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| Welcome! |
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.
Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell , nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole,
And that means comfort.
~ The Hobbit ~
Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell , nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole,
And that means comfort.
~ The Hobbit ~
Situated on a 1250-acre farm near Matamata, a 45-minute drive from Rotorua, lies Hobbiton, the land of the hobbits. Where everywhere you turn, you'd secretly hope to catch a glimpse of Frodo or Bilbo Baggins. Or Gandalf making his way through the streets with a horse cart.
A little more than 10 years ago, Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema found this beautiful landscape during an aerial search for suitable sites to film Lord of the Rings. Alexander Farm with its rolling hills, untouched by 21st century so-called technology like roads, buildings and power lines, quickly caught their eyes. It was the beginning of Shire, Hobbiton as you can see in the movies. As part of the contract between Alexander Farm and the movie company the site should be deconstructed soon after the filming was done. It was winter and soon the work couldn't be finished. 17 hobbit holes was left, and the farm finally became a tourist attraction.
Fast forward ten years, now they're back to film The Hobbit. The whole site is reconstructed for the filming so instead of 17 hobbit-holes they now have 42! All perfectly painted, decorated and given an old-and-rustic touch. We count ourselves very lucky for coming at the right time. It is likely they're going to start filming soon and by that time, the site will be closed to public. The bad news is, they had us sign a form which basically stated that we are not supposed to share anything we heard or saw at the movie set! So I'll just leave it to your imagination : a picturesque "village" with colorful rounded doors, moss-covered fences, a huge party tree, and a calm, beautiful lake.
Since it is a privately-owned property, you can't get there unless you take a tour ( there is also only one tour operator so you can't be picky! ). The tour was fun, the tour guide was great, very informative and funny at the same time. We were astounded by her knowledge of LOTR ( and abundant gossip about the upcoming The Hobbit ) and entertained by her fascinating and hilarious behind-the-scene quirks. There's nothing quite magical like experiencing the Hobbiton village.
We paid NZD 99 each for the tour, including pickup to and from Rotorua and a sheep-shearing show, it was mad expensive. But the whole experience made up for the price. We would totally recommend this place to anyone visiting New Zealand!
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| 1.5 km from here lies Shire, Hobbiton |
Fast forward ten years, now they're back to film The Hobbit. The whole site is reconstructed for the filming so instead of 17 hobbit-holes they now have 42! All perfectly painted, decorated and given an old-and-rustic touch. We count ourselves very lucky for coming at the right time. It is likely they're going to start filming soon and by that time, the site will be closed to public. The bad news is, they had us sign a form which basically stated that we are not supposed to share anything we heard or saw at the movie set! So I'll just leave it to your imagination : a picturesque "village" with colorful rounded doors, moss-covered fences, a huge party tree, and a calm, beautiful lake.
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| Another view of the farm |
We paid NZD 99 each for the tour, including pickup to and from Rotorua and a sheep-shearing show, it was mad expensive. But the whole experience made up for the price. We would totally recommend this place to anyone visiting New Zealand!
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| Sheep-shearing show |
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