Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Guided Tour From Auckland With Lunch

Experience description said WiFi on bus, but there is no WiFi on bus. The caves were a mind blowing, beautiful experience and Hobbiton was absolutely magical! I also wanted to point out that our driver was amazing! Knowledgeable, funny & a very safe driver. She made the tour extra fun.

It's an early start and a long day of driving. About an hour at the glow worm cave and maybe 2 at hobbiton film set. The glow worm cave is nice but brief and a bit of a detour putting the drive from aukland to the filmset at 4 hours. The film set tour is good. But we were rushed through the gift shop before going to the film set then rushed out again. If you want to absorb the film set more find another way there. The "luxury coach" was dissapointing. There wasn't wifi, the seats were uncomfortable and the air con leaked all over me for an hour and a half. So much in fact that I had to wear my rain coat in the coach not outside. See photo. The lunch box was acceptable. Our driver was a nice lady but the "interesting facts" were a little incomplete. So not really sure what she was trying to tell us beyond that it was expensive to live in New Zealand, that real estate was expensive, that cows with orange stripes had been artficially inseminated, oh and here's another place that's expensive to live in. All facts delivered with very little back story. For 4 hours!!! All in all it was an uncomfortable, wet (inside the coach only) and somewhat rushed at the actual experiences.

It is a long day, but well worth it. Both the Caves and Hobitton are tour only. This trip takes care of the planning, you just have to show up and enjoy the ride! Our Bus driver, Todd was great! Good stories and quite amusing. Lunch is basic, but satisfactory. You can bring additional snacks/drinks on the bus or purchase them at either stop. Plan for weather variations: it is chilly in the caves but can be hot, if sunny, at Hobitton ( they do have umbrellas for sun/rain available for guest use). It is not a great deal of walking, but good walking shoes are recommended

Nice tour despite not very well arranged by the operator. They were difficult to get in contact with, their guide tended to drop disrespectful remarks and the light meal served in the bus was not bad but shoved all around (falling off the small trays) as the bus turned.

Waitomo tour was cool and interesting. Wish the cave experience would have included a longer boat or cave walking experience.

Both Waitomo and Hobbiton are must see locations. Great sights had their system down to a T to get the group around and keep on a time schedule. Our driver, Nikki did a lovely job giving us tons of information during the drive between sites. She pointed out landmarks and points of interest, and had lots of information about native plants and animals. It made the bus ride enjoyable.

Waitomo cave is absolutely beautiful, and I learned a lot while I was there. The Hobbiton Movie Set was everything I ever dreamed it would be. The attention to detail is amazing, even down to the restrooms. And the tour guides at every turn were amazing. On the bus, our guide kept us entertained and informed and I learned so much about the history of New Zealand.

Love the tour. Amazing . The staff was very professional, everything was on time and just a must do!

The bus operator was very engaging and provided a lot of insight during the drive (2 1/2 hours). She was particularly fastidious about ensuring everyone knew where and when to meet at each spot. The waitomo caves were brilliant, but it is dark and you need to be sure-footed as it is a cave with some slippery and uneven surfaces...but the view was spectacular, and the fact that the guide was a lineage of the original indigenous families that discovered and developed the caves. The Hobbiton tour was absolutely amazing (particularly if you're a Lord of the Rings fan!). The young guide gave us insight into 'behind the scenes' information and we were permitted to take lots of pictures, both outside and inside various homes.

Exciting day! The caves and the glow worms were once in a lifetime to see. Hobbiton and the entire experience was fascinating. Whether you saw the movies or not, it’s a definite must see. Rachael, our guide, was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. The information provided was detailed and informative. Great day! Thank you!!

Bus tour guide, caves tour guide and Hobbiton tour guide were all great! Trip went smoothly and left and returned on time/early. Great itinerary glad we got to see both Waitomo and Hobbiton in one day as we were only here for a weekend. Included lunch was good too included a side and dessert. Bus was comfy and had wifi.

Loved the whole experience!!! Pick up was easy, the instructions given were easy to follow. The bus driver gave fun facts about the places we drove through, he was fun. We stop off for a potty, coffee, food and souvenirs. The shop right across the street looks like a children’s boutique, but there are great little kick nacks for all ages in there. Our driver when we got to Hobbiton gave us very clear and easy to follow directions. You get to do your souvenir shopping first, but don’t work about lugging your purchases around, our driver came around and collected our stuff and placed it in the bus with our other items. Pick up after the tour was easy, You drive the way back without any stops and drop you off right where you were picked up.

