Hobbiton and Waitomo Glowworm Caves Tour with Lunch from Auckland

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. 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.

   Passes by

2. 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 several farm animals along the way.

   Passes by

3. 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’.

   2.5 hAdmission included

4. This stunning lake is home to one of New Zealand’s first hydro dams and where some of New Zealand’s great rowers come from. With viewpoints that have amazing views across the lake and countryside we believe it a great place for a quick break and some photos.

   10 min

5. Time to recharge with a tasty lunch, included as part of your tour. Choose from a fresh selection of savoury bites to keep you going for the afternoon. Relax and enjoy the local flavours before continuing your adventure.

   30 min

6. Arriving at our second feature attraction you will be guided through the ancient and amazing caves seeing many different cave formations including Stalactites, Stalagmites and Lime Columns before descending even further underground for your Glowworm experience. Board your glowworm boat for a cruise on the grotto river with thousands of Glowworms sparkling above you. Unique to New Zealand for over 120 years, Waitomo Glowworm Caves are a must see for any traveller.

   1 hAdmission included

7. Sadly after Waitomo 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.

   5 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 1,273 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 5What a wonderful tour and...

  What a wonderful tour and day. Both Hobbiton and the Glow worm caves exceeded expectations! Our driver was as nice and engaging as one could possibly hope for. Thank you!

  Jonathan_GSeptember 2026via Viator

• 3Everytime I booked day...

  Everytime I booked day tour by viator. Tour is good but this time management is poor. Small group is a good option but if there's including lunch should be arranged sitting separate is better ( like when in London go to Stonehenge and bath city is good). If in the small group there unfortunately some visitors are selfish aggressive not respect others visitors sitting together and eating will get a horrible experience which can be ruin a good happy travels feeling.

  Aye_WSeptember 2026via Viator

• 5Massive, fantastic Hobbiton and Gloworm day!

  What an amazing day! Definitely the highlight of our honeymoon so far! Ale our guide was fantastic, full of interesting info on all things Kiwi! The entire trip was really smoothly done and no hassle with anything, door to door service was great. Loved being able to just enjoy everything as it was so well organised we didn’t have to think of a thing! Lunch was huge and tasty! We have another cheeky kiwi tour booked for Friday and I’m sure it will be great too!!

  B6434WPemmamSeptember 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Amazing day out at Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves

  A great day trip from Auckland. You don’t need to be a Hobbiton fan to do this trip I have never watched the films and the set is absolutely amazing and thoroughly enjoyable for any age. The tour lasts around 2 hours and you are given plenty of time to take pictures the group sizes are around 20 people at Hobbiton so you don’t feel over crowded. The lunch stop provided by Cheeky Kiwi was great and a huge menu choice to choose from there was definitely something for everyone here. Next stop Waitomo Caves to see the glow worms great experience if like us you have never seen them. A great tour provided by Cheeky Kiwi if I had one improvement it would be to make less pick ups and make some central points for people to meet but I get the attraction is probably hotel pick ups. Would highly recommend this company

  Sally1515September 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5An incredible experience not to be missed!

  Thank you Hanoz for an amazing tour today. Wow! What an incredible experience. Thank you for all your tips & knowledge, not only of the tour destinations but of Auckland itself. We can’t recommend this tour enough. Even if you aren’t a big Lord of The Rings or Hobbit fan, you will still be in awe of it. Whilst it took a bit of time to get there, the scenery along the way was beautiful.

  RoachD78September 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Hanoldze, our tour guide, is awesome!

  Hanoldze was our tour guide and he is just great at what he does. Everything went smoothly from pick up to drop off. Instructions were clear, so there is no confusion. The Hobbiton trip was so much fun and enjoyable. The glow worm cave was a very cool attraction too, unique as I’ve never had that experience in any of the cave tours I had ever done. The restaurant, The Thirsty Wetta, was a very good choice. Every one in our group enjoyed our meals. Well planned trip! Thank you.

  Elizabeth_JSeptember 2026via Viator

Know before you go

How it compares in Auckland

• Its from-price is 23% below the median of the 356 day trips we list in Auckland.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 3 of 356.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Auckland

Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, spreads across an isthmus between two harbours, dotted with volcanic cones, beaches and island-studded bays.

The Sky Tower rises above the central city and the waterfront, where the Viaduct Harbour and Wynyard Quarter are lined with restaurants and yachts, fitting Auckland's nickname, the City of Sails. Mount Eden and One Tree Hill, two of the many volcanic cones scattered across the city, give panoramic views.

Top-ranked sights in Auckland: Auckland Harbour Bridge, Waiheke Island, North Head Historic Reserve (Maungauika).

See all 900 experiences in Auckland