Hobbiton is what brings people here, and it deserves the visit even if the films left you cold — the attention to detail on the set is genuinely impressive. Beyond that, the Kaimai foothills give a few good half-day options: the Wairere Falls walk, the Firth Tower museum on the outskirts of town, and the small Opal Hot Springs complex out on the Matamata–Tauranga road.