Visiting the Hobbiton Movie Set in New Zealand
Are you a fan of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” movie trilogies? If so, then visiting the Hobbiton Movie Set in Matamata, New Zealand is a must!
Take a guided tour of Hobbiton and see charming hobbit-holes dotting the beautiful green landscape, stand in front of Bag End, and drink a pint of ale at the iconic Green Dragon Inn.
On a trip to New Zealand, we had the opportunity to visit Hobbiton from Auckland and want to share our journey into Middle-Earth from how we booked Hobbiton Movie Set tickets to what it is like walking through a hobbit-hole.
“I’m Going On An Adventure!” – Bilbo Baggins
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The Hobbiton Movie Set is located in the town of Matamata, New Zealand. From Auckland, the Hobbiton Movie Set is just shy of a two hour drive. From Rotorua, it’s about an hour drive.
Hobbiton is about 5.5 hectares or 14 acres and tours are offered daily. Just remember to book your tickets to Hobbiton online and well in advance.
All the information provided is what I learned from our tour or from the official Hobbiton Movie Set website.
Filming Location
Peter Jackson, spent a considerable amount of time exploring New Zealand looking for filming locations for The Lord of the Rings.
He was doing an aerial tour of New Zealand’s North Island, looking for a hilly landscape that would be perfectly suited for a place to represent The Shire.
As he flew over the Alexander Sheep Farm in Matamata and saw a giant tree surrounded by hills and a lake. At this moment, he envisioned J.R.R Tolkien’s Hobbiton from The Lord of the Rings novels.
The owner of the land agreed to transform a portion of his farm to the Hobbiton we see today.
Construction began in 1999, and 37 hobbit-holes were built along with trails, gardens, the bridge, and everything else you see in the trilogies.
According to our tour guide, Hobbiton was meant to be temporary and was dismantled after The Lord of the Rings.
Mostly everything was taken down with the exception of a few stairs leading to Bags End. Over time, the owner of the land grew tired of fans of the movies trespassing on his property and taking photos near the steps.
Years later, Peter Jackson wanted to film at the farm again for the Hobbit trilogy. The owner decided that if this was going to happen, he wanted the set to become permanent so it could later be turned into a tourist attraction.
In 2010, Hobbiton was rebuilt in its original form with a few new additions and hobbit-holes and can now be enjoyed by everyone!
“The World is not in your books and maps, it’s out there” – Gandalf
Booking Tickets to the Hobbiton Movie Set
It is recommended to book tickets to the Hobbiton Movie Set well in advance. This is one of New Zealand’s most popular attractions.
Visitors from around the world come to New Zealand just to visit Lord of the Rings sites and visiting Hobbiton is on everyone’s itinerary.
Don’t wait until the last minute or think that you can buy a ticket the day of onsite.
Instead, you can book a tour directly through the Hobbiton Movie Set website.
There are various tours to choose from. Just select the tour you are interested in, pick a date, and enter in how many people are attending.
Alternatively, you can book tickets online like we did through travel sites like Viator, Get Your Guide, or Klook. These are great options if you are looking for day trips from Auckland or want package deals.
Here are a few tours that include Hobbiton that might interest you.
- Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Guided Day Trip from Auckland with Lunch
- The Hobbiton Movie Set Small-Group Guided Tour from Auckland
- Hobbiton Movie Set Guided Tour Ticket
- Auckland: Hobiton, Rotorua and Wai-O-Tapu Day Tour
- Hobbiton Guided Day Tour
“If I Take One More Step, It’ll be the Farthest Away from Home I’ve Ever Been” – Samwise Gamgee
Do I need to book a Tour to Visit Hobbiton?
To visit Hobbiton, you have to book a Hobbiton Movie Set Tour. You cannot visit Hobbit by yourself.
The film set is located on private land and cannot be accessed without booking a tour.
Don’t worry, the tours are fun, you learn a lot of inside information, and you get plenty of time to explore the Hobbiton Movie Set.
