North Island tours, things to do and tickets

Experience the magic of a guided Hobbiton Movie Set tour. Immerse yourself in the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of the Shire as featured in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies.

Nowhere else in the world can you soar through an untouched New Zealand Forest and become a part of a conservation success story all in one!

Since James and Andrew opened our doors in 2012, we have been working hard to preserve one of New Zealand’s most unique and untouched forests. We created this experience to transport you into a Jurassic world, showcasing New Zealand’s unique plants and wildlife. You help this project; your entry contributes back to our conservation efforts to save this ancient world. Thank you for your support!

You will be part of a small group (maximum 10 per group) with two of our knowledgeable kiwi guides who will delight you, making sure you safely enjoy every moment. Ask as many questions as you'd like and capture the moments with pictures and videos (although we have free photos of your experience for you after the tour).

There’s good reason we have been named the best nature activity in the world! – come and see for yourself!

Experience New Zealand’s one and only cliff walk, built around a volcanic rock 50-metres above the valley floor. Soar down a 400m tandem Zip-line and race your loved ones. Climb up through the layers of the canopy on our staircases that are truly an amazing engineering feat. This adventure is the ultimate way to explore the ancient giants and lifeforms in this forest that you can’t see anywhere else in the world!

Since we opened in 2012 we have been protecting this special place and when you come along, you will be too! A portion of your entry goes straight back to our conservation project to help us continue to rescue and look after this magic place.

We take photos for you and they are FREE after your tour via an email link. You are welcome to take as many videos and photos as you like too – you’ll be wanting to share this experience with everyone!

Experience the real Middle-earth™ at the Hobbiton™ Movie Set, where, in the heart of the Waikato region, you can step into the lush pastures of the Shire™, as seen in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.

Fall in love with the Alexander family sheep farm, just as acclaimed director Sir Peter Jackson did, as you journey through the unequivocal beauty of the land with the mighty Kaimai Ranges towering in the distance. Your guide will escort you around the set, showing the intricate detailing, pointing out the most famous locations and explaining how the movie magic was made. You will be fully-guided around the 12-acre set: past Hobbit Holes™, the Mill and into the world-famous Green Dragon™ Inn where you will be presented with a complimentary, exclusive Hobbit™ Southfarthing™ beverage to conclude your own Middle-earth™ adventure.

Explore the world-famous Waitomo Glowworm Caves on a guided tour. Glide by boat and marvel at the sight of magical glowworms above you.

Spend three adrenaline-crammed hours white water rafting down the Kaituna River on this tour from Rotorua. Start at a spot where wild waters meet subtropical rainforests and canyons engraved in the earth. Raft past beautiful cascading waterfalls, including the stunning Tutea Falls, and even take the opportunity to do some adventurous cliff diving. This tour is good for novice and expert rafters.

Feast on song, drama, tradition, and divine seasonal kai (cuisine) within our forest Pā (village) blanketed by towering Tawa trees, its blazing bonfires, and forest-formed amphitheatre.

Te Pā Tū offers 4-hour evening events that change with each season of the maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar.

Across summer, Tū Te Rā celebrates an abundant harvest, and we explore concepts, rituals, and stories of ancient Māori warfare and peace.

Throughout winter, Tū Te Ihi marks promise heralded by the arrival of the Matariki star cluster which high and bright in winter skies, signalling the new lunar year – we share the energy and passion of this celebration.

Cultural knowledge unique to each season is shared from the outset – rituals, songs, stories and continue across the night. From the beginning too, we share local, seasonal kai - plentiful and delicious. Kai horotai (indigenous canapes) is followed by a torch lit walk to a lavish 3-course fusion feast.

Kaituna Cascades was the original company to explore and start rafting the Kaituna River, and is still locally owned and operated by two current raft guides - so you know you'll be in great hands!!
No where in the world can you raft down such a beautiful river that drops into a vertical walled canyon filled with raftable waterfalls and countless playful rapids. The water is deep and warm (most of the year) and is usually a highlight of peoples visit to NZ. All of our guides are handpicked, highly skilled professionals that come from an extreme whitewater background in Kayaking and Rafting. We will give you the safest and most entertaining trip on the river!
This is also most definitely the best value for money rafting in NZ too.
Our aim is have FUN, So come join us for this EPIC once in a lifetime experience.

