Hobbiton Movie Set & Rotorua Thermal Wonderland Combo

4.9 / 5 | 34 Reviews Review This Tour

Price: $235.00

Children (Ages 3 and under) are free but must be accounted for.

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Summary

Shore Excursion Size

Small

Shore Excursion Type Cultural, Active, Scenic

Shore Excursion Duration 8 Hours

Activity Level

Moderate

Shore Excursion Leaves From

Cruise Ship Pier

Food/Beverage Provided Bottled water, snacks, and your choice of locally brewed beer, cider, or ginger beer is included.

Recommended Dress We recommend comfortable layered clothing and sensible walking shoes. A hat, a light jacket, sunscreen, and sunglasses are also suggested.

Restrictions Guests must be able to walk on paved, gravel, and packed dirt surfaces, some of which are at an incline, for approximately 1.5 miles. There are several steps required to reach some of the sights.

Hobbiton Movie Set & Rotorua Thermal Wonderland Combo

On your Hobbiton and Rotorua tour from Tauranga city, you will travel for about 1 hour to the thermal region of Whakarewarewa. Here, you will see a Maori village. This living village is situated amidst a landscape of erupting geothermal activity, hot thermal springs, and bubbling mud pools. It is also the location of the famous Pohutu Geyser. Here you will mingle with the local Maori folk who have made this village their home and learned to live in harmony with this unique geothermal environment.

You will experience their traditions and their culture which has been passed down from generation to generation, and visit the fully carved meeting house "Whare Tupuna"(ancestral home). Experience a traditional Maori performance that will include a cultural welcome, songs and dances, games, and demonstrations of fighting skills, including the famous Haka. This is a concert not to be missed!

Then it is time to say farewell "E Noho Ra" to these local friends and head to the Waikato Valley. Here, you will find the Hobbiton Movie Set, nestled deep in the rolling hills of this region. One of the features of this area is the natural, unblemished landscape which was a necessary requirement for this Lord of the Rings movie film set.

You will be met by one of the resident guides who will walk with you around the set with a very informative commentary. Take the opportunity to dress up like a character from Lord of the Rings with costumes provided by your guide, and have your picture taken on the movie set. On your Hobbiton shore excursion, you will see the Party field, stand under the Party tree, and observe the Hobbit holes, the lake, the mill and the bridge. At the conclusion of your journey around the set you can venture into the newly opened Green Dragon Inn and enjoy a complimentary beer, cider, or ginger beer.

Then it's time to depart the Shire and travel back over the Kaimai ranges to your ship. If time permits on route, you will drive along the Marine Parade of Mount Maunganui seaside resort.

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4.9 / 5 | 34 ReviewsReview This Tour

Another spectacular shore excursions trip

December 27, 2022

Great way to spend the day and get the history of Hobbiton. The bus tour was informative, the guides on the bus and at Hobbiton were well informed and shared stories and lore. Loved the geothermal experience with Hanna. He had so much reverence for his culture and history.

Reviewer: Mary Gorski

great day

April 02, 2020

it was a wonderful day for a trip to the Maori Rotorua Thermal Wonderland and to the Hobbiton Movie set. Our guide was excellent and while the bus ride was over and hour and a half each way it was worth it. The first stop was at the Rotorua Thermal Wonderland which is sophisticated and very professionally run. We were able to watch and participate in a traditional Maori parade and demonstration of singing, dancing and the fierce Haka. The geysers were also amazing to watch. From there we went to the Hobbiton Movie set. We had 2 hours with a very entertaining and well-informed guide who walked as around the entire set. It was just like being part of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. It is an amazing site. Good value.

Reviewer: Allen Lynch

Value for money

March 28, 2020

Robyn was an excellent tour guide providing heaps of narrative without being too much. And the "goodies" bag was an extra special treat.

Reviewer: Marilyn Harrell

Truly Delightful Outing!

January 29, 2020

Even if you're not a big Lord of the Rings fan (we had several on the tour, including one in my own party, who were not), the visit to Hobbiton is well worth it. It's beautiful and picturesque, not to mention very interesting as a working farm and quirky story land. The thermal area with geysers was also very cool to see, including the Maori dance performance. Our tour guide, Rolf, was great, and having a nice small group really made it easy to interact and enjoy.

Reviewer: Lia Kamitsis

Mrs

December 30, 2019

The shore excursion was well informative. Value for money. The tour guide for both places was fantastic. The bus driver for both was brilliant. Out of 10 I would give this tour 40. Just fantastic thank you.

Reviewer: Marie Lunt

Hobbiton & Rotorua Review

December 19, 2019

This excursion is a must!! It was one of the best excursions we have been on while cruising on HollandAmerica. Fantasy at Hobbiton and then back to reality with cultural immersion in Rotorua provided a tremendous experience that won't be forgotten.

Reviewer: Stephen Kelsey

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