9 Film Studio Tours in New Zealand Worth Booking

1.Hobbiton Movie Set Tour with Festive Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 765 reviews · 6h 30m · from $182Our pick

Travel by coach from Rotorua to Hobbiton with an entertaining English-speaking guide, often praised guides such as Hannah, Ngata, or Natta. Walk the 12-acre Shire set, see the Mill, Green Dragon Inn, bridge, Party Tree, and a Hobbit home, then enjoy a buffet lunch.

“I really enjoyed this experience, it was fun and creative. I liked the tour guide the most. The food was great and loved the poetry glass they served beverages in, I even got one from the gift shop. If anyone has seen the Hobbit or Lord of the rings, and wants to do a half day of exploring outside of Rotorua, I recommend this experience.”

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2.Hobbiton Movie Set Tour with lunch from Auckland

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 168 reviews · from $189Top rated

Leave Auckland at 7:15 am for Hobbiton near Matamata. Ride a comfortable coach with commentary, tour the Shire with a local guide, enter selected Hobbit holes, enjoy a Green Dragon drink, and finish with a hot buffet lunch before returning to Auckland.

“I am not a fan of Lord of the rings, but I liked the trip. Everything was in a timely manner. We had a very good driver. We will use Viator again.”

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3.Hobbiton Movie Set Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 120 reviews · 9 hours · from $245

Travel from Auckland to Hobbiton with an English speaking guide, then tour Bag End, a Hobbit home, and the Green Dragon Inn. The day includes a buffet lunch, one drink, and a $10 shop voucher. Bush and Beach guides such as Damien and Wayne add local stories on the road.

“Driver from Akl to Hobbiton is very friendly & personable. As an added bonus, he is an expert at taking good pics lol. The staff are also friendly and knowledgeable. The tour itself is so magical, if your a Tolkien geek you will love it!!! A++++++++ service”

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4.6hr Hobbiton Movie Set Tour – Departs Tauranga

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 63 reviews · from $160Best value

Travel from Mount Maunganui to Hobbiton in a clean, air-conditioned 12-seat van with a local guide such as Russell or Nicolee. Walk through the Shire with a Hobbiton guide, enter a Hobbit Hole, enjoy a drink at the Green Dragon Inn, and stop at McLaren Falls if time allows.

“We had a wonderful trip. A very nice, knowledgable and friendly host/driver. She gave some health and safety advise (use of sunscreen, hat etc) she even gave opportunity to buy a hat for those whom had forgotten theirs, and offered them her sunscreen. (With UV intensity 18, not a waste of effort) We fully enjoyed the Hobbiton village tour. Wicked Wanderers groups are Small groups size, making the experience more personal. Fully recommended.”

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5.Hobbiton Movie Set tour & Glowworm Cave day tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · from $341

Leave Auckland at 6:30 am for a private drive to Hobbiton and Waitomo. You get a 2.5-hour Hobbiton tour, lunch at the Shire’s Rest Cafe, and a one-hour glowworm cave tour. Guides such as Steven Bong can adjust stops and lunch plans, while private transport keeps the day flexible.

“It was so grateful to meet steven bong. He gave us a lot of information of traveling in Newzealand not only in auckland but whole part of newzealand, so that we could enjoy our whole trip! :-) He also gave us some options to make our tour colourful. (have a lunch at other place, grab some coffee in the way and etc) He was the best guide I've ever met.”

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6.Auckland to Rotorua via Hobbiton Movie Set Tour – One Way

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 11 reviews · from $307

Leave Auckland early, tour Hobbiton’s 44 Hobbit holes with a local guide, step inside a hobbit home, enjoy a drink at the Green Dragon Inn, and eat a buffet lunch before arriving in Rotorua by 2:15pm. Pickup and selected hotel drop-off are included.

“Tried to watch Lord of Rings in preparation, but do not our thing. Didn’t matter though because the experience was awesome! Such a cool place and the buffet was so good. Our tour guide was great and so interesting and knowledgeable. It was a long day, but was so worth it.”

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7.Hobbiton Movie Set Tour from Auckland

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 11 reviews · from $525

Travel by private vehicle from Auckland to Matamata, join a small-group Hobbiton Movie Set tour, and visit Hunua Falls if the itinerary runs as described. Your driver handles hotel pickup, transport, refreshments, and the return trip, but the NZ$120 Hobbiton entry fee is extra.

“Hobbiton is beautiful and the attention to detail was amazing. The behind the scenes stories were fun. Our tour had people who had never seen any of the movies or read any of the books, they could hardly wait to do so. Our driver was not at ease in busy traffic, but knew the area and relayed local stories.”

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8.Hobbiton Movie Set Tour to Blue Springs and Waitomo caves

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 10 reviews · 13 hours · from $508

Travel from Auckland with a small group of up to six, visiting Hobbiton, Waitomo Glowworm Caves, and Blue Springs in one long day. Guides including Naomi and David provide English or Korean commentary, hotel pickup, bottled water, and a Green Dragon Inn drink.

“We had a very nice tour guide and were picked up from our hotel even though it wasn’t located in Auckland’s CBD. We had a fantastic experience. While we only booked the tour because of the Waitomo Glowworm Caves and Hobbiton, we also really enjoyed our time at Blue Springs. Highly recommended.”

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9.Hobbiton Movie Set Tour to Blue Springs and Mineral Spa

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 4 reviews · from $456

Travel from Auckland in a private, air-conditioned vehicle to Hobbiton Movie Set, the village of Tirau, Blue Spring, and a private wooden-bathtub soak at Te Aroha Mineral Spa. The 12-hour tour suits couples, families, and friends who want several North Island highlights without driving.

“I thought it was a small group tour, but I was a bit surprised that it was just our party. We had a very comfortable tour as a duo. It was a packed and fulfilling trip for a day. All the tourist spots were fantastic, and thanks to the passionate explanations from the guide, we enjoyed the trip throughout! I think we made a good choice. Highly recommended!”

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