If you love the books/movies of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit you probably want to visit Hobbiton. I have to admit I am one of those people!
So when my parents wanted to come and visit me, when I was in Australia, they didn’t wanted to come to Australia so I thought that New Zealand was the perfect solution because I wanted to visit New Zealand anyway and convincing my dad to go see the country where they filmed the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings wasn’t that difficult! So convincing him to go see Hobbiton was also very easy.
Even though it is a bit pricy ($75 as of 2014) we thought it was worth it. Even my mom liked it and she never read the books or saw the movies.
We drove to The Shires Rest but if you don’t have a car it is possible to start the tour from Matamata ($75 as of 2014) or from Rotorua ($110 as of 2014). Don’t forget to book on time and be flexible with your hours because the tours get full pretty quickly.
At the Shires Rest we were lucky enough that there was still some room left. We had to wait for the next tour but because it was a public holiday the tour went more frequently. This was a bad and good thing. The bad part was that it was much busier then normal but the good part was that we could definitely go on a tour that day.
When it was time for our tour we had to go into a bus and had a couple of minute drive through the wonderful landscape of New Zealand. Then we saw Hobbiton, got off the bus and started our tour. In the bus our guide introduced herself and talked a little about Hobbiton. When walking through Hobbiton itself she talked about the filming, the actors, the history, etc. After that we had a couple of minutes to take pictures before heading to the next location. I am not going to say anything she told us because that would spoil the whole tour if you want to visit it some day. And you should btw! 😉
I have to admit Peter Jackson has some great eye for details! You will always find something new.
Our last stop was the Green Dragon where we got a free drink and could eat (pay) something small if we wanted to. We got a couple of minutes for ourselves before heading back to the bus.
Even though I loved the tour I was a bit disappointed about the time we had there. Which is understandable because otherwise it will be chaos but there is so much to see you can just keep looking at it.
My conclusion: I would definitely go back again!
Sorry for the overload of pictures, there are much more though, but I just couldn’t make a selection!
Have you ever been to Hobbiton? Did you like it?
If you haven’t would you go?
What a great way to meet up with your parents. Living away from home, I always try to do the same and pick a meet-up that is new for all of us. I love the lord of the rings and after reading your article really want to visit Hobbiton! What a setting! Your photos make me want to watch the movies again right now!
Hobbiton is so lush and green, right out of the books! That looks like such a fun family visit. Even on a public holiday, it does not look too crowded. It looks so fun to walk around and explore the town.
I’ve seen photos of Hobbiton and think it looks incredible! However, $75 is a lot of money for a tour, so not sure about that. I understand it’s so unique, but having to pay that for the ticket, and then also pay for something to eat on the premises, kind of puts me off. Maybe, I’ll stick to looking at your lovely photos instead!
I am not a big fan of the series, but I would totally love to visit Hobbiton. It sounds like such a fantastic location! Your photos are lovely… they absolutely convince me to want to check this out 🙂 Safe travels!
I had not even watched the Hobbiton movies when I went to this place in NZ 3 years ago and I was so in awe, I fell in love! I know, it is a little pricey but I found it absolutely worth it. It was like we were in another world, a real city somewhere outside of this planet. I also loved the bar they had on site. I wish they would’ve opened a hotel in the area, with similar houses and let people stay there overnight, I’d love to live in the Hobbiton Hotel. Such an amazing experience this was!
Oh my god. This place actually exists. My goodness. I have always thought that these places were created on a computer. This is one place I would definitely love to visit. I have grown up reading the LOTR and this place always fascinated me. Bilbo – I am coming
Wow perfect place for my son who loves Lord of The Rings and this is a clear winner. We are planning our trip to down under next year and if we are around this area would love to visit it and surprise my son. Looks like a very well managed place and a fun day out. Yes a bit pricy @$75 but again most of Australia and New Zealand is pricey. The bus ride seems wonderful and then landing in Hobbit town. Thanks for sharing
That’s indeed a good way to spend time with your family. This place looks wonderful something out of the fairy tales. I love the wooden chair and the table set up and the entire log photos. The pictures are incredible and it makes me want to visit this place along with my hubby and 2 gals.