The caves were pretty cool to see, but Hobbiton was the best part of the tour. It was a really cool experience.

A wonderful 12 hour tour! So fun, never felt rushed! The glow worm cave was beautiful and Hobbiton was really fun!!

The bus was on time and comfortable. Driver/guide was very friendly, informative and entertaining. Both the glow worm caves and Hobbiton were well worth visiting. Great way to spend a day as a tourist in the Auckland area.

Coach was very comfortable. Tour guide explained things well and kept us on track. Boxed lunch of sandwich, salad and desert was delicious.

The package is great!! I would highly recommend this tour! Guides are super nice! Just one thing lunch was a little disappointment, but this is All day tour from Auckland so, not much time so picknick style lunch but it was rainy so we have to eat in the bus😢

I'll never forget this experience. The glow worm cave, in my opinion, is better than Hobbiton or WETA Unleashed.

This trip was great! I liked that we didn’t have to worry about car rentals or driving on the left side of the road (which is nerve wracking for me). The attractions were far away from Auckland where we were staying. We loved the caves and loved hobbiton! The driver was very friendly and entertaining. We also were admitted to the attractions with very little wait. I highly recommend!

This is a long day on a bus with 40+ people. The drive to the caves is at least 90 minutes. The driver tries to narrate most of it, but there is really nothing of note on the way. The caves are awesome! I am just wondering if there was an easier way to do this. The lunch is a chicken or veg sandwich with a cold side or two. Meh. Then we had another ~1 hour drive to Hobbiton for a ~2 hour tour. The tour is great, and a long time bucket list item. Again, just wondering if there would be a better way to do this.

Driver was amazing with knowledge & experience. The glow worm caves were interesting & impressive. The Hobbiton guide was soft spoken & hard to understand & didn't keep the tour moving but we enjoyed what we were able to understand & what we saw.

What a great tour. Bus driver was really informative on the trip to the caves. Glow worm experience was exceptional. Well worth the visit

Everything was right on schedule and went very smoothly. Driver/guide was fun and informative. I would go with them again!

Awesome but a long day. But well worth the effort. Both the caves and Hobbiton are unique. Driver was entertaining!

My two kids (16 & 23) and I had a great time! The itinerary was organized well, giving us plenty of time to enjoy both sites without feeling too rushed. Having specialized guides for each location was a huge plus—they were incredibly knowledgeable and made the tours more interesting Additionally, our driver/guide was great—not only knowledgeable and funny but an incredible driver who handled the traffic with ease, keeping the ride smooth and comfortable. The box lunch was just enough and satisfying. Overall, a fun experience.

Caves were very large once you got inside the “cathedral”. Cool inside and the ceilings in some areas are low. The actual boat ride is not very long, the whole experience takes about an hour. But feels magical

A wonderful day with 2 varied but amazing tours. Our bus driver Kenny was knowledgeable and took good care of his passengers. The bus trip is a few hours but it was nice to sit back and watch the scenery!

Rachel was a lovely driver! She was very informative and was sharing fun facts and stories the entire way to the Glow Worm Cave and to Hobbiton! My husband and I enjoyed both the Glow Worm Cave and Hobbiton! When you book through Great Sites, you go straight through Hobbiton with them! No need to get on a separate bus!

I booked a tour for two over three months ago. A day before the tour I asked if I could add two more people. They said no, as the tour was full. Then they cancelled my original reservation, without my knowledge. We got to the meeting place to find out it was cancelled. Viator said the tour company cancelled it, and the tour company said Viator cancelled it. We are from the United States and visiting New Zealand with no tour. I asked if they could book us a the tour the next day, only to be told no as it was sold out. This has been nothing but a blame game. I am so upset and so disappointed. Now I have to see if I receive a refund, as both companies are pointing at the other one as to who will issue the refund. I rat them 2 thumbs down 👎👎👎👎

This was really incredible. The bus to get to the caves and Hobbitton was clean and comfortable. The bus driver was lovely. The Waitomo caves are unlike anything I have ever seen before. If it wasn’t so beautiful, I would be totally freaked out by being on a tiny boat in pitch black. After the caves we went to Hobbitton. The tour guide we had was so good. Everything was super well organized. My ONE complaint is that I requested a vegan option for lunch and it was lettuce and tomato on a soggy bun and it was inedible. If you’re vegan, bring your own food.

