The Shire's Rest™ is our headquarters and location where all of our tours depart from. It is located at 501 Buckland Road, Hinuera, Matamata - click here for directions. 

It is located approximately 15 minutes from Matamata town centre, and from here it is about a 10 minute bus ride to the Movie Set which is included in our tours.

You do not need to book a tour to visit The Shire's Rest. On site here at The Shire's Rest is our Ticketing Centre, Retail Shop and Cafe. There is ample parking here on site, with plenty of space for large vehicles and camper vans too. 

When you are searching for a tour on our website, there are four statuses that may appear - No Departure, Fully Booked, Book Now - Limited Places and Book Now. 

No Departure means that the tour experience you are searching for is not available on that date. 

Fully Booked means that all tickets for that tour experience on that date are sold out. 

Book Now - Limited Places will appear with a gold button and red writing below. This means that there are only a small amount of tickets left (9 or less) for that tour experience on that date. We recommend booking as soon as possible if you are hoping to join one of these tours as when tickets are fully booked we cannot increase capacity. 

Book Now will appear with a gold button with white writing on it. This means that there are greater than 10 seats available for that tour experience on that date. We still recommend pre-booking as far in advance as you can to avoid missing the tour day and time that best suits your itinerary. 

Our Evening Banquet Tour and Second Breakfast Tour experiences both include a guided tour of the Movie Set at the beginning of the experience. This is the same tour experience guests get on our day tour. If you wish to do a tour at a different time of day as well, then you are welcome to book multiple experiences. 

Yes, we operate in all weather conditions. Umbrellas are provided in the event of rain and we highly recommend you dress appropriately for the weather, with enclosed footwear.

In the event of extreme weather conditions we reserve the right to make alternative tour arrangements for you.

If you are going to be late for your tour, we recommend you call us as soon as you are able to so we can discuss options with you. If you are unable to call us and arrive late, we will do our best to put you on the next available tour departure. Please note that if we are extremely busy, the next available tour may be several hours later, and in rare occurrences may not be on the same day.