From Auckland to Hobbiton
New Zealand showcases some of the worlds most astounding natural wonders. Her rolling green hills, snow capped mountains, smoking volcanoes, and pristine coats are all further mystified with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. These films take New Zealand’s unique landscape and set it as the backdrop for one of the world’s most beloved fantasy worlds.
For tourists and Tolkien fans alike, it is hard to avoid the Lord of the Rings film sites when visiting the land of the long white cloud. The most cliché and popular of these sites is Hobbiton, located roughly an hour and a half south of Auckland. People visiting New Zealand may be put off by how touristy and pricy the trip to Hobbiton is, but when the trip is over they will find themselves regretting not paying their respects to Bag End.
As is the case with many Western countries, the best way to travel is by hiring a car. Especially with a country like New Zealand, it will give you the freedom to stop as you please to enjoy the breathtaking countryside. Many solo travelers, however, who are unable to enjoy the luxury of renting a car still can have the flexibility to explore the quaint villages of New Zealand. With the recent closure of Nakedbus and Manabus, the choices for transportation are quite limited. The last remaining option for bus travel is Intercity, servicing all major cities and most towns throughout the North Island.
After boarding the bus in Auckland, it is a comfortable hour and a half ride down to Matamata (the town that encompasses Hobbiton) The journey takes travelers through some of the most idyllic pastures and hills in the world, which almost makes one want to ask the driver to drop you off in the middle of nowhere. The bus finally comes to a halt in front of the I-center in downtown Matamata. The visitor center is quite distinguishable, with the outside resembling the famous Hobbit-holes of The Shire. The town itself is quite small, downtown composing of one street with several cafes and antique shops. In the median of main street, you will discover a green colored sign, formally welcoming tourists to Hobbiton.
To visit Hobbiton you will first have to reserve a spot in a guided tour. It is not allowed for people to wander freely around the complex due to concerns of visitors damaging the structures. After booking a tour for the whopping price of 60USD, you will need to arrive at the visitor center thirty minutes before your appointed time of departure to the movie set. Simply show your reservation number to the service desk and they will hand you your ticket to the tour bus.
The tour guide dressed in a neat short sleeved khaki button up stands at the front of the bus, grasping her microphone. After a short exchange of pleasantries, she proceeds to play the introduction video for the movie set. As the dramatic music fades out, the large face of the owner of The Alexander farm beams across the screen. He then goes into detail of how his home was chosen as the location to film The Shire for its emerald pastures and pristine beauty. After the filming of the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit holes were mainly gutted and left to rot, yet tourists still came out venturing to pay homage to Bilbo’s Bag End. Alexander innocently goes on to say that at the beginning of filming The Hobbit in 2012 he convinced the director, Peter Jackson, to create a permanent Hobbiton that all future tourists could enjoy. Alexander and Jackson throughout the video continue boasting of how magical Hobbiton is, but if one were to look closely, you could almost see the dollar signs lighting up in their eyes.
As the tourists unloaded themselves off of the bus, each person was then handed an umbrella to shield themselves from the incoming storm. The young tour guide led the group down a narrow muddy dirt road from the parking lot. She then stopped at a small crossroads with a novelty sign pointing in different directions, indicating the neighborhoods of Hobbiton. The explanation given by the guide on the history and maintenance of the movie set was left largely ignored by the tourists. They were all too busy wandering off into the gardens of the Hobbit-holes snapping selfies. She was less of a tour guide but more of a smiling guard, supervising the visitors while they were uploading their pictures to various social media sites. The grounds of the movie site are well maintained, and truly do give one the illusion of stepping into the pages of the Lord of the Rings. The illusion was somewhat dampened due to the snaking lines of tourists which can be viewed from the top of Bag End.
Each Hobbit-hole is decorated with fine details, giving one the feeling that a Hobbit could step out through the threshold at any moment. In each yard there is anything from pots and pans placed on top of wooden table tops to Hobbit-sized trousers and shirts hanging out to dry. While these props are a beautiful touch in making the movie set come alive, there is no interaction with the set other than to take photo of oneself. After 40-minutes of being led around the Shire, the tourists are herded like cattle into the “Green Dragon Inn”, a small pub bearing the same name as the one frequented by Bilbo and Frodo in the Lord of the Rings. This is the only place on the movie set where you get to feel like you are a part of the set. The window of time in the pub is quite limited, however, only giving you a mere 20 minutes to throw back a complimentary drink and eat over-priced food.
After being released from confinement in the gift shop, the tourists were recounted as they climbed back onto the bus. The video played again on the screen, with Alexander and Jackson’s face slyly grinning as they invited the tourists to come back to visit Hobbiton. For what the movie set is and what is included in the price of a ticket, its feels almost as if one is being robbed. While it is quite the experience to explore Hobbiton, the lack of freedom and things to do after arriving are not worth paying astounding cost it takes to visit.
New Zealand is home to some of the most breathtaking, untouched landscapes in the world. If you are not a die-hard Lord of the Rings fan then visiting Hobbiton is simply a waste of time. For those travelers who have watched the LOTR trilogy multiple times and find themselves searching for various film locations around New Zealand to visit, not going to Hobbiton will be an instant regret, no matter how underwhelming movie set actually is. At the very least, visiting the Shire is the opportunity to take a photograph that will be better than any souvenir you could possibly buy in New Zealand.
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