HOBBITON

An absolute must for all those who appreciate Tolkien's universe from near and far! When he directed the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson was quick to spot that the green hills of the Waikato would be an ideal backdrop for Hobbiton, the stronghold of the Hobbits, those hairy-footed, peace-loving, good-natured mini-humans. The village they built was larger than life, but unfortunately, as it was made of fragile materials and not designed to last, the set was dismantled at the end of filming!

The Hobbit village we visit today is the one that was rebuilt for the filming of The Hobbit trilogy; and this time, lucky us, it was planned to keep it and open it to the public after filming.

The site is located near the town of Matamata. Visitors are welcomed a little way from the village itself, so we board a bus that takes us to our destination, then wander the alleys, zigzagging between houses in the company of a guide with a noggin full of fascinating anecdotes about Tolkien, Jackson and the Hobbits. The vegetable gardens are wonderfully tended, smoke billows from the chimneys, laundry dries on the curved tops of the houses... it's really like being there. We'll see Bilbo's house, Sam's house, the little lake, the little mill and, of course, the Green Dragon Inn, where we'll have a few minutes to enjoy a beer at the end of the tour. A must, really. Allow around 2h30 in total.