Auckland Day Trips
New Zealand may be small, but its treasures are carefully laid out across the amazing countryside.
Let us take you to all these places with your very own private tour.
You choose the destinations and we’ll take you there, making it easy to see exactly what you want to see in a short time.
Let our driver take the hassle out of finding directions or a quality place to rest or eat, and enjoy all there is to outside of Auckland in the expansive countryside of the North Island of New Zealand.
Hobbiton™
For Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit fans, a visit to Hobbiton™ is a must-do! Be transported to the world-famous movie set, and take a guided tour of more than 44 unique hobbit holes, including Bag End (Bilbo’s house), The Green Dragon™ Inn, The Mill, double arched bridge and other structures and gardens built for the films.
As you amble through the picturesque private farmland, you’ll be transported right to the heart of the Shire, and hear the fascinating commentary about how it was all created.
Hamilton Gardens
Winner of the International Garden Tourism Network ‘Garden of the Year Award 2014’, this beautifully laid out garden is a short 45-minute drive from Hobbiton. It is a perfect place to stretch your legs, take a river cruise, or a guided tour. See the Victorian Flower Garden Display Houses, the Garden Collections, and relax in the Hamilton Gardens café for a spot of lunch or morning/afternoon tea.
Instead of being a botanical garden, this unique and internationally recognised concept has been compared to a museum. Each garden has historic integrity and provides a window into the story of civilisations, their arts, beliefs and life styles. With five Garden Collections and 21 themed gardens, take an hour or a day to explore this beautiful setting at your pace.
Rotorua
Feel the Earth’s power at Rotorua’s bubbling mud pools, shooting geysers and natural hot springs in this region’s dramatic geothermal character. Explore the area’s rich and diverse galleries, artistry and shops which showcase our fascinating Māori culture.
Take in the brilliant colours of Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland’s Artist’s Palette and Champagne Pool. Lady Knox Geyser erupts every day high into the air. Be taken to the amazing Waimangu Volcanic Valley; the youngest geothermal eco-system in the world with the largest hot water spring, 3.8 hectares, called Frying Pan Lakes, formed during the eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886. Watch the famous Pohutu Geyser, the star of the Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley, erupt up to 20 times a day to heights of 30 metres at Te Puia. Hell’s Gate is New Zealand’s most active geothermal reserve with the largest hot waterfall in the Southern Hemisphere and the only geothermal mud baths in New Zealand. At Whakarewarewa, The Living Thermal Village, the people have been hosting and welcoming visitors into their homes and backyards since the early 1800s, demonstrating the utilisation of the natural geothermal wonders for cooking, bathing and everyday living.
Get up close to spectacular geysers and colourful crater lakes, relax in a mud bath or enjoy a simple soak in a natural hot stream. Be free to wander around the many arts, crafts, boutiques and galleries in the area, promoting Kiwi creativity, quality workmanship and contemporary New Zealand art.
Otorohanga Kiwi House and Native Bird Park
Come and visit New Zealand’s national bird, active throughout the day due to it’s night time setting. Get up close and personal with the large collection of unique NZ birds and reptiles, including the rare Great Spotted Kiwi, Little Spotted Kiwi and Brown Kiwi and the unique tuatara, a native New Zealand reptile, which pre-dated the dinosaurs. Walk through New Zealand’s largest free-flight dome aviary, and with keeper talks and feeding displays throughout the day, this is New Zealand’s most personal wildlife experience
Conserving kiwi since 1971, visitors are welcomed to the park as your visit helps to care for these unique animals and continue in education and conservation for years to come.
Waitomo Caves
Beneath the rolling hills of Waitomo lies a labyrinth of caves, sinkholes and underground rivers. Coming from the Māori words wai (water) and tomo (hole), these stunning caves have been carved by underground streams pushing through soft limestone over thousands of years. Many have amazing stalactites growing down from the ceiling and stalagmites growing up from the cave floor; pointy cones of layered rock formed over centuries by dripping water. The cave walls are also beautifully decorated with galaxies of native glow worms.
See the caves by walking or taking a boat tour. If you’re into adventure, try the exhilarating experience of blackwater rafting – crawl, swim and float through the caves on a rubber tube. Or, you could abseil or zip-line through the darkness! You’re bound to see the Waitomo Caves are a wonder of nature; however you choose to explore them.
Above ground, enjoy good cafés and walks as well as natural wonders such as the beautiful Marokopa Falls and limestone Mangapohue bridge. A walkway beginning near the Waitomo Museum of Caves leads through farmland where you’ll see fascinating rock forms and strange fluted outcrops.