HOBBITON MOVIE SET TOUR AND ITS LOCATION

Hobbiton is located in New Zealand and serves as both a film set and a tourist attraction. It is a 2 hour drive from Auckland via private car. It was used for the production of both the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogies. Visitors visiting Hobbiton have the opportunity to take part in guided tours of the set, which may include stops at the Hobbit holes, the Green Dragon Inn, and several other recognisable settings from the movie. In addition, the tour will include a stop at the Hobbiton Movie Set Café and Gift Shop, where guests will have the opportunity to buy refreshments as well as mementoes from the set.

The tour of Hobbiton is a fully guided tour, during which guests will be escorted around the set and given the opportunity to hear the story of how it was built as well as how the movies were shot on site. The set is a faithful replica of the Hobbiton village as it appears in the movie and was constructed according to the stringent requirements imposed by the filmmakers. The hobbit caves, the mill, the party tree, and other places that were used during the filming of The Hobbit are open to the public for viewing.

GETTING TO HOBBITON

Via Own or Private Car

The Hobbiton Movie Set can be found at Matamata, which is located around a two-hour drive south of Auckland. If you are travelling there by car, the easiest way to get there is to leave Auckland on State Highway 1 heading south and then make a left right onto State Highway 27, which will take you straight to Matamata. After reaching that location, just follow the signs that direct you to the Hobbiton Movie Set. You can use Google Maps as it is widely used in New Zealand. It is highly recommended that you plan your route in advance and take into consideration the traffic as well as any other variables that may impact the amount of time that it takes you to go.

Via Bus

You may take the InterCity bus service from Auckland to Hobbiton if you’d want to go there by bus. The InterCity SkyCity bus terminal is a minute walk from Sky Tower in Auckland. The exact location is 102 Hobson Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010. The town of Matamata, which is situated close to Hobbiton, is the destination of the bus once it leaves the SkyCity bus station in Auckland and journeys there. The InterCity bus will stop in Matamata i-site visitor centre. You may take a shuttle bus to the Hobbiton Movie Set from Matamata, where it is located. You can ask questions and book a shuttle going to Hobbiton from the Matamata i-site centre. Just make sure you do your research before going to the i-site centre. You can check their website at matamatanz.co.nz. The whole trip takes around two to three hours. On their website which is intercity.co.nz, you may get information on the InterCity bus service, including the timetable as well as the cost of tickets. To prevent being disappointed at the event, I would suggest that you check the schedule in advance and reserve your ticket as soon as you possibly can.

VIA TOUR GUIDES

There are a number of tour companies based in Auckland that provide transportation to and from Hobbiton, the filming location for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I recommend getting a tour guide if your after an hassle free experience. Your travel experience may be improved by hiring a tour guide since they can provide you with useful information, a feeling of security, convenience, and the possibility to have experiences that are really one of a kind. In addition to this, they are able to assist you in making the most of both your time and your financial resources, and they can also give a specialised service for both you and your travelling partner. Some popular options include:

FlexiTourzNZ

A travel agency headquartered in New Zealand that provides tourists travelling to the nation with a selection of different vacation packages to choose from. They provide both group and private trips, each of which may be adapted to meet the specific desires and requirements of the people who book with them. I personally suggest this tour since I also opted a full day tour guide in Rotorua after the Hobbiton. I took the full-day tour of Hobbiton from Auckland, which consists of round-trip transportation, a guided tour of the movie set, a lunch buffet in Rotorua, and a stop at the Waitomo Caves on the way back to Auckland from Hobbiton. Flexi Tour NZ also provided excellent value for the money. The tour package I bought included the transportation and many of the activities, which was very reasonable. As for my experience, instead of going back to Auckland after the tour, I decided to stay overnight in Rotorua to experience more places. I booked my tour through getyourguide.com and they are in partnership with FlexitourzNZ. They are very accommodating to my requests, so thumbs up!

Kiwi Experience

This organisation provides a hop-on, hop-off bus trip that includes a visit to Hobbiton as one of the destinations along the route. This trip provides transportation, a guided tour of the movie set, as well as the option to see other regions of the North Island. You can check on their website at kiwiexperience.com.

Cheeky Kiwi Travel

Cheeky Kiwi Travel offers small group tours from Auckland to Hobbiton every day. These tours can go one way or both ways, and they pick up and drop off at hotels. There are a lot of little things that make Cheeky Kiwi Travel tours special and memorable, like knowledgeable guides, secret stops, unexpected wildlife sightings, and free water and snacks. With Cheeky Kiwi, it’s just as much about the journey as it is about the incredible tourist attraction! You can check on their website at cheekykiwitravel.com.

These are just a few examples of how to get a trip to Hobbiton from Auckland; there are many more local tour companies than those listed here. If you are in the Auckland area, you should look into them. Before settling on one option, it is essential that you research all of the available options in terms of their particulars, such as their costs, departure times and locations, and the activities that are included into their tours.

BOOKING YOUR TICKET

Since the tours often reach capacity, I cannot stress enough the need of making reservations in advance. Simply by clicking on this link: https://www.hobbitontours.com/en/experiences/hobbiton-movie-set-tour/ will take you to an online reservation page. You also have the option of making a reservation by either giving them a call at (07) 888-1505 or getting in touch with their website at hobbitontours.com. However, if you opted for the guided tour just like what I did, then your tour guide will be the one booking your tickets. They will give instructions on what to do when you arrived.

