Hobbiton & Rotorua Day Trip from Auckland with Te Puia

4.90

(181 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll admit, I was a bit nervous when our minibus pulled up outside my hotel in Auckland — I’d barely had coffee and there was this quiet excitement buzzing between the handful of us climbing aboard. Our guide, Jamie, had that easy way Kiwis seem to have: he pointed out the city’s early-morning bustle as we rolled out, but also let us just watch the light change over the skyline. The drive south through Waikato felt like flipping through a picture book — sheep everywhere (more than I expected), mist clinging to the fields, and every so often Jamie would slow down so we could try to spot a hawk or laugh at another corrugated-iron animal statue in Tirau. There was something kind of grounding about it all, just watching New Zealand wake up.

I didn’t think Hobbiton would actually feel magical — I mean, it’s a movie set, right? But walking past those round doors and wild gardens (the smell of damp earth and cut grass is still stuck in my head), you get swept up. Our Hobbiton guide told us little stories about filming — apparently one of the sheep kept photobombing scenes. The Green Dragon Inn was warm inside; I tried their ginger beer (included with the tour) while someone from our group attempted to say “cheers” in Elvish — we all laughed, even the bartender. It’s touristy for sure but somehow doesn’t feel fake.

Rotorua hit me differently. You can actually smell the sulphur before you see anything — not bad, just sharp and kind of exciting. At Te Puia, our Māori guide Mere explained how her grandmother used to cook corn in the hot pools (“tastes like nowhere else,” she said). We watched Pōhutu Geyser erupt against a grey sky; it was louder than I expected, almost like thunder echoing off wet stone. There’s this moment where everyone goes quiet together. Inside the arts school, you can hear carving tools tapping wood — that sound stays with you too.

The drive back north felt quieter; maybe everyone was tired or maybe just full of new things to process. Jamie surprised us with one last stop for Manuka honey tasting (I bought some for my mum). It rained on the way back but nobody seemed to mind — windows fogged up, someone dozed off, and I just watched the countryside slip by thinking about how much fits into one day trip from Auckland if you let it.