From Auckland to Middle Earth: Your Hobbiton Day Out
The drive from Auckland to Hobbiton, which tour to book, what you see inside, and the waterfalls, hot pools and country towns worth adding to the day.
If you only leave Auckland for one day, make a strong case for this one. The Shire from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit sits on the Alexander family farm in the green hills outside Matamata: twelve acres of round doors, gardens and winding paths, finishing where every good walk should, with a drink at the Green Dragon.
It is a little over two hours south of the city, which makes it a proper day out rather than an afternoon, and the drive is half the reason to do it yourself. With a car from Evolve Rentals you choose the tour time that suits you rather than the one the coach is on, and you can stop at the waterfalls, hot pools and country towns that sit around it.
What is the Hobbiton Movie Set tour like?
Every visit is a guided tour, and there is no wandering in on your own. You check in at The Shire's Rest on Buckland Road, and a coach takes you through the farm to the set, ten minutes of rolling paddocks before the first round door appears.
The Signature tour runs about two and a half hours including the coach. Your guide walks you past Bag End, the Mill and the stone bridge with stories from the filming along the way, and then comes the part the films never gave you: you get to go inside. Two hobbit holes on Bagshot Row now have fully themed interiors, and every tour steps through the door.
It finishes at the Green Dragon Inn with a drink from Hobbiton's own Southfarthing range, which is included. Bring ID if you want the alcoholic version, and there is food to buy if the walk has made you hungry. It runs in all weather and umbrellas are handed out when it rains, so a grey day is no reason to cancel. Wear enclosed shoes you are happy to walk in.
Which Hobbiton tour should you book?
For a first visit, the Signature tour. It is the classic, it runs through the day, and it leaves time for the rest of the drive.
If you want more of it, there are other ways in. Second Breakfast is the first tour of the morning with a meal built in, which is a very good excuse for an early start. Tour and Lunch adds a buffet in the Party Marquee in the middle of the day. Behind the Scenes is a longer small group tour with a visit to the Art Department, made for the real fans. And the Evening Banquet is the last tour of the day: the set at dusk, a proper hobbit feast, and a lantern lit walk back through the Shire after dark.
Whichever you choose, book it before you leave Auckland. Dates open at least ten months ahead, the good ones go early, and Hobbiton is clear that it often cannot take walk ins. You can see every tour on Hobbiton's own site.
How long is the drive from Auckland to Hobbiton?
About 170 kilometres, and a little over two hours without stops. Head south on State Highway 1 and stay on the Waikato Expressway past Hamilton, carry on towards Cambridge and Tirau, then turn onto State Highway 29 near Piarere and follow the signs to Buckland Road. It is sealed highway the whole way, through farmland rather than mountains, so it is an easy first drive even if you only landed yesterday. Our guide to driving in New Zealand covers the basics if you want them first.
The thing to plan around is Auckland itself. Getting out of the city on a weekday morning takes longer than the map suggests, and coming back in on the Southern Motorway in the late afternoon is slower again. A morning tour gets you home ahead of the worst of it. An afternoon tour pairs better with dinner in Matamata or Cambridge and a drive back once the traffic has cleared.
Check in at The Shire's Rest at least 20 minutes before your tour, and parking there is free. If your booking departs from the Matamata Information Centre instead, that is at 45 Broadway in a gatehouse that looks exactly like it should, about 15 minutes from the set, with free parking in town.
Is Hobbiton good for children?
Very. It is a gentle walk, the scale of everything is made for small people, and a hobbit hole you can actually walk into goes down well at any age. Two things to know before you go. Children 10 and under still need a ticket booked with yours. And the tour coaches have no seat belts, so car seats and boosters stay in the car while you are on the farm. Pets are not allowed on the set, apart from registered service dogs.
What else is worth doing near Hobbiton?
Make a day of it. The country around Matamata is worth more than a straight run there and back.
Firth Tower, about two kilometres from Matamata, was built in 1881 and 1882 on what was then a 56,000 acre estate, and it stands over a homestead and museum of the district's early history. The museum is open 10am to 4pm on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and weekends, and closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and public holidays.
Wairere Falls drops 153 metres off the Kaimai Range, and the lookout is normally a 45 minute walk from the car park on Goodwin Road. DOC has closed the track and car park for a rebuild and is aiming to reopen it in full for summer, so check DOC's page for the track before you plan around it.
Te Aroha, north of Matamata at the foot of its own mountain, is the place to finish the day. Te Aroha Mineral Spas fill private wooden tubs with water from the Mokena Geyser, one of the few natural hot soda water geysers in the world, which goes off roughly every 40 minutes in the Domain next door. Book ahead and soak the walk out of your legs before the drive home.
If you are heading back up the expressway, Hamilton Gardens is right on the way, and its Enclosed Gardens are a walk through gardens from other times and places, from a Japanese garden of contemplation to a Chinese scholars' garden. They are ticketed and open from 10am every day except Christmas. And if one day is not enough, our weekend road trips from Auckland take the same roads further, while the day trips closer to the city are all within an hour of the CBD.
Getting the car sorted
Your day starts in the middle of the city. Collect your car from the Grand Millennium at 71 Mayoral Drive and you are on the Southern Motorway in minutes, with no run out to the airport first. In working hours somebody from our team hands the car over and walks you round it properly, and outside them the keys can be left with the concierge, which suits an early start for Second Breakfast. Here is how collecting a car in Auckland works if you want the detail.
Then book your car with Evolve Rentals, lock in your tour, and leave room for second breakfast.
FAQs
How far is Hobbiton from Auckland?
About 170 kilometres south of central Auckland, a little over two hours by car on sealed highway, via the Waikato Expressway and State Highway 29.
Can you visit Hobbiton without a tour?
No. The only way onto the movie set is a guided tour, and booking ahead is essential because Hobbiton often cannot take walk ins.
How long does the Hobbiton tour take?
The Signature tour takes about two and a half hours, including the coach between The Shire's Rest and the set. Arrive at least 20 minutes early to check in.
Can you go inside the hobbit holes at Hobbiton?
Yes. Two hobbit holes on Bagshot Row have fully themed interiors, and every tour includes going inside one.
Does the Hobbiton tour run in the rain?
Yes. Tours run in all weather and umbrellas are provided, so wear enclosed shoes and go anyway.