One Day Trip to Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Glowworm Caves from Auckland

Are you one of those who love Lord of the Rings or Hobbiton series? Or do you love visiting the movie sets where the popular movies are shot? Then you definitely need to have Hobbiton movie set in the North Island of New Zealand on your list.

I am one of those few people in the world who have never understood or read the series of Lord of the Rings and Hobbiton, but still have managed to visit the Lord of the Rings and Hobbiton movie sets in New Zealand. The day trip to Hobbiton is usually extended with the visit to Waitomo Caves. And both, Hobbiton movie set and Waitomo Caves, are definitely must visit places in New Zealand.

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Where is Hobbiton Movie Set in New Zealand?

The Hobbiton Movie Set is situated in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand (NZ). The set and the location was significantly used for the Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit movies. And the movie set is at a family run farm, a part of the 500 hectare property.

As you all know that the Hobbit is a movie series directed by Peter Jackson. The series contain three movies that are based on 1937 novel with the same name The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien.

The set has 44 Hobbit holes (or the houses) and you can enter inside only a few of them. The property also has a café called The Shires Rest Café, an inn called The Green Dragon, and a souvenir shop within the complex. You need at least 3 to 4 hours (including the 2 hours guided tour) to explore and see everything.

The best time to visit the movie set is in the morning as it is less crowded and the set is open every day between 9 AM and 5 PM. There are guided tours at Hobbiton Movie Set that are run everyday and are very popular among the tourists.

Also Read | If you are a hiker, then the North Island has some amazing hiking trails and one of them is the Lake Waikaremoana track, which is very beautiful and pretty.

How to get to Hobbiton Movie Set?

Driving

Hobbiton Movie Set is a day trip from Auckland. The distance between Auckland and Hobbiton movie set is around 170 kilometres and the journey by road takes about 2 hours. You can hire a car or a campervan at Jucy Rentals NZ. Note that you need to have a valid international driver’s licence (in English) to hire a car or a campervan.

Do you fancy a good road trip? New Zealand is amazing for a road trip with picturesque views and landscapes along the drive. Read 3 Days Road Trip in North Island.

Organised One Day Trips from Auckland

To make it easy for the tourists and travelers, there are tour agencies that run one day trips from Auckland. You can find these tours on Viator or GetYourGuide websites as they liaise with local agencies and organise your entire trips.

Depending on the tour you select the prices of the tours change. The tour usually includes the pick up and drop at Auckland Central Business District (CBD), entry tickets and the guide charges for the Hobbiton movie set. Just to give you an idea, the tour price starts from NZD 300 per person approximately.

Public transportation

The Hobbiton movie set is around 2 hours 30 minutes bus ride from Auckland. Intercity NZ is a bus provider that run frequent buses between cities and towns in NZ.

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

While visiting Hobbiton movie set, you can also visit the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Waitomo is a village on the North Island and is known for its glowworm underground caves. The caves is a natural attraction that has thousands of glowworms that light up the caves.

As part of the guided tours, the visitors are taken on a boat inside the caves that is filled with water to see the glowworms. The experience is absolutely magical and amazing. It is best to book the experience well in advance as the caves do get very busy, especially during summer season (December to February). The caves are open for visitors between 9 AM and 5 PM and it costs NZD 55 per person for the tour.

Photography and videography is not allowed inside the caves.

How to get to Waitomo Glowworm Caves?

The distance between Hobbiton movie set and Waitomo Glowworm caves is around 100 kilometres and the journey by road takes an hour and 20 minutes.

Safety for solo female travelers

New Zealand is one of the safest countries I have ever traveled. It is very tourist friendly and hence absolutely safe for solo female travelers. I have done many trips to New Zealand and most of them were solo and I have never had any issues whatsoever. However, like any other place, be careful and know your surroundings, especially at night.

Are you new to solo travel? Or do you have a lot of questions as to how and where to start your travels solo? Read frequently asked questions for solo traveling.

Closing Notes

If you are a Lord of the Rings or Hobbiton fan, then visiting the Hobbiton movie set must definitely be on your list. Even though I am not a fan or have watched any of the movies, I still loved visiting the Hobbiton movie set. I highly recommend visiting this place.

Are you visiting New Zealand for the first time? Refer my New Zealand travel diaries for new travel ideas.

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