THE EXPERIENCE

Once you arrived to The Shire’s Rest, please present your confirmation when you speak with a member of the staff at the Ticketing desk, which is situated within the retail shop. You may either display the information on your phone or just provide your reference number, tour time, and name. The staff will provide you with printed copies of your tour tickets as well as further information. But like I said, if you are with a tour guide, they are the one who will handle all the bookings and talking to the staff to make your experience more enjoyable.

As soon as you have your ticket in hand and you still have plenty of time before your tour. You can check on The Shire’s Rest Cafe which is located on the above the ticketing desk. You can also check on retail shop for some pictures. When I went to the retail shop, there was a statue of Gandalf. I had to take some pictures as he was one of the main protagonists of the show. If you have watched Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, then you probably know Gandalf. If you haven’t, then it wouldn’t hurt to watch the movies or to do some research before you go to the tour. It would be beneficial to your overall experience.

The trip starts with a bus journey through the picturesque Alexander Farm, where guests will get the chance to witness sheep and other farm animals grazing in the fields. The tour continues with a visit to the historic Alexander House. The tour guide will take the guests around the Shire and show them the different hobbit holes, gardens, and other buildings that were erected for the movie. The bus will transport the visitors up to the set, where they will be welcomed by a tour guide.

The set was first constructed for the purpose of shooting Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and was then enlarged and re-used for the purpose of filming Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy.

One of the centrepieces of the trip is the visit to Bilbo Baggins’ hobbit hole, which is completely equipped and decorated as it appeared in the films. The hobbit hole is described as having a circular entryway, a cosy interior with round windows, and a garden. It is constructed into the side of a hill. It is intended that the design of the hobbit hole would represent the uncomplicated and hospitable way of life that hobbits live, as well as their affection for the natural world and the ground. Bilbo Baggins is the uncle of Frodo Baggins who makes his home in a hobbit hole in Hobbiton.

All the way to the end of the hobbit hole, you can find the big garden space or the party tree where Bilbo Baggins’ celebrated his birthday in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. And next to garden is Samwise Gamgee’s house, Frodo’s best friend. His house was constructed as a part of the Hobbiton set; it is a modest wooden home with a thatched roof; it can be seen at the end of Bagshot Row, adjacent to a small garden; and it was designed to seem like it had been there for a long time.

After the tour of the hobbit holes, the tour guide will give instruction to go to the Green Dragon Inn. It is a short walking distance from the hobbit holes. You will see the green scenery and trees going all the way to Green Dragon Inn.

Soon, you are going to get to the Green Dragon Inn where you can relax and enjoy the ambiance of the inn. In the movie, the hobbits of Hobbiton often gather at the inn to catch up with one another, talk shop, drink ale, and discuss recent events and noteworthy happenings. The inn serves as the focal point of Hobbiton’s communal life, and it is often referenced in the books as a location where characters assemble and discuss various topics. It’s a very iconic place in the movie and it’s an integral part of the overall Hobbiton experience, and a must-see for fans of the movie.

After the tour, guests are treated with free refreshments at the inn. Yes! you read it right, Drinks! The drinks typically include ale or cider and are served in hobbit-sized glasses. In order for the trip to be enjoyable for the parents as well as the children, the drinks are non-alcoholic, but it can be replaced with alcoholic beverages for adults. You can enjoy your drinks whilst having the opportunity to unwind and take in the ambience of the establishment. While also operating as a souvenir store, the Green Dragon Inn provides guests with the opportunity to buy a variety of goods in addition to beverages and snacks.

Outside the Green Dragon Inn is known for its rolling hills, lush greenery, and picturesque landscapes. The view from the inn’s front porch would probably be of the beautiful landscape of the Shire’s countryside, which would consist of grasslands, meadows, and forests reaching out in all directions.

And that concludes the tour. The tour lasts for about 2 hours, during which visitors will be able to walk around the set, take photos, and ask questions. Since I opted for a full-day tour from Auckland to Rotorua, I did not stay longer in the Green Dragon Inn. However, if you prefer to stay a little longer or have your lunch or dinner on the set. You can book for their Hobbiton Movie Set Tour+Meal Combo or Evening Banquet Tour.

The Hobbiton Movie Set Tour plus Lunch Combo where after the tour, guests are welcomed with a free beverage at the Green Dragon Inn, and then they are given the option to dine at the Shire’s Rest Cafe. While the Evening Banquet Tour is the tour option which gives guests the opportunity to explore the set at night, when it is lighted, offering a distinct and one-of-a-kind ambience in comparison to the standard daytime excursions. This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity that is only available to a select number of guests. Guests will have the opportunity to partake in a guided tour of the set, have a complimentary drink at the Green Dragon Inn, and dine at a banquet table, all while being immersed in the atmosphere of the Shire and the film. Those who wish to get a full experience of the Hobbiton Movie Set while also having a memorable evening may take advantage of this wonderful opportunity, which is the ideal choice.

For more information and details, you can check on their website at hobbitontours.com

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