Tour Company: Great Sights
Tour Guide: Damian
Duration: 12 Hours
7:00 am - 7:30 am pick-up time at your hotel (if near Sky Tower)
8:00 am - 10:30 am Travel Time from Auckland to Hobbiton (Traffic may be unpredictable)
10:45 am - 1:00 pm Hobbiton tour
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Travel Time to Glowworm Caves
2:45 pm - 4:00 pm Glowworm Caves Tour
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Travel to Gift Store (mid-way back to Auckland)
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Travel to Auckland (Traffic is unpredictable/rush hour time)
First off, dress comfortably. Walking shoes and a light jacket is recommended. There's a lot of walking involved, but at a very mild pace. A bottle of water and cookies are provided to each guest. My tour group was a much larger group (~47 people). The coach was super comfortable, air conditioned with large windows appropriate for photography. There are 4-5 convenient bathroom breaks: 1) Arriving at Hobbiton gift store (busiest segment); 2) At end of Hobbiton tour, before/after lunch; 3) Arriving/Departing at Waitomo Caves; and 4) at the midway return to Auckland at the Gift Shop.
Hobbiton was a spectacular visit. Upon arrival, you are transitioned over to an official Hobbiton tour guide. In this case it was Emily. She was a fantastic guide. The weather that day was overcast and in the lower temperatures, but it was still very comfortable. You are in a bit of a competition for photos with the other groups ahead of you. So, please be patient. The best advice from Damian was to save your battery life for mobile phone photographers to when you get to Hobbiton. (Or bring a portable mobile charger like I did!) You will want to take a ton of photos. The scenery and energy of the movie set is breathtaking. This tour is meant for any fan of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. There will be one Hobbit Hole where folks will get to enter and pose for a photo. Have fun with that one. Your group will head to the Green Dragon Inn at the end of the tour where you get to taste a selection of 3 beers, and one non-alcoholic option. All tasty! Enjoy the drink by the fire. Afterwards, you will move into another structure where you will dine on a delicious buffet! The lunch buffet was better than I imagined! There was an assortment of hot dishes (chicken legs, meatballs, fish cakes, salads, roasted potatoes, fresh cut tenderloin beef, roasted vegetables, steamed rice) and a variety of desserts. (The desserts were delicately draped & covered to prevent bugs from landing on them.) You'll have about 30 minutes to dine quickly and you'll get to visit a gift store at the exit before heading out. For those folks who love to buy souvenirs, be very quick in your selection(s). It's a standard gift/memorabilia shop with various Lord of the Rings branded merchandise. Most likely you will have only 10 minutes max to do your shopping and purchase.
The Waitomo Glowworm Caves happens next during the afternoon portion. This experience was equally amazing especially if you've never seen glowworms before. The caves are a bit damp and you will feel an occasional drip from the collecting underground moisture. Be wary of steep staircases and a darkened path. The entrance has some low hanging stalactites that you have to maneuver under. The golden rule is silence through a portion of this tour. It will be explained during the tour. After walking through some of the caverns and seeing the intricate limestone structures, you will proceed to a boat and slowly go through the best part of the tour. Please note: photography and video recording of ANY KIND is not allowed during the tour of the caves because of the risk of "turning off" the glowworms. The Maori people who manage this tour will take your photo at the beginning of the tour and photoshop you into various cave settings. The cost of this product is $45 NZD which includes a booklet, digital download of the photos of you, and 4 printed photos. Yes, I just went ahead and bought it out of convenience sake.
Finally, I want to express my thanks and gratitude to our tour guide, Damian. He was a phenomenal guide and historian, sharing insights of New Zealand's culture & history. I appreciated his knowledgeable viewpoints and ability to keep us all on track with the schedule. You can tell that he loves what he does, and brings a deeper meaning to what a New Zealand native truly is. There were some inspiring moments and some thought-provoking stories. Damian made this experience memorable!