Depart Auckland for Matamata stopping en route at Wilderness Gems, Ngatea, to view an impressive selection of
gemstones, crystals, greenstone, paua jewellery, carvings and gifts.
Continue on to Hobbiton, set on picuresque private farmland near Matamata. A tour guide will escort you through the
ten-acre site of the village movie set. Explore the remains of the hobbits' dwellings, and enjoy the spectacular views
across to the Kaimai Ranges from this private working sheep and beef farm.
After a lunch break (own expense) in nearby Matamata, continue on to Rotorua for some late afternoon sightseeing.
Enjoy an evening hangi - a traditional Maori feast of food cooked beneath the ground on hot rocks
- at Tamaki Maori Village. Experience traditional Maori culture and learn about pre-European life in a living village
recreated in the forest.
Overnight in Rotorua ready for a full day of touring the following morning.
Next day head to Waimangu Volcanic Valley for an early breakfast before touring this unique geothermal park.
Created on 10 June 1886 when Mount Tarawera erupted, Waimangu is the only hydrothermal system in the
world wholly formed within historic times as the result of a volcanic eruption.
During the afternoon visit the Buried Village of Te Wairoa to see the excavated Maori and European dwellings
and artefacts buried by the eruption of Mt Tarawera in 1886.
Stroll through Rotorua's Government Gardens and the active thermal area on the edge of Lake Rotorua.
Depart Rotorua late afternoon to return to Auckland early evening.
