‘Machine that constantly tunes itself’: Waikato tourism operators stand out

Hobbiton has swept another set of awards judges off their feet, as the attraction has been named a finalist in not one, but three categories at this year’s Tourism Industry Awards.
The destination is a finalist for the Visitor Experience Award, the Tourism Excellence Award (Large Business) and the Resilience and Innovation Award.
In May, the Hobbiton also won a Waikato Bay of Plenty Architecture Award, and it was recognised as New Zealand’s most “Instagrammable” location and as one of the world’s most magical places.
Hobbiton Movie Set tourism general manager Shayne Forrest said being announced as finalists for three tourism awards was very exciting for the team.
“We put a lot of effort into the areas these awards cover… and to be acknowledged for this is fantastic.”
Entrants into the awards have to nominate themselves, and the finalists and winners will be determined by a panel of judges.
The judges said Hobbiton, was “continuously investing in new offerings and refining its services based on visitor feedback” and “exemplified” innovation and resilience in New Zealand’s tourism industry.
“Hobbiton Movie Set… has significantly contributed to the local economy and showcased our country’s cinematic heritage.
“If New Zealand, as a destination, was managed like Hobbiton, we’d be in awesome shape.
“Hobbiton has been continually innovating and investing in new offerings, with projects like the recent addition of Bagshot Row.”
Judges also noted the progression they have made over time, from a quirky experience to a “machine that constantly tunes itself up”.
Hobbiton started offering tours in 2002. Since then, the set has welcomed over 4.5 million visitors.
They last entered the tourism awards in 2016. Since then, the destination had developed “significantly”, Forrest said.
“We reduced our visitor capacity numbers to ensure our visitors have more time and space to enjoy The Shire as well as opened new function and event venues including the fully themed Millhouse…, introduced new tour experiences and events like the Second Breakfast Tour and Middle-earth Halfling Marathon, as well as the most recent development of the… Hobbit Holes,” he said.
“Allowing visitors to … explore the authentic interiors of a Hobbit Hole has been a long-held dream for Hobbiton Movie Set and was a common point of feedback over the years.
“From December 11, we will also be offering a behind the scenes tour which will allow visitors to [get] a glimpse into the intricate craftsmanship that goes into bringing The Shire to life.”
Hamilton & Waikato Tourism chief executive Nicola Greenwell applauded Hobbiton for the finalist spots saying every accolade was “more than warranted”.
“The team at Hobbiton Movie Set never rest on their laurels, they are always looking ahead, what can be added, what new experience can be developed to an experience that is already top notch and truly magical,” Greenwell said.
“Resilience is what the visitor sector has had to be over the last few years and Hobbiton Movie Set displays that in spades.”
Meanwhile, there are two other Waikato tourism operators that also received a finalist spot.
Discover Waitomo is a finalist alongside Hobbiton for the Tourism Excellence Award (Large Business) and Huka Falls River Cruise is in for the Tourism Excellence Award (Micro Business).
Discover Waitomo is the operator and kaitiaki of the Waitomo Glowworm Cave, Ruakuri Cave, and Aranui Cave.
The award judges commended Discover Waitomo’s development of the complex cave and cast monitoring systems, as well as science partnerships including information exchange and connection with the Department of Conservation on catchment initiatives as “going beyond” the usual.
“Waitomo is more than just caves and glowworms – it’s a cultural hub rich in Māori myths and legends, with practical, engaging learning experiences in history, geology and biology that can’t be found in the classroom,” the judges said.
For this finalist, 2024 marks a year where the cultural, social, economic and sustainability outcomes of building back post Covid-19 have “truly” been embedded in the business.
Discover Waitomo general manager Daniel Thorne said being a finalist was “super cool”.
“We’re humbled some of our mahi is being recognised.”
Like Hobbiton, Discover Waitomo decided to run smaller group tours so that they had more time and space in the caves.
“Over Covid, due to the social distancing and closed borders we had smaller visitation numbers and therefore smaller groups,” Thorne said.
“We received quite positive feedback from that and aligned with our values of manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga we decided to keep the groups small to focus on time and space in the caves. It also allows our guides to dive deeper into… pūrākau [legends].”
Another positive effect of the smaller groups is that the guides could better “help visitors understand the unique micro-climate” that the glowworms need to thrive.
Thorne said the time during Covid had allowed the team to “push pause” and reflect on how the business could “build back differently” and continue to contribute positively to the catchment through riparian planting and trapping.
Despite the smaller groups, the number of tours per day stays the same. Discover Waitomo hopes this could also boost overnight stays and visitation to other local tourist spots like Marokopa Falls.
Meanwhile, the award judges commented that Huka Falls River Cruise was a “model business” for leading the world in sustainable tourism and had proven economically sustainable and resilient in economic hard times.
They especially mentioned the team’s ecological work and involvement in the Wairakei Tourist Park initiative, as well as their collaboration with fellow local tourism operators.
Owner-operator Dave Kilmister said it was great to be a finalist and the nomination had been a good opportunity to look back on the business’ past 23 years.
Apart from their own tourism offering, the Huka Falls River Cruise team is heavily involved in the Wairakei Tourist Park project, as well as other community and environmental programmes, like river clean-ups, plantings and predator-free initiatives.
Winners will be announced on November 6 at the awards gala dinner in Auckland.
The list below only features the award categories that include finalists from Waikato. For all finalists and categories visit the Tourism Industry Awards’ website.
Visitor Experience Award
Tourism Excellence Award (Micro-Business)
Tourism Excellence Award (Large Business)
Resilience and Innovation Award
Danielle Zollickhofer is a multimedia journalist and assistant news director at the Waikato Herald. She joined NZME in 2021 and is based in Hamilton.
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