The Lakehouse at Takapoto Estate

Experience Middle-earth with a visit to the Hobbiton Movie Set, featured in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films. Your guided tour starts with a drive through our picturesque 1,250 acre sheep farm with spectacular views across to the Kaimai Ranges. Journey past the colourful Hobbit Hole™ doors that scatter the hillsides, including the iconic Bag End, home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, before arriving at Bagshot Row™ for a glimpse of the interior of a humble Hobbit’s home. Continue along the pathways past The Millhouse, across the double-arch stone bridge and into the world-famous Green Dragon™ Inn, where you will enjoy a complimentary, exclusive beverage Hobbit™ Southfarthing™ range to conclude your Middle-earth adventure.

Step through the pest-proof gate into another world, where an ancient forest tower majestically above well-maintained walking tracks and the air is filled with birdsong. Explore the Sanctuary at your own pace or with an experienced guide who will help you spot the wildlife, including kākā, takahē, tuatara, kiwi, tīeke and more. Relax in the clearing or take an optional walk up the 16-metre observation tower, offering a unique perspective from within the forest canopy. Sanctuary Mountain is located in the heart of the Waikato, and as a not-for-profit, every visit helps make our conservation efforts possible. So come and share the mauri and mana of Maungatautari. You will come away enriched and enlightened by this spectacular environment.

Discover Waikato’s world class facility, centered around a purpose built 250m wooden with a guided tour. A great opportunity to learn about the history of the Avantidrome and find out more about the facilities and programmes we have on offer. While you are here, grab yourself a spot in the stands and watch New Zealand’s track cyclists train or perhaps rub shoulders with one of the Waikato/BOP Magic players or All Blacks Sevens team in the tunnel. If you’re lucky, you might even spot some of New Zealand’s Olympic heroes hanging around. Avantidrome Tours take place on a weekly basis. Private bookings of a minimum of 10 persons welcome outside designated tour times.

Make the first footsteps in the morning dew on the Movie Set as part of our first tour of the day. Your tour guide will escort you through the 12 acre movie set, recounting fascinating details from filming the trilogies and pointing out the most iconic sites and scenes. After a visit to The Green Dragon™ Inn where you will be offered a complimentary beverage from our exclusive Hobbit™ Southfarthing™ range, follow your guide back over the double arch stone bridge to The Millhouse, just across the water from The Green Dragon Inn, where you will be treated to a breakfast spread fit for a Hobbit. After you've had your fill, it's time to make your way back to The Shire's Rest, after all, this is only the second of a Hobbit's seven daily meals.

Combine a luxury transfer from Auckland to Rotorua with a visit to 2 world-famous attractions in New Zealand: Waitomo Glowworm Caves and Hobbiton Movie Set. At Waitomo, experience the underground wonderland that is Waitomo Glowworm Caves with thousands of Glowworms as the major attraction. We continue on to the Hobbiton Movie Set near the rural town of Matamata, made world-famous as the original setting of Sir Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies. On the 2 ½ hour tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set, get astonishing insights into how these movies were made and which parts of the movies were filmed here. Then continue to Rotorua for drop-off.

Your guided tour starts at the Shire’s Rest on a Hobbiton tour bus with a drive through New Zealand's picturesque 1,250 acre sheep farm with spectacular views across to the Kaimai ranges. Take a look at Bag End, where Frodo & Bilbo’s adventures began. Walk into the real-world landscape on a walking tour of the Hobbiton™ Movie Set and listen to the haunting echoes of the past at the Buried Village of Te Wairoa, one of the most visited archaeological site where stories of the 1886 Mt. Tarawera volcanic eruption come to life and telling tales of the 8th Wonder of the World, the Pink & White Terraces including a café style lunch along the way. Visit the mesmerizing natural Te Wairoa (Wairere Falls), plunging to the valley along our waterfalls.