Private Tour [4 Days]: Waitomo Caves, Hobbiton, Rotorua, Hells Gate & Wai-O-Tapu

Day 1 Travel from Auckland to enjoy Waitomo Caves & Hobbiton Movie Set Tour. Overnight Stay in Rotorua

1. 1

   Auckland Central

   15 min

   We pickup travellers from most locations in the Auckland CBD location. If your pickup location is not available on the list, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do our very best to accommodate your request.

2. 2

   The Bombay Hills are a range of hills to the south of Auckland, New Zealand. Though only a small and seemingly insignificant range of hills, they lie at the southern boundary of the Auckland region, and serve as a divide between Auckland and the Waikato region. directly named after the ship Bombay, The ship itself was named after the Indian city of Bombay (now Mumbai). Bombay Means: a breed of black short-haired medium-sized cat.

3. 3

   15 min

   We stop to get some great coffee at your own expense and a comfort break before we continue our journey into the Waikato region.

4. 4

   Te Awamutu

   Te Awamutu calls itself the ‘Rose Capital of New Zealand’. During the blooming season, November to April, the garden next to the visitor centre is a technicolour dream as 2000 rose bushes turn on the charm.

5. 5

   Waitomo Glowworm Caves

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   Travel in style from Auckland to this amazing destination located in the King Country of the Waikato takes about 3 hours when driving south from Auckland. Glowworm caves in New Zealand offer visitors the chance to explore dark caves that are lit up by thousands of tiny glowworms, who shine bright to attract their prey. Be amazed by thousands of magical glowworms above as you glide silently by boat in the world-famous Waitomo Glowworm Caves. The enchanting Waitomo Caves have been attracting visitors for more than 120 years, thanks to their incredible limestone formations and luminescent glowworms. Ride a boat beneath thousands of tiny glow-worms inhabit the cave and put on a mesmerising light display likened to the twinkling night sky. Enjoy a delicious lunch at Waitomo before head to another spotlight.

6. 6

   Hobbiton Movie Set

   3 hours Admission ticket included

   Experience the real Middle-Earth with a visit to the Hobbiton Movie Set, featured in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films. Walk into the real-world landscape of Middle Earth on a walking tour of the Hobbiton™ Movie Set, where you get a behind-the-scenes look at ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit.’ Pause at the Green Dragon™ Inn to for a draft of Hobbit™ Southfarthing™, see the remarkable detailing that brought Hobbiton™ to life on screen, and visit the places where key scenes were created. Take a look at Bag End, where Frodo and Bilbo’s adventures began. Get lost among the hobbit holes and visit the Green Dragon Inn, the mill and the Party Tree. Listen to spell-binding tales of how Hobbiton came to be. Your guide will escort you around the set, showing the intricate detailing, pointing out the most famous locations and explaining how the movie magic was made. On completion of this experience, continue over the forested Mamaku Ranges to reach the geothermal city of Rotorua.

7. 7

   Rotorua

   1 hour

   Continue to Rotorua and stay overnight.

Day 2 Rotorua Highlights, Whakarewarewa Living Māori Village and Hell’s Gate Excite Experience. Overnight Stay in Rotorua

1. 1

   Whakarewarewa - The Living Maori Village

   2 hours Admission ticket included

   Explore an authentic living Māori village where people live on a daily basis, using natural geothermal resources to cook, bathe and heat their homes as they have for centuries. Discover the vibrancy of Māori culture and the fascinating traditions of the Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao people, who shaped tourism in New Zealand. View the geothermal wonders of Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley up close, including the world-famous Pōhutu geyser, boiling mud-pools, steam vents and bubbling pools. Enjoy a traditional cooking demonstration – watch our residents prepare Hāngi meals in our in-ground steam boxes, and cook corn in the bubbling water of our geothermal hot pools – as they have for generations. Learn what it’s like to live in the challenging environment of the Whakarewarewa Valley, where daily life includes cooking in the bubbling pools and steam vents, and bathing in the refreshing therapeutic waters.