Cheers & see you on the river - Pete & Blue

Set off on an adventure from Auckland to see New Zealand's two most famous attractions in one day: the Hobbiton movie sett and the Waitomo Glowworm Caves.

Raft through 14 rapids including cascades ranging from 3 to 22 feet (1 to 7 meters), including the world’s highest commercially rafted waterfall. Pass through steep, bush-clad canyons and New Zealand native forest, ideal for rafting enthusiasts and first-timers alike. River guides provide a full safety briefing with quality clothing and equipment for this 2 hour white-water adventure on the Kaituna River.

Gannet Safaris Overland is the only tour which drives up onto to the Gannet plateau. No walking required. The views are spectutular with so much to learn about Hawkes Bay.
Our 3 hour fully guided tour takes you within meters of the gannets of Cape Kidnappers. The birds are mesmerising to watch. See them dive and swoop gracefully. While there we will serve tea & coffee.

Experience an evening of culture at Te Pa Tu that includes performances, dance, and a 4-course fusion feast held in the forest outside Rotorua.

Join the original Waitomo black water rafting tour. Explore the Ruakuri Cave on an exhilarating underground adventure that involves climbing, black water tubing, floating, and leaping over cascading underground waterfalls.

Cruise the Bay of Islands aboard a luxury catamaran and discover the famous Hole in the Rock at Motukokako Island. Spy secluded beaches and coves, keep a sharp eye out for dolphins, and enjoy a stop at one of the islands.

Mitai Maori Village offers you an authentic cultural evening incorporating a traditional earth cooked Hangi feast. Witness warriors in traditional dress paddle in an ancient canoe. Be captivated by the displays of weaponry, Haka, coupled with the grace of the poi dance. Learn about carvings and ta moko (tattoo art). Marvel at the sacred Fairy Spring flowing directly from earth, view our glow worms in their natural habitat. This experience is powerful, truly captivating and memorable.

This is a once in a life-time experience and different from any other Glowworm Tour you'll go on!

Our adventure begins late afternoon / early evening at Riverside Adventures' base in South Waikato. Paddle along the southern edge of Lake Karapiro, over the old submerged Horahora Dam that produced electricity for the early Waihi goldfields.

Learn the history of the Horahora village and enjoy the twilight & silence of being on the water as the day draws to an end.

As night arrives over the lake , paddle slowly up the Pokaiwhenua Stream and through the canyon carved out by water over many hundreds of years. Native ferns & trees drape over you, bird life is all around.

When darkness falls we float silently back downstream, being guided by the glow worms on either side sparkling like Christmas lights.

New Zealand's longest running passenger service, the Northern Explorer is a long distance scenic train service running between Wellington and Auckland.  Experience the extremes of New Zealand's scenery, from the fertile farmlands of Waikato to the volcanic peaks of the Central Plateau and the sparkling Kapiti Coast.

Kapiti Island is one of New Zealand's oldest and most important Nature Reserves, and is a place rich in history.

You can expect to see some of our most beautiful and endangered birds up close and personal as you share the space with the locals.

Kaituna River features grade 5 rapids plus the awesome 7 meter (23 feet) Tutea Falls, the worlds highest commercially rafted waterfall. Take the ultimate thrill ride on this Kaituna River white water rafting tour.

Setting out from Rotorua, your Hobbiton Movie Set Tour starts with a scenic drive across to Matamata where your local driver guide will provide informative commentary and share stories about the region and its history. Take a guided tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set and learn how this picturesque farmland was transformed into a living, breathing piece of Middle earth. Your guide will show you Hobbit holes, the Green Dragon Inn, the Party Tree, the Mill, and many other structures from the movies. Then enjoy a tasty lunch at The Green DragonInn before making your way back to Rotorua.