Auckland Scenic Tours — Local services in Kaipātiki

We had such an amazing experience. The day started off great with our driver Mike picking us up right outside our door at 6:05 AM exactly when he said he would. He greeted us, correctly guessed where we were from based on my accent and had fun with us which was nice considering how early it was and we were tired and trying to get going.

We picked a few more people up and then had a beautiful drive to the Hobbiton film tour location. Mike explained so much about New Zealand to us on the way there which made the 2 hour trip feel short.

When we arrived at the Hobbiton set early, Mike was able to get us on an earlier tour which gave us just enough time to eat a delicious breakfast and get some items from the gift shop. The tour is another bus and guided by the Hobbiton tour group. It's a great 1 hour or so tour where you get to see everything from the movies, take lots of photos and learn about behind the scenes things. I've wanted to see this since I saw the movies when they came out in the theaters and it didn't disappoint. It's even more beautiful than the movies. We ended in the Green Dragon Tavern and then met back up with Mike to head back to the bus. There is a good bit of walking so I wouldn't recommend taking small kids on this.

We then made about an hour drive to a great little lunch place where Mike bought our lunch. We got one Savory item (meat pie, sandwich, etc.) a sweet item (pie, cake, etc.) and a drink. It was more than enough food for the rest of the trip.

Another short drive to the caves where Mike took us to the local guide and he took us through the caves. I was not expecting this to be as cool as it was. Our guide was really fantastic and the caves are very unique. It takes about 45 minutes or so to go through there.

We met back up with Mike and he drove us home about 2 hours or so. We saw more new things and beautiful scenery. Mike explained more and entertained us so the drive didn't feel long at all.

I can't recommend this enough. Just the drive there is worth the money. I was really only expecting the Hobbit tour to be the highlight but the entire experience was fantastic. Thanks Mike for making it great...

I booked this trip at the last minute, feeling both excited and a little anxious. When I arrived at Auckland from Sydney as a solo traveler, I was greeted by my wonderful tourist guide, Aaron, who arrived right on time at 6:20 AM. There were a total of 10 people in our group, and I felt so fortunate that everyone got along so well; and even made some new friends all g the way. It made the experience even more enjoyable.

The drive to Hobbiton took about two hours, and we had a lovely short stop for coffee and a restroom break along the way. During the journey, Aaron shared fascinating details about Auckland and the sights we would be visiting, which made the time fly by. It was heartwarming to see how punctual we were at every stop; it really added to the overall experience.

Visiting Hobbiton is an absolute must when you're in New Zealand, even if you haven't seen the Lord of the Rings or Hobbit movies. The charm of the place is undeniable, and the beautiful scenery truly captivates the heart. I also found the gift shops along the way to be reasonably priced, offering lovely mementos.

We had lunch between two sites and was very pleasantly tasty.

Overall, it was a beautiful day filled with joy and...

VISIT: end of February 2020 TOUR: Hobbiton Movie Set/Waitomo Glowworm Caves Day Trip TOUR GUIDE: 5 stars ACCOMODATING: 5 stars

The tour guide was able to pick is up from our hotel and showed up on time with no hiccups. I wish I remembered his name because he was so friendly throughout the entire day and it was an EARLY morning and late night. Mostly, he took care of us, knew exactly who was in his tour group and made sure everyone got where they needed to be. In fact, he did amazing and facilitating finding a better seat for my husband as he was starting to get cramped by the end of the trip with his long legs.

I 100% will book with them again

HOBBITON TOUR: 100% worth it. I thought this would be cool to see, but nothing prepared me for how absolutely breathtakingly beautiful this would be! (see my review on Hobbiton for more detail)

WAITAMO GLOWWORM CAVES were great and definitely not something we would get to see in America, but it's not the TOP things on my list that we did in New Zealand (like Hobbiton was). So, if you're limited on time, I think just the Hobbiton tour would be good. I just feel like if you missed the caves...