Journeymarvel - Hobbiton is a New Zealand tourist attraction that is widely known by the world community. Then, the question is where is Hobbiton located in New Zealand? The following is a complete explanation of the location and things related to Hobbiton.
a. The Hobbiton’s Background
In around 1998, location scout, Peter Jackson was looking for the good location in New Zealand for Hobbiton. Hobbiton itself is planned to be the village where the hobbits live in the upcoming Lord of the Rings trilogy movie.
While flying over Alexander’s 1,250 hectare sheep farm in the Waikato, they noticed the details of The Shire. The details include pristine grasslands, rising hills, and pine trees that look majestic on the edge of the lake.
Temporary locations were built on the farm and filming of Lord of the Rings began in 1999 and took around 3 months. After that, the shooting location was dismantled. However, when this film was released, it achieved enormous success. Fans are very enthusiastic about visiting the location of this film in person.
So, when Peter Jackson returned to make The Hobbit trilogy movie in 2009, this time they decided to build permanent locations, namely 44 Hobbit Holes and the Green Dragon Inn buildings. Then, in 2012, the Hobbiton Movie Set was opened for tours and became one of the most famous tourist attractions in New Zealand.
b. Question: Where in New Zealand is Hobbiton?
Where is the Hobbiton in New Zealand? The filming location of the Hobbiton film is located just outside Matamata, a place on the North Island, New Zealand. If you want to go to this location, you should wear your vehicle or you can take a tour from Rotorua or Auckland. From the city of Auckland itself, it takes about 2 hours to travel, through small towns and mostly rural roads.
c. Your Reason for Going to Hobbiton
Hobbiton will exceed your expectations. You will really feel like you are visiting The Shire. The level of detail displayed in each building is impressive. Even if you are not a film fan, Hobbiton is still worth visiting because the views are very beautiful.
The North Island of New Zealand has a cool climate that makes you comfortable all year round. In fact, during the dry summer months, you will see the grass and plants in filming locations being watered to keep them looking fresh and green.
This Hobbiton filming location also looks very photogenic at any time of the day. Even if you are a photographer, you do not need to worry about lighting in this location.
d. Along the Hobbiton Trail
For those of you who want to follow the Hobbiton route, you must take a guided tour. This is because independent browsing is not allowed. It is really recommended that you should book and get your tour in advance online because places will fill up quickly.
The tour starts from The Shire’s Rest which is located around 15 minutes drive from Matamata. This quaint facility has the souvenir shop, cafe, and the free parking. From here, you will take transportation, like the shuttle bus and around 10 minutes to the Hobbiton Movie Set entrance.
At this location, your guide take you on walking tour of approximately 2. You will follow a winding road so you can see several places such as the Green Dragon Inn, Hobbit hole, Party Tree, mill, and others. Apart from that, there are many stops for you to take photos.
The only restriction that you must obey is that you are not allowed to use drones. The highlight of this tour is an additional visit of about 20 minutes to the Green Dragon Inn, where you will enter the building to enjoy a free drink.
e. How to Get to Hobbiton Village
Hobbiton is located in the green Waikato region on the North Island of New Zealand. This place is not far from the rural town of Matamata. The nearest airport is the Hamilton Airport. It is located around 40 kilometers from Hobbiton.
Driving to Hobbiton is the option that you should take but roads that feel winding in New Zealand may seem probleming to you. Here are some easy tour and transportation options available.
1. Travel from the Auckland
The journey from this place takes around 170 kilometers or 2 hours by State Highway 1. You can enjoy panoramas of green hills filled with sheep when you head to the south.
In terms of tours, one of the best is offered by Auckland Scenic Tours as they have been guiding visitors to Hobbiton for many years. They will pick you up directly from the hotel. Another option is via Bush and Beach.
These tours have been running for around 30 years, they include the buffet lunch at the Party Marquee and the $10 or 154,608.15 IDR voucher to the Hobbiton souvenir shop.
2. Travel from Rotorua
Another convenient starting point is from Rotorua at a distance of around 70 kilometers. You can use State Highway 5 and in around 1 hour. The best recommended tour provider that you can use is GreatSights New Zealand. This tour has received good opinion because of its knowledgeable guides and free Wi-Fi.
3. Travel from Hamilton
Hamilton is very close. The distance is around 50 kilometers with a journey time of 45 minutes via SH1. However, no standard tours are departing from here. However, for those of you who are searching a better experience, you can try Helicorp which offers tourist helicopter flights to the Hobbiton.
4. Travel from Tauranga
The journey from this place takes about 1 hour through beautiful terrain along 60 kilometers of State Highway 29. You can enjoy views of the sea before turning to green hills filled with sheep.
So, where is Hobbiton in New Zealand? The location is in the Waikato region of the North Island. This tourist spot is very popular. Hundreds of thousands of tourists, the majority of whom are film fans from The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit, flock there. So, you should immediately book tickets well in advance, especially in summer.
