you’d recommend us.
Safe travels and we hope to see you on another Cheeky Kiwi adventure soon!
Ngā mihi,
Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
Patrick_S, Mar 2025
Very entertaining excursion to Hobbiton and Rotorua. Jeff was an excellent guide, providing lots of interesting information about New Zealand, its history and its culture. Thanks a lot Jeff for the enjoyable journey.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Kia ora!
We're thrilled to hear you had such an entertaining time on your excursion to Hobbiton and Rotorua! Jeoff certainly has a knack for sharing fascinating stories about New Zealand's rich history and culture. Thanks for your kind words—he'll be chuffed to know he made your journey enjoyable. We hope to see you again on another adventure with Cheeky Kiwi!
Ngā mihi,
Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
Judy_P, Jan 2025
Hobbiton was such an amazing place. dylan our guide on the day was so engaging.
The green lantern was a great finish.
Doing the geysers and mud pools at Rotorua was a must see but the added tour of the kiwi enclosure with 2 of the 3 kiwis sighted made the day exceptional.
The crafts were well done and easy to watch.
George_L, Jan 2025
Had a great time very interesting and educational. Our driver/ guide kept us well informed and stops were well timed.
Evangeline_H, Nov 2024
The attention to detail, the tour driver was very knowledgeable and worked very hard to accommodate everyone and his schedule!
SAMIA_L, Oct 2024
The driver was Amazingggg, kind and very friendly. He even game us complementary sweet and water and snack.
But 250 usd it is definitely overrrrr price for what we see.
Cristeta_C, Sept 2024
Our driver /guide is John and he's so knowledgeable our the places we drive by and he really made this trip so much fun. He even took some photos of the group so we have the souvenir photos of our trip.
Response from Host, Sept 2024
Kia ora – thank you for your excellent review!
We’re thrilled to hear that your day trip to Hobbiton and Rotorua was so enjoyable, especially with John as your guide. It’s fantastic that his knowledge and fun approach made the trip memorable, and we’re glad he was able to capture some great souvenir photos for you.
Thank you for choosing Cheeky Kiwi for your adventure, and we hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back on another tour soon!
Nga mihi,
Arslan_K, Jul 2024
Alessandro was absolutely fantastic! He wasn't just knowledgeable, he made the whole experience incredibly entertaining.
Ale had a wealth of information about all the sites, bringing history to life with engaging stories and humorous facts. You wouldn’t be bored.
Ale kept the tour engaging, making sure everyone felt comfortable to ask questions and participate in discussions.
I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Auckland.
Five stars all around!!!
Ellen_S, Jun 2024
A very well organized tour that started on time and our tour guide, Simon, was friendly and informative. We saw so many new things all in one day! It was such a wonderful way to see some of the NZ country side on a short layover. We learned so much from Simon as well as from the guides at Hobbiton and Te Puia. At the same time, the day wasn’t rushed. We had plenty of time to eat and shop.
Tamar_B, Jun 2024
Great trip, service and the guide, highly recommended! The itinerary is very interesting and both Hobbiton and Te Puia are magical places. Our guide John had a great sense of humor, driving and guiding skills and wealth of knowledge about NZ. Great 1 full day trip for sure even if you are not Lord of The Rings fan
Jason_S, Apr 2024
Fantastic day out visiting Hobbiton and Te Puia Maori Center and hot springs in Rotorua. John the driver is knowledgeable, fun and has a great sense of humor! After a really early start (5:40am early…) we got to Hobbiton in time for the 9:00am group tour, which lasts around 2 1/2 hours, including a drink at the Green Dragon pub. Then on to Rotorua for the 1:00pm guided tour of Te Puia which lasts till 3:00pm. Following that John took us in a brief tour of central Rotorua and the lake before heading back to Auckland, dropping us off around 7:00pm. We were lucky to have only 8 on the bus so we could stretch out (it holds up to 16). Highly recommended!
Manish_C, Mar 2024
We had a great day at hobbiton and Te Puia. The tour was exactly as described and fully met our expectations. Thanks for a memorable experience.
Chadwick_G, Feb 2024
Our guide, Grant, took us on a memorable trip to Hobbiton and Rotorua. His humorous stories and background discussions enlivened the trip and highlighted the importance of the region to the continued success of the New Zealand economy. The tours themselves were very enjoyable and well done. Even though the ever-present road work presented some challenges to our timetable, everyone enjoyed the tour and appreciated the competency of our guide.
Don_T, Jan 2024
The van driver (John) provided lots of information related to the New Zealand past and current history during the drive (which is rather lengthy). No issues with him working our meeting location pickup and drop off. He definitely had a plan to get everyone to their tours (others on board were not on the Te Puia) and picked back up. But do believe it may be more appropriate and safer for everyone on board to be on same tour. A plus that the vehicle had a USB port for your seat. There were sufficient pit stops. They provided water for everyone throughout the day. We did learn some interesting facts about other countries (Lithuania, Russia, China, Australia) from the people on tour van with us which was stimulated by the driver asking each person to do an intro of themselves at the beginning. There were a couple siting's pointed out (like the Maori poles) during the drive that would have been nice to stop and get a photo. The driver was pretty good about keeping the group informed of what was going to happen as we went through the trip.
