Sanctuary Mountain At Night Private Tour

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.

Walk into the real-world landscape on a walking tour of the Hobbiton™ Movie Set, and continue visiting the mighty Whakarewarewa Valley, for a truly culture rich experience, the home to a living Māori village and the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute including a Hangi Pie Meal. Set amongst a highly active landscape erupting with geothermal activity where you can experience bubbling mud pools and the 30m-tall Pōhutu Geyser, which erupts many times daily. Explore an authentic living Māori village where people live on a daily basis, using natural geothermal resources to cook, bathe and heat their homes as they have for centuries. Enjoy a Hangi Pie Meal cooked in our hot pool topped with rich homemade gravy.

Our latest focused exhibition invites visitors to explore the remarkable life of Rahapa Te Hauata — a woman whose courage, resilience, and voice continue to resonate through Aotearoa’s history. To commemorate and remember the events at Rangiaowhia on 21 February 1864, this small focused exhibition is on show until 20 March. Discover her powerful first-hand accounts of the sacking of Rangiaowhia and the extraordinary ways her whānau endured and survived this devastating moment in Aotearoa’s history.

Experience Hobbiton Movie Set as you have never seen it before with a guided tour through The Shire at dusk. Your tour guide will escort you through the 12 acre site, recounting fascinating stories and anecdotes about the trilogies. The tour concludes at The Green Dragon Inn with a complimentary beverage from our exclusive Hobbit Southfarthing range. Enter the Green Dragon dining room where the tables will be heaving with traditional Hobbit fare and, as is the tradition in the Shire, second helpings are encouraged. To conclude this premium experience, guests will re-join their guide to make their way back through the wandering paths of the Shire.

Combine a luxury transfer from Auckland to Rotorua with a visit to 2 world-famous attractions in New Zealand: Waitomo Glowworm Caves Group Tour and Hobbiton Movie Set Group Tour. 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.

Join our small group tour from Auckland for a fully guided tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Your guided walking tour around the 44 Hobbit holes includes the chance to explore the inside of a Hobbit hole. Stand by the gate to Bilbo's house and enjoy views of the whole set looking over the Party Tree to the Green Dragon Inn. After a delicious lunch in the Party Marquee at Hobbiton we continue on to Waitomo Caves for a guided walk through the limestone caves. This is followed by the iconic boat ride to glide along through the world famous glowworm grotto. (Boat ride subject to water levels).