A Visit to the Hobbiton Movie Set
I named my all-black cat Strider, if that tells you anything about what a big Lord of the Rings fan I am. I am not, however, a fan of tourist traps. So on our recent trip to New Zealand, I wasn’t sure if a tour at the Hobbiton Movie Set would be worth the limited time we had, and New Zealand has so much else to offer. On the other hand, as a fan how could I not? In the end, we decided to take the tour to find out for ourselves. So should you visit Hobbiton? My answer is: Yes!
The first thing to know about the Hobbiton Movie Set, located in Matamata on the North Island, is that it is a working farm! When director Peter Jackson first saw Alexander Farm, he called it a little slice of ancient England due to the rolling green hills. When he envisioned Hobbiton, he had a huge list of must-haves like a Party Tree, a lake, woodlands and the perfect little knoll overlooking it all for Bag End. No one believed a single location could check all the boxes, and they were fully prepared to have multiple Hobbiton filming locations. But behold, there really did exist such a place. The set for the first trilogy was not built to last, and it was torn down after filming wrapped. But with The Hobbit trilogy, the structures were built more sustainably, and that’s what still exists today!
When we first arrived for our tour, we all boarded a bus that would take us down the winding country roads to the set. Along the way, we spotted herds of sheep and cattle, all while a video played with Peter Jackson sharing a bit about discovering the location and working with the Alexander family. We also passed the little ridge where Frodo first meets Gandalf in the Fellowship of the Ring and hops into his cart. Fun fact: they were not actually sitting side by side when that scene was shot! Instead, Frodo was sitting slightly behind and to the side of Gandalf so that the perspective made him appear smaller.
When we got off the bus, we took some pictures at the Hobbiton sign and then entered the set. Our guide had a great sense of humor and seemed like he had been working there for many years. In reality, he’d only been there for a few months and was just really passionate about the Lord of the Rings!
There are several dozen hobbit holes, all unique with different colored doors and front gardens. Special touches like vegetable patches, apple orchards, clotheslines, and butterflies flitting about the flowers all gave the place an authentic feel. When filming, Peter Jackson even had people walk back and forth along paths to make them look worn in. We stuck with our group of twenty or so visitors as our guide told us fun facts and pointed out scene locations, like the route Bilbo takes when running out of town yelling, “I’m going on an adventure!”
We passed Bag End, which is at the top of the hill and has the only fake tree in all of Hobbiton (it’s made of fiberglass). It also has the bench in the front yard where Bilbo and Gandalf smoke a pipe together as they watch the sunset. Fun fact: the bench is actually facing East, so when they filmed that “sunset” scene, it was actually sunrise.
We also saw Sam’s house, which has the only door that isn’t completely circular. The bottom part had to be cut off due to safety measures. If you remember the final scene of The Return of the King, Sam and his family walk inside and close the door. Well, apparently it was unsafe for children to step over the rounded threshold, so the team had to slice off the bottom part of the door to make it flat.
We ended the tour with a free pint at the Green Dragon, which also serves pub food and hosts a full hobbit dinner feast if you take the evening tour. When we hopped on the bus back to the parking lot, we saw one of the farm workers and his border collie wave us goodbye on the way out!
All in all, I am really happy with our visit! It’s clear that the company really cares about being authentic and remaining true to the original vision of the films. I also love the fact that my tourism dollars help to support a working farm. Our tour guide was enthusiastic and seemed to really love his job. Facilities were nice and clean, and it was honestly everything I could have hoped for! The Shire is supposed to be this idyllic slice of heaven, and it really was.
The only thing I wish I could change was that we were herded along in our group with the next one right on our tails. Because it is so popular, it’s really the only way they can get all the guests through in a day. But I would have loved to have strolled the little paths in our own time, like a botanical garden or park. It is also not really a great place if your main goal is to have a big photo shoot; there were a few girls in our group that were constantly holding us up to pose for lots of photos, and the tour guide had to keep reminding them to move on. Each person only had about ten seconds to take a quick photo in front of Bilbo’s house. So if this is your goal, you’ll want to look into a private tour.
If you’re a Lord of the Rings fan, Hobbiton is definitely worth a visit! I think even non-fans would still enjoy the set because it’s so picturesque, and the films are a huge point of pride for New Zealand.
