Earlier this year, Hobbiton fans rejoiced as Jetstar introduced direct flights from Sydney and the Gold Coast to Hamilton, New Zealand – the home of the beloved Hobbiton movie set.
Perfect for families, Hamilton is also home to a range of activities the whole family can enjoy, including the Hamilton Zoo, Hamilton Gardens and hot air balloon tours. The location has an abundance of activities for the family to enjoy, coupled with an iconic road trip exploring the surrounding countryside.
Located in Matamata, Hobbiton is where The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies were filmed on a spectacular 1250-acre sheep and beef farm. Take a tour through the unequivocal beauty of the farmland and movie set, showing the intricate detailing and explaining how the movie magic was made.
December and January are two of the most popular months for Aussies to head across The Ditch and Skyscanner Australia travel expert, Jarrod Kris has some great tips for those looking to visit the Land of the Long White Cloud:
• To be price-savvy and plan for a great trip, Aussies can opt to mix and match their airline carriers for flexibility in timings and price. Travellers can choose if they’d like to fly direct or via stopover and even how long they’d like to make their stop-over, to be cost-effective.
• Be price smart: setting up price alerts will ensure you’re the first to know as prices drop with any additional discounts or added supply. You can mark a flight you’re interested in and Skyscanner will email you whenever the price goes up or down.
• Take the red-eye: these flights tend to be less desirable and thus less expensive and less crowded. That means you’re likely to score a deal and be able to stretch out comfortably across empty seats.
• Be flexible with dates: Skyscanner’s ‘whole month’ search tool allows you to see cheap flights immediately and pick the right deal for you. Consider travelling a day before or a day after your original departure dates, flying on less popular days of the week is always cheaper too.
• Aussie citizens will require a valid passport to travel to New Zealand, however they won’t require a visa, which is one of the great things about travelling between the Trans-Tasman nations! Aussies can also drive with a valid Australian licence for up to 12 months before needing to switch over to a New Zealand licence, which is handy for any families looking to extend their road trip over months.
• For a classic road trip, the Spring and Summer months are typically the best times to visit New Zealand - so anywhere from September to March. You’ll typically want to set aside at least two weeks for a road trip that allows you to see both the North and South Islands.