Visiting Hobbiton and Waitomo Caves from Auckland
When I was younger, before my love of traveling had even developed, I always knew I wanted to go to New Zealand. The reason: Hobbiton.
Like many people, when I saw the Lord of the Rings trilogy I was in awe of the breathtaking landscapes. When I learned that you could visit the Hobbiton set, I knew one day I had to go and see it for myself.
As luck would have it, my job at the time required me to go out to Australia which provided the perfect opportunity to hop across the Tasman Sea and visit Middle Earth.
The Hobbiton and Waitomo Caves Tour
Knowing that Hobbiton was on the top of my list of things to do in New Zealand, Gina found a great tour that not only visited the Hobbiton set but also toured the Waitomo Caves.
The GreatSights Hobbiton & Waitomo Experience is an eleven hour tour that leaves from Auckland’s main bus station.
One good thing about Auckland is that it is a relatively small city in terms of the square footage. If you’re staying within the city limits you can pretty easily walk anywhere you want to go. However, because the city is built on an old volcano the walks uphill are considerably less pleasant.
If you make the arrangements in advance, the company will do some hotel pickups depending on where you’re staying. We made the mistake of thinking we had done that, and then realized at the last minute we didn’t. This resulted in us having to run (downhill fortunately) from our hotel to the bus station and made it with only a couple of minutes to spare.
Some drinks and snacks are included on the ride there, but we highly recommend eating an actual breakfast before the tour because what they give you isn’t enough to last until lunch.
Once the bus left the terminal, it was about a 2 hour trip to Hobbiton. The first hour of the trip the bus driver acted as a tour guide telling us about the history of New Zealand, Auckland, and Hobbiton. We had a very knowledgeable guide which made the ride very interesting.
It was also nice that for the 2nd hour of the trip the bus driver stopped talking so we could enjoy the beautiful landscape and/or nap. The bus also had free wifi for all your social media needs.
Hobbiton
Hobbiton is located on a large sheep farm. When we first drove on to the property we were blown away by the vast rolling green hills.
The scenery was as picturesque as I had imagined and the attention to detail on the hobbit homes and set pieces was stunning.
If you go during the busy summer months, be prepared to work a little harder to get your shots without people in them. There were many tours going on at once with a lot of people.
We also encountered several groups from different cultures where it appeared lines aren’t something they’re accustomed too. This can be a bit frustrating while waiting for shots.
Our best tip – get your way to the front of the group as soon as possible.
That way you have better chances of pictures without other people in the frame while also letting you hear everything the tour guide is saying. Another option for getting better pictures is to be the absolute last people in the group and take pictures once everyone starts moving on to the next photo opp. The downside here is you’re likely to miss what the tour guide is saying.
After going through the Hobbiton countryside and visiting all the hobbit houses, it’s time for lunch and refreshments. Grab a beer from the Green Dragon Inn and then eat lunch in a large outdoor tent.
Lunch was a much needed break for us. It allowed us to get in some shade and eat while enjoying meeting some of our fellow tour group and hearing their stories. The food itself was delicious and really hit the spot since we hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
After lunch we loaded back onto the bus and hit the gift shop. Then it was off to the Waitomo Caves.
Waitomo Caves
Before finding this tour, neither of us had heard of the Waitomo Caves. They are famous for a species of glow worm exclusive just to New Zealand.
Compared to Hobbiton, the cave tour is much shorter and less taxing.
Our tour guide walked us through the caves for about 30 minutes while visiting several different “rooms”. The caves were cool (both literally and figuratively) and the acoustics inside them were awesome.
After walking through the caves, you get to the main event. A row boat ride through the glow worm caves. It was a pretty surreal experience. You glide slowly through the water in complete darkness with nothing but these small lights all around you. They looked more like stars in the sky rather than worms.
Unfortunately no pictures are allowed inside. But you could buy a green screen picture of yourself like this instead 😉
New Zealand gelato is very unique and extra creamy. So make sure to stop and get some before the 2 hour ride back to Auckland!
Have you visited Hobbiton or any other Lord of the Rings locations? Let us know your thoughts below!
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