20 reviews of Waitomo Caves and 'The Lord of the Rings' Hobbiton Movie Set Day Trip from Auckland
Read what other Viator.com travelers think about the Waitomo Caves and 'The Lord of the Rings' Hobbiton Movie Set Day Trip from Auckland. What they loved, what they liked and what they think could be improved, it's all here to help you make the most of your next trip.
Reviewed by AmandaJT, April 2013
This was an awesome day! Hobbiton was great and the glow worm cave was amazing. I definitely recommend this tour. The only downside was there was a lot of bus changing and it was not always immediately clear where you needed to be. Despite that, both bus drivers were amusing and incredibly informative about New Zealand and LOTR trivia.
Reviewed by Elizabeth R, April 2013
We really liked Hobbiton. The caves were too crowded for us, but still interesting. The first bus was great, but as we got moved around not all the buses were are nice as the first. Overall highly recommend.
Reviewed by Michael W, March 2013
We very much enjoyed this trip and would recommend it to others who want to see the glow worm caves and visit the shire and need to be able to do so in a one day trip from Auckland. Yes, we spent a lot of time on a bus. But that is what we expected, and our bus driver/tour guide did a great job keeping us informed about what we were seeing and about what the plans for each stop. If people have the time, there are many other things to see and do in the Rotorua area and perhaps an overnight tour might work better for them. We only had one day available following the completion of a cruise from Sydney to Auckland, and this tour worked perfectly for us!
Reviewed by Bianca N, March 2013
This tour made my trip to New Zealand! We loved the caves and obviosuly LOVED Hobbiton, but what really made this tour was the friendly, knowledgeable tourguide! Completely worth every penny
Reviewed by Aida Hussain, March 2013
TLOTR is must do when you are in Auckland! Great experience with nice staffs
Reviewed by Lesa M, January 2013
The Waitomo caves were beautiful and awe inspiring, loved the boat ride, the glow worms made it all look so otherworldly. Hobbiton was wonderful, the tour guide was fun and full of interesting facts. We got a lot of photos at the hobbit houses and The Green Dragon pub. The scenery was spectacular
Reviewed by ayelaa, Australia, September 2012
This trip is absolutely amazing. It's great for a quick day tour. The guide was excellent. Very knowledgable and constantly interacting with his travellers. Although, i was a bit disappointed with the Waitomo Caves tour. It is such a beautiful place and for such a short tour, and a 5 minute boat road, it's money value isn't really worth it. All in all, i loved this trip. Thanks for the experience!
Reviewed by Patricia P, Argentina, April 2013
Beautiful caves. Easy to walk inside them. Seeing the glowworms was a very nice sigthseing. Also the quiet river inside was peaceful. If you are fun of The Lord of the Ring movies, so you have to go, nice place, well care. You think you are long time ago.
Reviewed by Cameron H, March 2013
Hobbiton was amazing. Glow worm cave was a waste of time and money.
Reviewed by BATTERSBY666, United Kingdom, March 2013
This was a long day and somewhat complicated due to all the different options covered by the one coach. But it all ran like clock work with no hitches. The glow worm caves were okay, but I had expected more and it was very busy. We did not have a lot of time to look around the shop after the tour which would have been nice so as we could get a coffee before setting off again. It took 2 hours to get to the cave then another hour to the aggro dome where we changed vehicles to drive another hour to Hobbiton
Reviewed by tina p, February 2013
Waitamo caves were great and very interesting. Only one chance to see them. And hobbiton was awesome. Had so much fun. Thanks.
Reviewed by Bernie, February 2013
Really cool tour, but given the travel involved, a very long day. The glow worm cave was really neat -- like being under the Milky Way while the Hobbiton tour was fun without being overly commercial -- and included some good NZ beer too!
Reviewed by David P, January 2013
Overall, I would recommend this tour for somebody who is short on time, but wanted a good overview of the North Island countryside. Yes, the two sites are kind of cheesy, but they were pretty cool. The driver, Kenny, was great and kept us well informed and entertained.
Photo by: Jennifer W
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