10 Reasons You Need To Visit Hobbiton In New Zealand

Last updated on 18 December 2024

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Have you been on a visit to Hobbiton?

One of the first things people ask me when I’m overseas and they find out I’m from New Zealand is ‘do you live with a lot of sheep?’, closely followed by ‘Are you a Hobbit?’ I never quite know if they’re serious or not, but I hope it’s the latter. Yes, New Zealand has a lot of sheep, and no, we’re not Hobbits. But we still love everything Lord of the Rings and will always pride ourselves on being a close at least a little similar to Middle Earth. Minus the Mordor and evil ruler thing.

The greatest Lord of the Rings-related location in New Zealand is, in my opinion, Hobbiton itself. It’s the most wonderful place to visit if you’re a fan, and even if you’re not, it’s still a really fun outing.

Here are 10 reasons you should visit Hobbiton, whether you’re visiting New Zealand or you’re a local.

1 | It’s Hobbiton

Beginning with an obvious. It’s Hobbiton. You know it’s going to be great. Imagine rolling hills, circular, colourful doors, fresh vegetables and fruit on every surface, dances under the Party Tree…

2 | Everything is small

Hobbits are also known as half-lings, so as you can imagine, everything in Hobbiton is small. Very small. There are details around the site that really emphasise this, such as tiny clothes on washing lines, wheelbarrows at half their usual size, the chairs and tables outside homes, ladders and gardening tools … everything is smaller than usual, which makes you feel huge.

3 | Being on a movie set is a lot of fun

How often does a movie set remain standing after the film series is ended? Not that often. It’s so much fun being able to go back time and time again to a beautiful place full of exciting facts and stories. You can picture Sam walking into his yellow-doored Hobbit hole at the end of Return of the King, you can see Bilbo running off on ‘an adventure!’ in the early scenes of The Hobbit, it’s like you’re there with Merry and Pippin as they set off fireworks over the birthday party.

4 | And they haven’t really changed it

Picture Hobbiton in the films. That’s 100% what it’s like. The houses, the gardens, the pathways, the hills, the Party Tree, the Green Dragon. Everything but the characters themselves are there for you to enjoy.

5 | The fruit and vegetables are actually real

The farm that Hobbiton is built on is a working farm, but as are the vegetable gardens around the set and the fruit trees. The produce from these plants is used in the Green Dragon Inn and also driven into Matamata, the closest town. Having the real gardens may require full-time gardeners, but they are wonderful and really add to the whole experience.

6 | You feel like you’re in Middle Earth

Whether you’re a hard-core fan or you simply enjoyed the films the one time you saw them, stepping into Hobbiton really does make you feel like you’re in Middle Earth. Well, the parts that aren’t orc-infested.

7 | The Green Dragon is spectacular

The Green Dragon is at the end of your tour, and if you’ve opted for enjoying the meal then you’ll get to spend a lot more time in this is cosy inn than if you were just ending a normal tour. If you haven’t grabbed the dinner ticket, don’t worry! It’s still a great place to grab your freebie drink from the bar and enjoy the pub vibes with your fellow tour mates.

But if you do get the dinner ticket then…

8 | The food is the most incredible meal you’ll ever eat in your life

Just look at it. A-mah-zing. And it tastes even better (if possible) than it looks. While I was there they were saying that the only tour group that ever came close to eating everything they put in front of them was a rugby team. That’s the kind of hearty, but delicious and Hobbit-like dishes that you’ll get. It’s definitely worth doing once.

9 | Carrying lanterns around at night makes you feel magical

If you do the evening tour with dinner at The Green Dragon when you visit Hobbiton, you not only get the magical meal I just mentioned, but you get to carry magical lanterns around the site to end the tour. If that in itself doesn’t make you want to check it out, then you may want to reevaluate your love of LOTR.

10 | You learn a lot of behind-the-scenes information

If you’re a fan, then you’ve probably read up on a lot of behind-the-scenes information, but actually being on set like this you get to see the information first-hand, and it comes to life that little bit more. The tour guides know their stuff, and they fill you in on multiple details about the set and the cast and crew as well. You can fire questions at the,m and they’ll know the answers.