Auckland to Rotorua via Hobbiton Small Group Tour (One Way)
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Auckland, New Zealand
- 8 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Make the most of the journey from Auckland to Rotorua by visiting one of New Zealand’s most popular attractions along the way—the Hobbiton Movie Set. Relive memorable moments from the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films on a guided tour of Hobbiton, enjoy free time for lunch (own expense) at the Shire’s Rest Café, then continue to Rotorua, where you’ll be given an introductory tour of the city before being dropped at your hotel.
- Guided Hobbiton tour including a drink at The Green Dragon Inn
- Photo opportunities of Lake Rotorua and the Government Gardens in Rotorua
- Hassle-free hotel pickup and one-way transport from Auckland to Rotorua
- Small-group tour with a maximum of 16 people
What's Included
- Small Group & Fully Guided Tour
- Entry ticket and fully guided tour - Hobbiton Movie Set
- Luggage allowance - 1 large & 1 small per person
- Water available & snacks provided
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- Optional extras and activities - please select the tour option you want at time of booking
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours.6:00 am
Itinerary
Auckland Central (Pass By)
Waikato Region (Pass By)
1
Hobbiton Movie Set
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Tirau (Pass By)
2
Lake Rotorua
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- 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 provide your own or one can be provided for $20 NZD (with 24 hours notice).
- 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
Supplied by
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 74 reviews
green, Dec 2025
Hobbiton 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!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Kia ora!
So glad you finally made it to one of your dream destinations. Hobbiton really does have a way of exceeding expectations, especially when you step inside a hobbit hole and see all those little details up close. It’s pretty special seeing how much care has gone into every corner of the set.
Thanks for travelling with us and sharing your experience. We’d love to have you back for another adventure while you’re in New Zealand.
Ngā mihi,
Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
Tamara_B, Aug 2025
Hobbiton great, as expected. Simon our driver was friendly, had interesting comments without being overbearing, and had free snacks and water. Highly recommended.
Malcolm_S, May 2025
Amazing site, so realistic, our guide was so enthusiastic and informative, made the whole experience so enjoyable
Response from Host, May 2025
Kia ora,
It’s fantastic to hear how much you enjoyed stepping into Middle-earth! Our guides’ enthusiasm really helps bring the story and scenery to life, making the experience memorable for everyone.
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 🚌🥝
Jessica_D, Mar 2025
Knowledgeable tour guide, free beverage at the end, snacks for purchase, gift shop at the start of the tour, Mark our Cheeky Kiwi driver was very professional and made sure each of us were taken care of, thanks Mark!
Tina_N, Jan 2025
Saw movie and now is real. Great art works that director dedicated to this!!! Perfect experiences. Would recommend to all.
Vera_H, Dec 2024
James and Cheeky Michael are such a friendly and professional guide. Highly recommended for this trip
sjrbernhard, Nov 2024
Hobbiton was a good tour.Cheeky Tour person was just ok. A late pickup, blended tour groups, and some confusion is the reason for the rating.
James_B, Aug 2024
John was a fantastic guide and driver and made it a memorable experience. He was kind enough to go out of his way to drop us off at our B & B since we were the only people on the tour going one way. A very enjoyable day!
Lee_F, May 2024
Pickup at our hotel was easy and our guide (Grant) was a native Aucklander full of interesting history and engaging stories. The early morning start gave us the opportunity to see the sunrise on our way out of Auckland. Grant gave a running commentary on what we were seeing along the way and how the day would play out. A couple of rest stops allowed for bio-breaks and grabbing coffee and food en route.
Hobbiton was magical… even those who had never read the Trilogy was mesmerized by the beauty of the site and the attention to detail in every aspect of the experience.
We did the one-way trip to Rotorua, so Grant dropped us at our hotel and said farewell. A truly engaging and fun day.
Cynthia_B, Feb 2024
Fantastic experience seeing the grounds and especially inside one of the hobbit huts. Our tour guide and also our driver were great.
FernandoMuoz, Feb 2024
I’m traveling New Zealand with a friend and this was our first tour in our visit. It was a practical and fun way to go from Auckland to Rotorua.
Huzefa was our guide and we got very lucky with him. He is very cool and likes to integrate all the group. He also provides interesting facts along the way. I have to mention that the company provides all the logistics and Huzefa takes care really well of this.
The stop at Hobbiton was really good. You go with the guide that they have there and we also got lucky with a very dedicated one. The set it’s great and you’ll enjoy it despite if you’re fan of the LoR or not.
After, we took the Te Puia visit, in Rotoura, which was great as well. After, Houzefa left us at our hotel.
I’d recommend this tour, no doubts.
Ray_S, Feb 2024
Absolutely one of the best highlights of our trip. Pick up from hotel for our bus trip to Hobbiton through to Rotorua. Hobbiton was so much fun and such a delight to visit. Then personalized drop off to our hotel. Great easy way to travel.
VICTORIA_R, Jan 2024
Was a super fun tour! Beautiful and stunning movie set and geothermal. Tour guides were super knowledgeable and very fun. Would highly recommend!
Gay_W, Sep 2023
If you are a Lord of rings fan or Hobbit trilogy you will be amazed! The detail is wonderful, the guide gave an excellent commentary about particular scenes in movies and where they were taken!
BichThuy_D, Oct 2022
I was planning to go from Auckland to Rotorua, so instead of taking a plain Intercity bus, I took this tour to add a stop at Hobbiton and Te Puia to kill 2 birds with 1 stone (well, 3 birds, in fact). On the way, our guide Simon gave various explanations about the area, and also a bit about the LOTR filming. The group was indeed small so it was pretty cool. The visits to Hobbiton and Te Puia were nice (Hobbiton was great!) and Simon arranged everything for us. I hadn't planned to do Te Puia at first, but I added it last minute and Simon made the arrangements super quickly, thanks a lot!
Also, at the end of the tour, he dropped me off at my accommodation place, which was super nice!
lilianesong, Feb 2020
The pick up in Auckland and drop off (by another shuttle who picked me up along the way) in Rotorua were well arranged. Both drivers were good and made some commentaries along the way about Auckland, Hobbiton and Rotorua which made the trip interesting. I was in a small group on both trips - Auckland>Hobbiton and Hobbiton>Rotorua.
From $192.57
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