We visited the Hobbiton movie set in November 2025, and what a great experience it was. We are not huge fans, but I have read the LOTR and Hobbit books, and we both saw the movies, so lots of places and stories felt familiar. Most of the Hobbit holes have been built after the movie shooting was done, and there is ongoing construction to build even more. Being here in spring was perfect, so many flowers and lovely weather. Upon arriving at the visitor center, you need to check in at the ticket booth (we had make online reservations) and then stand in line for your tour - they leave every 10 min. There are bathrooms and a cafe if you arrive early. The group then boards a bus, which drives about 10 min through green hills with sheep, while you get to see some movie clips. Then the group will be taken on a 1.5h walk through the outdoor set, which leads you alongside many hobbit holes. Noelle, our guide, did a great job explaining details about which scene was taken where, which artifacts were real or fake, etc. The attention to detail was stunning; most hobbit homes have a theme, so you can guess what the owners do for a living (bee keeping, fisherman, etc.). We even got to visit one of the homes from the inside, which was the highlight of the tour for me. The home had lots of rooms, including bedrooms for the children, a cat bed, recipe books, a pot of boiling water, and lovely decorated china with leftover cake or cheese. Those hobbits love to eat! At the end of the tour, we all got a complimentary (non-alcoholic) ginger beer or 'real' beer from a local brewery (other drinks also available), before we walked back to the bus. Highly recommended!

Huka Falls is stunning! It also has the advantage of being very accessible. It's very near Taupō and the views are easily reachable after only a short walk. All of this makes it a great stop on the way to another event or location. Worthwhile even if you're short on time.