Where the tiny hobbits live

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.” - J.R.R. Tolkien,The Hobbit

When planning our trip to New Zealand including a visit to Hobbiton was a must. Danté always calls me his little hobbit when mocking me about our height difference and almost left me there after our visit. We re-watched the first movie on the flight to

Auckland together and could not wait to see

this with our own eyes.

Practical information

You can find Hobbiton between the rolling green hills in a town called Matamata on the North Island of New Zealand. The movie set is located on the still operative Alexander sheep farm. it's important to book your tickets in advance. otherwise you will have to come back another day or wait for hours to finally get in. The only way of visiting is with a guided tour in group or private. There are enough photo stops on the way and they give you enough time to take it all in. Hobbiton is really popular so you are definitely not alone there, but we did not have the 'crowded' feeling. We loved the experience but did find it a little expensive. Surprisingly there is no fully decorated hobbit hole in the shire. They only filmed the outside scenes, everything else was shot inside a studio.

The tour starts by checking in at the Hobbiton movie set store where you can find all kinds of merchandise and a small restaurant. Danté became the proud owner of 'The One Ring' and we also sent a postcard home whilst enjoying a hamburger. You have to be here 15 minutes before the start of your guided tour otherwise your spot is given to someone else. Booking a ticket in advance is highly recommended

A quick bus ride takes you to the beginning of the guided tour. Discovering the wonders of the shire start together with your guide and 15 other people. Inside you can find 37 Hobbit holes. Each extremely detailed and representing a different profession from the owner. You can not walk around by yourself but the tour only goes one way. We enjoyed the enthusiasm of our guide and the stories he told about the making of the movie set and about people who believed they actually were hobbits and that Hobbiton was rightfully theirs.

After walking trough this incredible cute village we reached the Green Drangon Inn. This pub is also part of the movie set and really gives you the feeling of it all being real. The experience includes music, fun costumes and a 'free' ginger ale. Yes, I said costumes! You have the opportunity to dress up like a real hobbit.

Sadly all good things come to an end, and the end of the tour you hop back on the bus and they deliver you back to the car. But this was not the end for us! oh no, no, no after driving 2 hours to Rotorura we discovered that our GoPro was left behind on the bus. We had to go al the way back. Luckily it is not a punishment to drive trough those rolling green hills. Hope you enjoyed reading! Love, Tessa

Is walking past Bilbo Baggins house high on your bucketlist? Let us know in the comment section down below!