The Hobbiton was entertaining, even though neither of us had seen the movies. You could tell the excitement and interest of those who were fans. The guide (David) was very knowledgeable, upbeat and seemed excited to provide the details about the sites and their use in the film. We thought there were too many people in the group that hindered getting some great photos due to not moving out of the way for others and had to keep moving due to other groups behind us and to stay on time. The new feature of seeing the inside of a hobbit dwelling that was supposedly added last November was cool. Being there in the morning was a plus because we were there during the summertime and the heat was tolerable.
For us the best part of Te Puia was getting to see a Kiwi bird that they are working to help improve their endangerment. If you are interested in knowing some of the Maori culture information, the Te Puia has plenty of it. As part of the tour, the guide explained and showed their Arts and Crafts three small scholarship programs they run on site (wood carving, stone carving, and weaving). The issue we had was that the guide was not always centered on the group, so you did not get all of the details. Part of this was due to too many people on the group tour. The geyser is interesting, but we did not get to see the main spout go off due to timing. Even though they said it usually goes every 30 to 40 minutes. This is where the heat became a bit of an issue because it was from 1 pm to 2:30 pm. If not for the Kiwi bird, it would have been a bust.
Response from Host, May 2024
Thanks for the feedback Don. I am glad you enjoyed the tour and guide. John is a top bloke.
The Christmas/New Year period is busy in New Zealand. We get lots of visitors and all the locals take holidays at this time.
I strongly suggest visiting NZ during our shoulder seasons for a more relaxed pace without the crowds. September and May can have lovely weather and offer spectacular scenery with spring flowers and fall colors.
Hans_P, Jan 2024
Hobbiton was the best
Te Puia was okay
Our Driver was Excellent 👍
We enjoyed the evening.
Best Regards
Peter and Julie Endress
Thanks again Grant the BEST.
Stanley_J, Dec 2023
First off... watch Lord of the Rings! Secondly, don't come to New Zealand if you don't plan on going to Hobbiton!
Everything about the area is beautiful... beyond beautiful. Elle was our tour guide and she did a fantastic job. I love seeing people passionate about their job. This was better than I had imagined and that makes me so happy.
Afterwards, Mr. Kiwi gave us a tour of the geothermal geysers and etc at Rotorua. I watched for a long time and went back to see the cute little kiwis!
We had an amazing driver, Grant, who was full of great knowledge, laughs and amazing service. He truly loves what he does and has an amazing soul!
Highlight of my trip
Eric_Y, Dec 2023
Very fun day trip from Auckland. Cheeky Kiwi Tours was easy to work with and covered all bases. Our tour guide, Grant, was especially great - very knowledgeable and friendly and welcoming. Our group was a mix of couples and singles, and we all got along and made a great day of it, with Grant creating a very convivial environment. Highly recommend!
Molly_M, Nov 2023
We had a wonderful day with Cheeky kiwi visiting Hobbiton and Rotorua. They picked us up from our hotel and we had a great time talking to our bus mates. We chose the buffet lunch option (highly recommend). It was a long day but the company provided rest breaks and water, and the van had charging ports. We would definitely recommend this tour!
Stephanie_F, Sept 2023
We had an awful time with our bus driver/tour guide, Grant, and would absolutely not recommend Cheeky Kiwi to anyone visiting New Zealand.
Our tour (Hobbiton and Te Puia) was combined with another tour (Hobbiton and Wai-O-Tapu), which would have been more reasonable if both were smaller tour groups, but our tour bus was cramped and full to the brim. The last passengers to join were split up, and one of them had to sit up front next to the driver who was unmasked and open-mouthed coughing the entire day.
Grant was also clearly unable to manage two tours. Highlights include:
1. Our tour group was picked up from Te Puia over 30 minutes after the predetermined time, with no communication from Grant/Cheeky Kiwi. Since there’s no re-entry into the park, we were left standing around awkwardly until Grant showed up with a half-hearted excuse that he got turned around during lunch.
2. Grant straight-up admitted that he thought he lost a passenger during the tour - which is pretty unnerving to hear from your tour guide.
3. The tour promises secret stops along the way. The only unlisted stop we had was at a lake in Rotorua absolutely teeming with flies. The stop was only about 10 minutes long, but that was enough time for the flies to get into our hair, clothes, mouths, and even bus since Grant left the doors wide open.
As well, Grant acted in a culturally insensitive manner that made us feel quite uncomfortable.
1. When picking up the group’s tickets for Hobbiton, Grant said they came with site maps available in multiple language options. He then cited “Mexican” as a language option while making eye contact with the passenger visiting from Mexico.
2. When we requested maps in Chinese, he brought back Spanish maps and said they were Chinese. While it’s understandable that not all languages would be available, when we brought the mistake to his attention he said “that’s Chinese” in a blatantly rude manner. He only gave us English maps after we insisted that the maps were Spanish (which doesn’t seem like something we should need to argue at all?)
Customer support was very dismissive of the microaggressions we experienced, so it seems that this attitude is pretty common at Cheeky Kiwi. You’d think that a tourism company would try to be more culturally sensitive.
Frank_M, May 2023
What a fun tour! Our tour guide was Grant. He was very kind, sweet & knowledgable. Even though pouring rain, he made our trip safe, exciting and great. We really enjoyed Hobbiton. As a big fan of "The Lord of Ring" and "The Hobbit", this trip was memorable for us. Rotorua was a very unique place with geothermal enviornment and Maori culture. I definately recommend this trip.
From $256.23
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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