2. 2

   Hell's Gate Geothermal Reserve & Mud Spa

   3 hours Admission ticket included

   Enjoy this thermal wonder land with our interactive guided or self-guided tour before relaxing in the geothermal mud and sulphur waters. Get down and dirty in a mud bath or unwind in a Sulphur spa overlooking a spectacular geothermal landscape, before cooling off in a beautiful spring-fed waterfall and plunge pool. Featuring hot-water lakes, New Zealand’s largest mud volcano and the largest hot water waterfall in the Southern Hemisphere, the Hell's Gate Valley is the place to be for an indulgent experience that is almost sinful. With the only geothermal mud baths in New Zealand, the Hell’s Gate Spa is a highly therapeutic experience. You can slather yourself in the warm geothermal mud before jumping in the sulphur pool – with minerals that help to clear and detoxify. You have an option to choose any add on activity to extend and enhance your experience or you can choose to relax and explore as you wish. We stay overnight at Rotorua.

Day 3 Skyline Gondola, Jet Boating Rotorua & Te Pā Tū Evening Māori Cultural Experience

1. 1

   3 hours Admission ticket included

   Travel on the Skyline Gondola up the side of Mount Ngongotaha and experience spectacular views of Lake Rotorua, the city and steaming geothermal vistas. Once up top enjoy 5 luge rides to zip off with friends or family to discover who has the skills to master the Luge

2. 2

   45 min Admission ticket included

   Enjoy an action packed half hour of jet boat thrills around Lake Rotorua! Feel the rush of adrenaline as our V8 engines blast you over the water up to 85 km/h, and our experienced drivers throw the boats into 360° spins.

3. 3

   4 hours Admission ticket included

   Experience an evening of ceremonial ritual, powerful cultural performance, storytelling & hangi feasting at Te Pā Tū Evening Cultural Experience. A journey into the heart of Māori Culture... an experience you will never forget! The most award-winning cultural attraction in New Zealand... Voted Top 10 best attractions in the World - a cultural experience like no other. Delivered with a genuine heart and soul, Tamaki Māori Village offers a window in to a truly riveting, spirited way of life.

Day 4 Travel to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland Huka Falls, Lake Taupō and return back to Auckland

1. 1

   Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland

   3 hours Admission ticket included

   This day we start our morning, driving down to the south of Rotorua, will bring you to the colourful natural volcanic park, which is one of New Zealand's most diverse geothermal attractions. Explore spectacular nature at New Zealand's most colourful natural volcanic park. Walks through this unique geothermal area take between 30 and 75 minutes and provide a wide range of amazing photo opportunities at unique features including the world famous Champagne Pool, naturally coloured hot and cold springs, bubbling mud, steaming ground, expansive vistas, huge volcanic craters and sinter terrace formations. The natural bush setting, the Lady Knox Geyser erupting daily at 10.15 am and the nearby ever active "Mud Pool" add other dimensions to the experience, the distinct sulphur smell, similar to that of rotting eggs will accompany you throughout your visit to this fascinating natural wonder.

2. 2

   Huka Falls

   30 min

   Marvel at the breath-taking geothermal scenery, stunning waterfalls and World Heritage-listed forest reserves, as you drive from the south of Rotorua and located in the centre of New Zealand’s north island, lies the largest freshwater lake in Australasia. You will be amazed by the majestic Huka falls - an incredible waterfall that thunders 11 metres into the Waikato River below and boast the title of being New Zealand’s most visited natural attraction.

3. 3

   Lake Taupo

   1 hour

   Explore the scenic beauty of Lake Taupō waterfront by stretching your legs along one of many lakesides walking trails. Take a step away and enjoy the complete peace and quiet of water's edge picnic spots and elevated viewing areas. Excite the senses, be tempted by an amazing array of 100% pure New Zealand honey, mead, natural health and wellbeing products and unique gift ideas. A unique taste experience with free honey, mead & liqueur tastings. Live beehive viewings and fascinating interactive displays. Discover health & wellness products, divine honey-based skincare products. Complete your experience by relaxing in lounge or gardens with a coffee or delicious honey ice-cream.
   From the vibrant history we drive to trendy fashion and cuisine, the breath-taking native bush and beaches of Auckland is full of life and the opportunities to explore are endless.