This was a total waste of time. Except for Stanley Market which is just a street market on the other side of HK Island and a bit hard to get to on your own, everything else i.e. The Peak Tram, you can easily do on your own by taking the MTR in less time than this interminable tour. The description said about 5 hours but really after all the traffic mayhem of a giant bus rumbling through densely packed HK streets, I got dropped off at my hotel at 3pm--7 hours later! No lunch, no refreshments, nothing. Starving! Thankfully I had a powerbar in my backpack. The biggest scam is the 1 hour tour of the "jewelry factory" which is just a big shop to get your money for some fancy jade. It's like a giant infomercial. Avoid this tour and do the Peak Tram on your own. And Stanley Market via a cab or local bus. Seriously. It's a far better experience without the "overhead" of a big bus tour. Really nice restaurants there to linger and enjoy the view. Wish i did! Biggest regret of my HK touring experience.

This was a great tour! Highly recommend it. There's some bus transfers and hotel pickups, which do take time upfront, but got to see parts of downtown HK that way. The only real issue was the short stop at the beach which was pretty pointless, nothing notable about it. The tour guide was kinda sassy too, which was initially entertaining but got a bit tiring. Wish we spent lots more time at the Buddha statue itself, although we had good free time after the lunch to roam around the grounds and the village shops. The cable car ride back down was amazing! Be ready for tons of photos! The fishing village was cool too!

So this had two different tour guides, for AM and PM. AM tour, make sure you get the right itinerary when you check-in for the tour! We went around Auckland downtown, local residential areas, include the upscale ones gorgeous houses, folksy commentary of the Auckland lifestyle for those who may be interested in moving here. Saw the Domain and War Museum which was ok, nothing like Te Papa. Short visit, just 30 minutes. AM tour is a short summary of Auckland for those with little time to get the highlights.
PM tour, had a really nice guide, the best tour guide, deserves awards! Fab time in Waitakere, walked down to the base of a waterfall, which made the whole day worth it. Just spectacular! Lots of great photos. A tricky walk down, kinda steep, so be careful. But totally worth it. Then went down to the black sandy beaches. A melancholy beauty of the place, quiet cold desolate but lots of great photo opps. Wow! Then saw Kauri trees, and did not-strenuous rainforest walks pretty easy, just wet and muddy, with great trees/ferns/foliage, even some birds. So overall a fab time and tour.
Only sucky thing was lunch which was meager, just some sandwich/snacks on your own. I was starving by the tour's end in evening. But the day was well worth it overall! Highly recommend. Also, if you go in winter get a Marmot hardshell and North Face softshell, and wear layers. You won't regret it! I'm so glad I had mine handy. Plus outdoor shoes, not tennies. Good grip soles.

Since I went in winter, I got a personal tour. Nobody else joined the tour! Nice day out, gorgeous weather but chilly. Be prepared for a long day of driving. The LOTR sites are all empty, with no sets, so not that exciting unless you're a Rings fan just for the thrill of being there. The guide's commentary was kinda lame, he just passed out books. Palliser Bay was most exciting, getting right up close to the seal colony among some cold wet rocks be careful! Saw large number of seals, lots of great photo ops. Beautiful scenery and totally worth it for this alone! The winery was OK, small and local, nothing to rave about really. No cheese/crackers to complement the wines. Finally saw Weta digital, just a small tourist spot, but it's fun if you're a Rings fan, cool souvenirs to buy, etc.
Note - there are some difficult walking areas on the LOTR tour, there's a swing bridge which is very narrow and sways nervously above a rushing river, wide enough for one person. Also, there's a Lighthouse at Palliser Bay that has 200 very steep stairs up a hillside. They're both optional but just FYI if nervous of heights. I went halfway took some nice photos. Too windy! Also, and this is true of all the tours I did, lunch sucked. Just a lame NZ sandwich which the tour pays for but still. Need more sustenance. Was starving by the time tour ended.
Also, if you go in winter get a Marmot hardshell and North Face softshell, and wear layers. You won't regret it! I'm so glad I had mine handy. Plus outdoor shoes, not tennies. Good grip soles.