Are you looking for a paradise in New Zealand? Go to the Hobbiton!

When the Lord of the Rings is mentioned, you can be sure that everyone will immediately think of the famous Hobbiton, which was built for the film on one of New Zealand's farms. It was 1998 when director Sir Peter Jackson's location team discovered Alexander Sheep Farm in the heart of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island during an aerial search for a suitable filming location. As the landscape closely resembled JRR Tolkien's description, it was immediately apparent that the Hobbiton for the Lord of the Rings film would be created here, in a place of beautifully lush green pastures and rolling hills.

The area was untouched, with no buildings, roads, or power lines. With the help of New Zealand's army, a 1.5 km long road was first built here. Later, 39 hobbit houses made of wood, plywood, and polystyrene were created here. Polystyrene and plywood were also used to construct the iconic mill and arched bridge, combined with scaffolding. The thatch for the roofs of the mill and the Green Dragon Inn was created from material available around the farm. Even the oak that you can still see here today is not original. He was cut down and taken to the Hobbiton from the nearby village of Matamata. The artificial leaves attached to the tree were then imported from Taiwan. 

The filming location (it lasted three months) was kept secret for understandable reasons.

And how was my visit?

We went to the Hobbiton at the beginning of June. I had it as another birthday present (my entire stay in New Zealand). It was raining solidly in the morning, and it wasn't the warmest day, but the plan was clear - now or never! It's not far from Rotorua, where I was staying, but if you're driving in a sports car and it's raining so hard that you can hardly see anything, it's quite an adrenaline rush. In vain, you can tell the local Maori that an off-road vehicle would be better. Everything is just ok. So you have your eyes fixed on the windshield, and you're shaking with fear, wishing the driver won't drive anywhere off the road or hit some sheep on the way.

However, we arrived safely, and due to the weather, there was a short ticket queue. There were primarily Japanese and Koreans in our group, who constantly begged for a photo here and there... Their enthusiasm when travelling is admirable and often incomprehensible to a European.

Our guide, wearing a raincoat and rubber boots, was impressed with her explanation, even in the constant rain. She enthusiastically retold the entire history of the creation of The Hobbiton, talked for about an hour about filming, about the actors from The Lord of the Rings, answered all kinds of tricky questions, was always somewhere taking pictures of someone from our group, telling jokes... I have to admit that this was one of the best-guided tours I've ever experienced (the tour with umbrellas in the pouring rain and a solid scythe lasted maybe two hours).

Finally, we ended up at the local Green Dragon Inn, where they played great music associated with the film. Instead of something to warm us up, we had a traditional Meat Pie and a special edition beer made for this beautiful place. We listened to music, met a few other Koreans and Japanese people (and, of course, we took pictures of them with and without beer, and they also took photos of us with and without beer 😀), and then we went back to certain places to take a few pictures without people around.

We spent almost 4 hours in the Hobbiton (maybe even more?), This place is worth visiting, even if you do not like movies like The Lord of the Rings. The place itself, where the Hobbiton is located, is truly breathtaking. The surrounding nature is simply something fantastic, and words cannot describe it. It has to be experienced. So, when you're in New Zealand, could you plan your trip here? The entrance fee is worth it.