Our tour will take a first stop of 10 minutes at Mount Maunganui Main Beach where you will have the chance to take photos of this beautiful beach in the morning sun. We then travel down the Pacific Coast road on route to Middle Earth. On the way, we will visit McLaren Falls where we take a short walk to the beautiful waterfalls – a real New Zealand treat to top off your cruise ship excursion with us in the Bay of Plenty. McLaren Falls consists of 170 hectares of lake land park set amongst a beautiful botanical collection of trees.
As we head to the Hobbiton Movie Set we cross over the Kaimai Ranges which boast panoramic views across the Province of Waikato. This is one of our favorite routes as we pass through breath-taking farmland that typifies New Zealand rural life. You will get a real taste for the Bay of Plenty . As we move towards Hobbiton we will offer you full commentary on the brief history of New Zealand, as well as a few interesting facts about our agriculture, horticulture and forestry industries
Upon arrival at Hobbiton you will board the Middle Earth bus for a two hour fascinating guided tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set and farm. Many of our guests have now seen the Lord of the Rings Trilogy as well as the Hobbit movie trilogies.
The Hobbiton guided tour starts with a drive through the picturesque 1250 acre sheep farm with more stunning views across the Kamai Ranges. Your guide will escort you through the ten acre site, telling you fascinating details of how the Hobbit set was created as you go .You will enjoy complimentary drink in Hobbit style The Green Dragon Inn offers at the end of your tour
After Finishing the Hobbiton Tour, we will drive you to the Geothermal valley of Rotorua. We will stop at a nice cafe to have Lunch or a cup of Coffee in Rotorua . our Tour guide will guide you into the Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley of Te Puia. This is the location of the famous Pohutu Geyser amongst a landscape of erupting geothermal activity, hot geothermal springs and hot bubbling mud pools. View the Maori village, world class Maori cultural performance, the Carving and weaving schools. You will see the Kiwi bird and enjoy a general sightseeing tour of the Rotorua ,the lakefront, city center and Government Gardens. The tour travels to and from Rotorua via partly different routes so you will view a vast range of New Zealand scenery.
After exploring these two top New Zealand attractions your tour guide will bring you back to Tauranga.
