Private Hobbiton Tour from Rotorua
The short run from Rotorua up to the Hobbiton Movie Set at Matamata and back, in a private vehicle timed to your entry slot.
Current day-trip rates
The pickup point chooses the rate card
Auckland & Christchurch
Starts within the Auckland or Christchurch service area
- Half day
- 4 hours · 100 km
- from $299
- Full day
- 8 hours · 200 km
- from $499
- Out of town
- 10 hours · 400 km
- from $799
Everywhere else
Regional North Island and the rest of the South Island
- Half day
- 4 hours · 100 km
- from $399
- Full day
- 8 hours · 200 km
- from $699
- Out of town
- 10 hours · 400 km
- from $999
Prices vary by season and vehicle. If no vehicle is based near the pickup, driver travel is shown as a separate line before payment.
Why book this one privately
- Closest major town to the movie set
- Private vehicle, hotel door to hotel door
- Half-day shape — leaves the rest of your Rotorua day free
- Can continue to Auckland or Tauranga afterwards
About this day
Rotorua is the nearest tourist base to the Hobbiton Movie Set, which makes this the easiest version of the trip: a comfortable drive north-west through the Waikato dairy country and back.
Because it is a shorter day than the Auckland run, most guests treat it as a half day and keep the afternoon for the geothermal parks or the lake.
If you are moving on, we can just as easily carry on to Auckland, Auckland Airport, Tauranga or Taupō with your luggage after the set tour.
A private driver, not a group tour or a shared ride
Highway 1 Tours & Transfers is a New Zealand owned private transfer company with NZTA-licensed, P-endorsed drivers. Everything here is a private hire: your own vehicle and chauffeur for the day, an agreed fixed price rather than a meter, and a plan you can change on the road. It is a calmer, more flexible alternative to a taxi or cab for the day, a rental car, or a seat on somebody else's schedule — and the same drivers handle airport transfers, intercity point-to-point trips and multi-day private touring anywhere in the country.
Return day or one-way? Both work — decide before you book
A private day tour does not have to finish where it started. You can do a return day, back in Rotorua that evening with the same accommodation waiting for you — or a one-way day, where we collect you and your luggage in Rotorua, sightsee along the way and drop you at your accommodation in the next town. Auckland out to Rotorua, or Christchurch through to Queenstown, are two of the most popular one-way days we drive.
Either way it is one private vehicle, one driver and one fixed price agreed before you travel. Just tell us on the booking form where you want the day to start and where you want it to finish, and whether your bags are coming with you.
Frequently asked questions
Other private tours nearby
- Private Hobbiton Tour from Auckland
Your own driver and vehicle for the run down to the Hobbiton Movie Set at Matamata and back to Auckland, at whatever time suits your booking.
- Private Rotorua Day Tour from Auckland
Geothermal parks, forest and lakes in New Zealand's best-known thermal town, with a private driver handling the run down from Auckland and back.
- Private Taupō Day Tour from Rotorua
Huka Falls, Lake Taupō and the thermal country in between, an easy private day out of Rotorua.
- Private Hobbiton and Waitomo Caves Day Tour
The two headline Waikato attractions in one day, with a private driver connecting them so you are never watching the clock.
Other services we offer
A private transfer is only part of what we do. The same NZTA-licensed drivers and vehicles cover tours, hourly hire, airport and cruise work, corporate travel and group bookings throughout New Zealand.
Private, luxury & multi-day travel
Private touring, chauffeur hire, honeymoon travel and a driver for your whole New Zealand trip.
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Driving on the left, kilometres to miles, money and tipping, the seasons, and travelling without a rental car.
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Private airport transfers instead of a shared shuttle — your group alone, direct to the terminal, price agreed first.
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A fixed-price private car instead of the taxi rank — city-by-city guides across New Zealand.
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Keep the same driver for the day and shape the route around what you'd like to see nationwide.
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Multiple vehicles on one booking for larger parties, or a driven alternative to hiring a car.
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Plain answers on what moves the price of an airport run in New Zealand, and how a fixed total compares with a meter.
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Event transport
Please note: by-the-hour driver hire is only suitable when your travel starts and finishes in the same town. If you're finishing somewhere else, book a private transfer or a day trip so your fare covers the driver's travel.