I expected a gimmick and got the opposite. The detail and effort at the movie set is remarkable, and the glowworm caves were much better than I had been led to believe.
David G. · First-time visitor · August 2026
Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Day Trip from Auckland
From $218 per person
- Duration11 hours
- At the caves45 minutes at the Waitomo Glowworm Caves (3 hours at Hobbiton)
- Departs fromAuckland
- Group sizeMax 16
- Operated byAuckland Scenic Tours
- CancellationFree up to 24 hours before
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure — book now, decide later.
One 6:30am start and you get both of the North Island's headline attractions back in Auckland the same evening. More travellers have reviewed this day than any other tour listed here, which is the reason it leads: three hours in the Shire, a cafe lunch, and 45 minutes under the glowworms.
A 6:30am departure
Pickups run in the 25 minutes before it, from central Auckland only.
Three hours at Hobbiton
The longest Movie Set block of any combination day on this list.
A drink at the Green Dragon Inn
Included, and taken inside the set rather than at a gift shop.
A Kiwi cafe lunch
Included in the fare, eaten between the two attractions.
Forty-five minutes underground
The full guided cave tour with the boat through the Glowworm Grotto.
Max 16 travellers
The operator's stated cap; bookings are limited to 14 at a time.
The drive south over the Bombay Hills
Your day starts before six, because the pickups happen in the 25 minutes before a 6:30am departure. You run south over the Bombay Hills and across the Hauraki Plains to Matamata, with commentary from a driver-guide who is doing both jobs while you watch the country go past.
Pickup is downtown Auckland CBD only, plus one South Auckland hotel for travellers near the airport. Several operators on this list will not come out to the suburbs, and this is one of them — the pickup points are named individually.
Three hours in the Shire
Hobbiton is a working sheep farm at Matamata with a film set built into it. Your guide walks you through the hobbit holes, the Mill and the Double Arched Bridge before finishing at the Green Dragon Inn, where your drink is part of the fare. Three hours is generous; the shorter combination days give you two.
It is a walking tour on uneven farm paths, and the Movie Set is not wheelchair accessible.
The cave in the afternoon
From Matamata you continue to Waitomo for the 45-minute guided cave tour: the walk through the upper chambers, the Cathedral, and the boat through the Glowworm Grotto with the lamp off. Your admission is included, and no photography is permitted at any point inside.
The operator explains the camera ban on its own booking notes, and it is the clearest statement of it anywhere on this list — the glowworms switch off in response to a flash and take about two hours to recover. The glowworms goes further into why.
The day, hour by hour
A later 7:30am departure runs when the first one sells out. Both get back to Auckland the same evening.
- Hotel pickup in central Auckland, 6:30am
- South over the Bombay Hills to Matamata
- Guided tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set, 3 hours
- Drink at the Green Dragon Inn
- Kiwi cafe-style lunch
- Waitomo Glowworm Caves guided tour, 45 minutes
- Boat ride through the Glowworm Grotto
- Return to central Auckland
Who it suits, and who should book something else
Book it if
You have one free day in Auckland and no car. You want both attractions rather than a deep dive into either. You would rather someone else drove five or six hours of it while you looked out of the window.
Choose something else if
You want serious time underground, or you are staying outside the Auckland CBD, or a twelve-hour day with a 6am start is more than you want. The twin-cave day trip gives you two hours and a quarter below ground instead of 45 minutes.
What’s included
In the fare
- ✓ Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Glowworm Caves admission
- ✓ Kiwi cafe-style lunch
- ✓ Complimentary drink at the Green Dragon Inn
- ✓ Local driver/guide
- ✓ Hotel pickup and drop-off in downtown Auckland CBD
- ✓ Local taxes
Not in the fare
- ✗ Food and drinks unless specified
- ✗ Pickup from Auckland suburbs
Know before you go
- Pickup is CBD only: Downtown Auckland plus The Sebel Manukau near the airport. Check your address against that before booking rather than after.
- The day starts before six: Pickups run in the 25 minutes before the 6:30am departure. Set two alarms.
- Both admissions are in the fare: Hobbiton and the Waitomo Glowworm Caves are both included, along with the Green Dragon drink and lunch. Nothing else is added at either gate.
- No photography in the cave: Cameras, phones and GoPros are all banned inside the glowworm section. Hobbiton is the opposite: photograph everything.
- Walking tours at both stops: Uneven ground and steps at each. Neither the Movie Set nor the cave is wheelchair accessible.
- Maximum 14 per booking: The operator will take larger groups by arrangement rather than through the booking form.
Hobbiton and the cave
More photos on the booking page
What travellers said about this day
Our guide was a local who knew New Zealand history, Maori history and film history. The Hobbiton and Waitomo caves guides were just as good.
Carolina M. · Couple · August 2026
Our driver-guide talked us through New Zealand the whole way down and found hobbit costumes for photographs at the end. The children have not stopped talking about the caves since.
Priscilla W. · Family · August 2026
Questions about this trip
What time does the tour get back to Auckland?
It runs eleven hours from the 6:30am departure, so expect to be back in the city in the early evening. The later 7:30am start shifts that by an hour.
Is lunch really included?
Yes, a Kiwi cafe-style lunch between the two attractions, and it is listed in the fare rather than as an option. The Green Dragon drink is separate and also included.
Is 45 minutes enough at the caves?
It is the full guided tour, which is 45 minutes for everybody, including people who drive themselves. If you want longer underground, the twin-cave day trip adds 90 minutes in Ruakuri.
Can I be picked up from my hotel in Ponsonby?
Probably not. This operator collects from downtown CBD addresses and one South Auckland hotel, and says so plainly. Other tours here have wider pickup zones.
Do I need to book both attractions separately?
No. Both admissions are inside this fare, which is most of what you are paying for over the cost of the cave ticket alone.
Check dates and prices
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure, so a provisional date costs nothing to hold.
Read next: which cave this reaches · hours and check-in · access and mobility · Waitomo Caves Tours for every tour.