In this episode, I will join the group tour for Waitomo Caves and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Hobbiton Movie Set Day Trip from Auckland. The pickup time from my hotel is 7:00 am and the tour is approximately 11 hours including travel time to the locations. Distance from Auckland to Waitomo is 195 km and travel time is around 2 hours and 30 minutes. On the way to Waitomo, the beautiful scenic views of farmlands and rolling hills enchanted us.
Waitomo Glowworm Caves is one of the famous attractions in the North Island of New Zealand. Adult ticket cost NZD53, NZD24 for child and NZD131 for family and online ticket booking is available on this link. Open daily from 9am and the tour departs every 30 minutes. Most of the cave guides are descendants of the Maori chief having wide knowledge about the area.
The cave is accessible by boat and tour last for 45 minutes. Unfortunately, photography and video are strictly prohibited inside the Glowworm Grotto. New Zealand glowworm (Arachnocampa Luminosa) can be found only in Waitomo Glowworm Caves in New Zealand. It is a must-see experience to see the tiny glowworms produce natural lights display inside the cave.
The Ruakuri Cave and the Aranui Cave is another tour in the area allowing photography inside the cave and it is a walking tour.
Lunch is not included in the package but there is restaurant available on site. There is wide array of foods for adult and children and pre-order is also available.
Next stop is Matamata to visit the famous Hobbiton Movie Set around 100 km from Waitomo and travel time by coach is 1 hour and 20 minutes. The tour is approximately 2 hours including transport to and from The Shire’s Rest. The tour departs every 30 minutes from 9:30am to 3:30pm daily. Ticket cost for adult is NZD 84 and online booking is available on this link. Hobbiton has exclusive coach to drop on and off tourist on the film location.
Upon arrival, our guide gave brief history on how the simple farmland was transformed into The Shire. It is a guided walk tour so ensure that you are wearing comfortable dress and walking shoes. Some of the scenes in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movie trilogies were filmed in this location. This is the home of Bilbo Baggins and then Frodo Baggins. Our guide escorted us around the area, showing the famous locations in the movie. She explained how the movie trick was made in the artificial trees, plant, fruits and dress to look real in the big screen.
It’s time for photo session and our guide gave me a nice shot at the Bag End. The Bag End name derived from the real-life farmhouse in the tiny Worcestershire village of Dormston in England whose J.R.R. Tolkien’s Aunt Jane lived.
View this post on InstagramThe Hobbiton Movie Set. #thehobbit #lordoftherings #newzealand #traveladventure #matamata
We explored the 12-acre set, the pond, the Mill, the Green Dragon Inn where we indulge the complimentary and exclusive Hobbit South Farthing beverage.
This concludes my own Middle-earth adventure in Hobbiton. Back to Auckland City to spend a night and watch out tomorrow for the 4th Part of My Travel Diary Webseries.
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