Hobbiton Movie Set

A Permanent, Fully Built Film Set On A Working Sheep Farm Near Matamata, Used For The Lord Of The Rings And The Hobbit Trilogies, With 44 Hobbit Holes Dug Into The Waikato Hillside, A Working Mill And The Green Dragon Inn Serving A Cider And Ale Included In Every Guided Tour · Matamata, Waikato

Hobbiton Movie Set is a permanent, fully built film location on a working sheep farm near Matamata, about two hours south-east of Auckland. Peter Jackson's crew chose this rolling green hillside in 1998 for its resemblance to Tolkien's Shire, and after The Lord of the Rings trilogy wrapped, the farm's owners rebuilt the set in durable materials for The Hobbit films rather than demolishing it as before. Forty-four hobbit holes are dug into the hillside, each with a door scaled to its supposed resident's status, alongside a working watermill, a stone bridge over the Camel Trail stream and the Green Dragon Inn, a fully functioning pub built as a film set and now serving real food and drink. Every guided tour, the only way to enter, ends at the Green Dragon with a complimentary cider, ale or ginger beer included in the ticket price. The set is genuinely well kept and photogenic, though it is also a tightly managed, fairly expensive two-hour walk-through with no free-roam access - worth it for fans of the films, less so for anyone without an interest in Middle-earth.

On a working sheep farm near Matamata, about 2 hours south-east of Auckland, Matamata, Waikato, New Zealand

Hobbiton runs guided tours most days of the year, typically from around 9am to 4:30pm with the final tour departing mid-afternoon, plus separate evening and Banquet Feast tour sessions on selected dates with their own later start times. The Shire's Rest visitor centre, cafe and gift shop keep similar daytime hours. Entry is by booked, timed guided tour only - there is no walk-up or self-guided entry at any time. Tours run in almost all weather, including light rain, and are rarely cancelled outright, though severe weather can shift or cancel a session - check your booking confirmation for the operator's current policy before travelling.

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