Rachel was such a great guide. So informative. Gave us so much information on the way to our destinations.

The Waitomo Glow Worm Cave was a very cool experience. The luminescent worms covered the cave ceiling in different patterns and it was like looking at constellations in the sky. Hobbiton was so enchanting. It really felt like we experienced LOTR & that Hobbiton was quite real

A fantastic visit. This would be a must see in my opinion, it is exceptionally well done. Beautiful scenery.

The Caves tour was good. I’ve been on other more extensive cave tours, but none with glowworms. Guides were excellent. The Hobbiton tour was excellent! Sebastian was our top-notch guide, and the set is incredible, especially for a non-LOTR fan like me. The box lunch was mediocre, and we found the coach seats stiffened us up for the walking. Our driver was great, though it wasn’t their normal coach… no WiFi and some riders had condensation dripping on them at times.

Well run. Long drive from Auckland but our driver kept us entertained. We enjoyed Rachel’s commentary

Fantastic tour and a fantastic way to see more of the countryside if you're not fond of driving! We booked their option with the one-way transfer to Rotorua which worked very well with our travel plans. Communication was good, pickup and dropoff were super convenient. The caves and Hobbiton were both absolutely magical and the tour guides at each location were very well informed and entertaining. Highly recommend!

We did this tour out of Aukland, it might have been smarter to do it out of Hamilton, time wise......

We were told the bus would be locked as we went to the Shire/Hobitton. I visited the Hobbiton store and the doors to the bus were wide open. I discovered $1000 USD missing from my possessions.

The tour takes a whole day with lots of time on the bus. It well worth it. The bus was comfortable and the driver was very kind and helpful.

Even though the bus ride was long, the bus driver was funny and informative. Love touring the glowworm cavern and walking thru the Hobbiton movie set.

Magical and fun. Amazing level of detail put us right into the story. The guide had great inside info to share.

Highly recommend perfect day! The glow worm caves we so cool! You couldn’t take pictures inside but they sold pics for like $10-15 usd really not bad for all of them. The hobbiton was amazing!! You get to go inside one and drink at the green dragon.

I went alone to enjoy the Waitomo Caves and Hobbiton tour. The journey was very peaceful through the North Island countryside, and the views were unparalleled, which already added to the tour experience. The caves were beautiful, but in my opinion, seeing the chambers with their stalactites and stalagmites was more impressive than seeing the bioluminescent worms, which aren't actually worms, but rather larvae. It was a lovely experience overall, but I must confess that the larvae didn't impress me as much. The trip then continued to Hobbiton, where the experience was wonderful. My inner child, who had seen the movies and read the books, was very happy, although I would have liked the tour to be less rushed so I could have observed and enjoyed the details. However, it's understandable that if the public is allowed to wander around freely, they'll destroy everything. The Hobbiton guide and the bus driver were very kind and attentive. Without a doubt, a beautiful experience and definitely worth doing.

Absolutely amazing day! Our driver Todd kept us amused with facts and funny tidbits about New Zealand and his dad jokes! A 12 hour day went by very fast, loved the caves and Hobbiton didn’t disappoint! Our tour guide for Hobbiton (Jess) shared her knowledge and jokes, very entertaining lady! Faye & Marc

It was amazing. Very knowledgeable guide the caves were incredible something we have not seen before. Was well organized and we were able to enjoy it. Hot meal for lunch would have been my preference but the lunch was fine.

The drive was long, Waitomo caves are spectacular and Rachel our guide was incredible and very knowledgeable

The experience and tour guide were amazing, but the bus was dirty and not clean! Was not expecting to eat on a dirty tray on the bus for my lunch.

This excursion was terrific. The caves were fascinating and Hobbiton was beautiful. The coach was comfortable and our guide/driver (Rachel) provided a fun, safe, and cozy drive. For the drive to the caves and then from caves to Hobbiton, Rachel provided a running commentary on the sights, stories, and history of Auckland and New Zealand. While this was interesting and informative, I would suggest finding a way to make this more of an optional option. Perhaps it runs through a system that requires head phones? While most of the time, the commentary was welcome - after a bit of a drive, it's nice to close your eyes and relax without the constant talking.

This is a must when visiting New Zealand. It was just Amazing. Staff were so friendly. And very informative