“All we Have to Decide is what to do with the Time that is Given Us” – Gandalf
Tour and Visit the Hobbiton Movie Set
I booked the traditional Hobbiton Movie Set Tour from the Shire’s Rest. The Movie Set Tour is a 2.5 hour tour that includes transportation to Hobbiton.
On the Hobbiton Movie Set Tour, you get to see the interior of a Hobbit-hole, see Bag End, stand on the Party Field, enjoy a pint at the Green Dragon Inn, and so much more!
After check-in at the Shire’s Rest, you hop on a 10-minute bus journey to Hobbiton where the tour begins.
The Shire's Rest Cafe and Gift Shop
Your journey to Middle-Earth begins at The Shire’s Rest. This is where you park and all visitors will begin the journey.
The Shire’s Rest is a cafe and gift shop, which I recommend browsing and sitting down for lunch after the Hobbiton tour, unless you need second breakfast.
The gift shop is full of souvenirs and collectibles from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
The cafe is more of a restaurant serving all kinds of delicious treats from Sausage Rolls to Fish and Chips.
“What about Breakfast? You’ve already had it. We’ve had one, yes. What about Second Breakfast?” – Merry and Pippin
Hobbiton
Alas! The moment you’ve all been waiting for. Hobbiton!
After disembarking from the bus, us visitors stood next to the Hobbit Sign prior to entering Hobbiton.
We walked Gandalf’s Cutting into Hobbiton. You might remember this location from the opening scene in The Lord of the Rings where Gandalf is riding his cart into Hobbiton and meets Frodo.
This is also in The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey where Bilbo runs from Bag End and shouts “I’m Going on an Adventure.”
Apparently it’s quite popular to recreate that scene, so don’t be surprised to see a person here and there running and shouting “I’m Going on an Adventure!”
Bag End
Probably the most popular Hobbit-hole in Hobbiton is Bag End. Bag End is the where Bilbo and Frodo Baggins call home.
Bag End is perched on top of a hill overlooking the rest of Hobbiton.
SPOILER ALERT
The Bag End you see today is just the exterior of the Hobbit-hole. The inside of Bilbo’s home was all shot in a studio in Wellington.
All the trees in Hobbiton are real with the exception of one, the tree that can be seen on top of Bag End. The tree and leaves are all fake. We learned this on our tour.
Party Field
Another highlight of Hobbiton was getting a chance to walk on the Party Field at the base of the famous Party Tree.
In The Lord of the Rings, this is where Bilbo celebrated his 111th birthday. And of course, where Merry and Pippin got into trouble after lighting the firework.
Bagshot Row
Included in the Hobbiton tour is a chance to actually go inside one of the Hobbit-holes on Bagshot Row.
Watch your head! You can enter a home and see the detailed spaces that Hobbits call home. The tour allows you to walk around the Hobbit-hole and see the bedroom, kitchen, living area, and even the bathroom.
The interior is pretty interactive, you can lay in the bed, sit on chairs, and even see what is cooking on the stove. The interior is very decorative and really brings the Hobbit-hole to life.
The Green Dragon Inn
What’s a better way to end a tour of Hobbiton then drinking a pint of Ale at The Green Dragon Inn.
All tours will end here and a free drink is included. We got about 20 minutes to spend here to enjoy our pints. There are non-alcoholic options as well for those that do not drink or are driving.
Conclusion
If you are on a mission to visit The Lord of the Rings sites in New Zealand, then a visit to the Hobbiton Movie Set is a must!
Experience the fantasy world of Middle-Earth and feel like you are actually visiting Hobbiton in the Shire. Walk across the same bridge Gandalf and Frodo rode the cart on, enter a hobbit-hole, and grab a pint at The Green Dragon Inn.
Visiting Hobbiton in New Zealand is a once in a lifetime opportunity and was worth the effort of getting here. Can you even call yourself a fan of The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit trilogies if you visit New Zealand without a trip to Hobbiton?
“I Thought up an Ending for my Book: And he Lived Happily Ever After, Unto the End of His Days” – Bilbo Baggins
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