DESTINATION : HOBBITON

A SHORE EXCURSION IN MIDDLE EARTH

TRAVEL EVERYWHERE

People often ask me which places I want to travel to.

My flippant reply is often “Everywhere!”

But in 2020 I got the opportunity to take that to the extreme.

I was going to visit a place that was very real in my imagination. The key word being imagination.

This was a fantasy place. Not real, and yet I was going.

I was taking a shore excursion to Middle Earth and my destination was a small place in The Shire called Hobbiton.

LORD OF THE RINGS

The fantasy place I am referring to is of course the land of Middle Earth, as created by the author J R R Tolkien.

In his books The Hobbit and the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings, we met Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. Little people, or Hobbits, from the hamlet of Hobbiton, who had more sinister destinations to visit on their travels.

I read The Hobbit in secondary school and years later the three Lord of the Rings books.

The burrows and hobbit holes of Hobbiton and the quiet lives of its residents made it sound like an idyllic destination.

However it was New Zealand film director Peter Jackson’s film trilogy of Lord of the Rings, from 2001 to 2003, that refired everyone’s imagination about this wonderful world. Mine included.

I was amazed how much the film resembled the places I had imagined whilst reading the books. I’m not a film critic, but these first films thoroughly engrossed me.

And with so many varied landscapes throughout the stories, a lot of the filming took place in New Zealand too, which seemed to have a perfect location for each one.

Which also explains how I was able to explore this fantasy land.

A NEW ZEALAND CRUISE

In early 2020 I boarded the Princess Cruises cruise ship “Sea Princess” in Brisbane, Australia.

From there we sailed across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand for a two week cruise around this fairly remote country. Literally the opposite side of the World from my home in the UK.

We explored various ports and must see sights in the South Island of New Zealand, before moving to the North Island.

I’ll save those stories for future posts.

Mount Maunganui

However the port of the day for this story was Tauranga, overlooked by Mount Maunganui.

We were in port for the day, which allowed me time to have a look at the area around Maunganui in the afternoon, after my day trip.

The ship docked alongside a populated strip of land, with nice houses and beaches all within walking distance.

Mount Maunganui dominates the end of this strip of land and you can walk to the top if you are that way inclined.

I contented myself with a stroll along the beach and a paddle in the sea.

More importantly for me was that this was the gateway to my destination of Hobbiton.

LORD OF RINGS SHORE EXCURSIONS

So I’ve read the books once or twice. I’ve seen all of the films several times.

I would consider myself a fan of The Lord of the Rings. Not so much that it takes over my life, but enough that a film related tour would interest me a lot.

If you are one of those fans of the films that truly immerses yourself in the world of Middle Earth then New Zealand is the place to visit.

There were a few movie location tours available throughout our cruise. Into snow covered mountains and so many other places that featured as film locations.

I think there are ways to explore the special effects workshops if you do your research. So much of the films were created in New Zealand.

And one of those film locations was Hobbiton, our destination for the day. I was going on the Hobbiton Movie Set Tour.

I booked this tour online, as soon as I was able to, before I even boarded the ship. A popular tour I didn’t want to miss.

I’m sure private tours are also available, but as I’ve mentioned before I stick to tours booked through the cruise line. Especially when you are travelling some distance inland, as we were in this case.

The ship guarantees it won’t leave you behind if one of their tours is delayed. That peace of mind is worth the extra cost for me.

But each to their own. If you are happy with private tours this is the port to look for them.

AN EXPECTED JOURNEY

After breakfast I boarded our coach outside the ship, for our journey to the Hobbiton Movie Set.

We drove out from the seaside port, inland to Matamata and into rolling hills. We were transported to the Middle Earth of Peter Jackson’s movies.

Now obviously it is going to mean so much more to you if you have at least seen the films.

Though that is by no means essential, and apparently there are regularly visitors who have no idea about the movies. They still claim to thoroughly enjoy it.

The place is magical regardless of your knowledge of the stories set here. Not least because it also demonstrates the magic of the movies.

For me, and my level of fandom, Hobbiton was a dream destination.

I found quite early on that I was singing the film theme tune in my head as I walked around. Literally all day, everywhere. (I’m doing it again now as I write this!!)

The people who can tell you what happens in every scene of the film would be in Heaven.

