January 22, 2024
It is hard to over-estimate the effect that the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) movie trilogy has had on New Zealand tourism. Nearly one in five visitors to the country still cite it as a reason they chose to visit New Zealand, almost two decades after the first film was released. Case in point is the Hobbiton movie set, situated near the town of Matamata, about two hours drive south of Auckland. It served as the village of Hobbiton in the Shire for both the LOTR and Hobbit film series. It is a must-see for fans of the Tolkien books and movies, and indeed over 650,000 visitors tour the set each year. But they are not all LOTR fans. Even non-enthusiasts like ourselves can find much to enjoy during the tours. For a start, the set is situated on idyllic farmland that is beautiful on its own account. Second, they have done a remarkable job with the set’s upkeep, with beautiful live flowers and fruit trees dotted throughout the village. With butterflies floating by and bees buzzing around, it was easy to feel the magic of the spot that is captured in the movies.
While almost all of the trees and flowers are real, not all are. For example, this tree was made specifically for the Hobbit trilogy to match a tree that had been lost after the LOTR movies. Even close up it was virtually impossible to tell that it wasn’t real.
Most of the hobbit homes have nothing behind the front doors. However, last year interiors were built for two homes. The level of detail inside them was truly impressive.
Fans of the LOTR movies will recognize this yellow door as being from the very final scene of the trilogy. The movies end with hobbit, Samwise Gangee, entering his home with his family after his long adventure, closing the door behind them.
Mal and Lauren 