HOBBITON, THE SHIRE

The stories of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit both begin in Hobbiton, in the Shire of Middle Earth.

So both movie series required this essential set.

But when such a place didn’t exist in reality, they built it.

The Party Tree

After scouring the countryside of New Zealand by helicopter, they came across a sprawling farm in Matamata, that just happened to have a perfect tree in the middle of it.

Not giving anything away if you don’t know the story, but this became the Party Tree. The heart of Hobbiton.

Actually not having the necessary trees wasn’t entirely an issue. When another was required for the story, they made it.

In fact that particular tree also had to regress in age too. The Hobbit as a prequel to Lord of the Rings was set sixty or so years earlier. The artificial tree from the first films had to get younger.

You might spot the artificial tree in my Hobbiton photos. Or maybe you won’t! Movie magic is amazing, its so realistic that when people on the tour were asked to point it out, most got the answer wrong

I won’t spoil it for you!

The Green Dragon

Having reached our destination of Hobbiton, where better to begin than the Green Dragon pub.

We were welcomed with cheese-bread, a muffin and a cup of tea. “Second breakfast” sprang to mind!

From here we had a panoramic view over the site of Hobbiton.

To the left the water mill.

Then a lake beyond which were hobbit holes, built into the hillside. Round doors visible, with windows and chimneys.

The Party Tree was there too.

For little people the site is huge.

Hobbit Holes

As we walked around the site more of that film trickery was demonstrated.

For a couple of weeks before filming people were paid to walk out every day and put washing on the lines. This ensured paths were worn into the grass around the houses so that they would look lived in on film.

The level of detail in this film set is ridiculously good.

Gardens have plants and vegetables growing. Even scarecrows. You would barely notice in the film, but they are there anyway.

Hobbits are small. Gandalf the wizard and his elven and human companions are, well large human sized. Dwarves are somewhere in between.

The actors playing these parts were always human sized though.

So the film used a lot of false perspective.

An actor, playing the part of a hobbit, would stand next to a normal sized house and both would look the right size for a hobbit.

Gandalf would then stand next to an equally detailed, but smaller version of the house and as a consequence appear to be a giant in comparison.

As tourists to Hobbiton we got to play both parts.

Bag End

Bilbo and Frodo lived at Bag End.

A hobbit hole on the hill, beneath a large tree.

It was like a star of the films in its own right.

They retain a nice few touches from the story, like the sign on the gate saying “No admittance, except on party business”.

Our guide round the site was very good at taking photos for us, so everyone had time to get their picture with the hobbit holes.

There was a queue for Bag End too.

BACK TO THE PUB

I can’t even tell you how long it took us to wander around the site.

It is large and there is a lot of walking around places designed for a film crew, not tourists. It would be worth checking if accessibility is an issue for you.

We followed a large loop, and so came back, past the water mill, to the Green Dragon pub.

This time though we got to try the specially brewed ale of Hobbiton. It came in ceramic beakers. Bigger than hobbit sized, but not pints. This isn’t the Prancing Pony!

There were a few versions of the ale though with different degrees of alcoholic strength, so everyone could enjoy a beer.

The pub is decorated in the style of the films, so you immerse yourself in the atmosphere.

Then you can step outside to see that wider view of the site again.

OUT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP

They must be very glad that the Hobbiton set was not destroyed at the end of filming Lord of the Rings, or it wouldn’t have become the tourist destination it is today.

It came in handy for the later Hobbit films too!

The farm, with its many acres, continues to operate on the outskirts of the set and you see the animals as you transfer into the centre of the site.

As with all good businesses there is a gift shop where you can buy a variety of film related merchandise.

I have the obligatory fridge magnet. Well its sort of another country I have visited!

Then it was time to head back to the ship.

Hobbiton is one of the most memorable excursions I have ever been on, a must see destination.

If you’ve read my Best Travel Experiences post, this would easily qualify as an extension to that list.

Whether your interest is in the film series, or just how films are made, this is a fascinating and fab place to visit.

I highly recommend it.

FOLLOW GARY TRAVELS FOR MORE

As well as reading the stories on my blog, check out Gary Travels… on YouTube for video content from my New Zealand adventures.

Or maybe you prefer a Harry Potter film location like the Glenfinnan Viaduct instead, which has both a blog post and video.

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