Length of stay: 1 day
Visited: April 2025
Hobbiton is a charming little village in the Shire where Bilbo and Frodo lived in J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It was brought to real life as a movie set on a family-run sheep farm near Matamata, New Zealand. At first temporary, the movie set was later made permanent. With a variety of tours, visitors can experience the magic of Hobbiton, learn more about how the movie set was built and see many adorable little Hobbit holes.
There are a few different experiences and tours to choose from when visiting Hobbiton. There’s the classic Movie Set Tour on its own or paired with second breakfast, lunch, or dinner. There’s also a Behind the Scenes Tour as well. While we’re both huge LOTR fans, we’re not sure our little M shares our level of enthusiasm. And we had to factor in nap time. So we opted for the classic Movie Set Tour that’s two and a half hours in duration.
All tours are guided and begin at the Shire’s Rest Ticketing Office. After checking in for the 8:30am tour, we waited in line for the shuttle bus that would transport us to the Hobbiton Movie Set. The buses were comfortable and the bus ride was short, about 10 minutes. Along the drive we watched a short film that provided an overview of how the Alexander family sheep farm was discovered by Peter Jackson and transformed into the Hobbiton that we all know and love from the movies. It was quite the undertaking to build the movie set and it even involved the New Zealand Army.
It was lightly raining outside but we were provided large umbrellas when we got off the bus. Our guide took us through Hobbiton and explained more about how the site was discovered, the set was built and areas that were featured in the films. It was neat to see the difference in depth perception and how they were able to make everything appear bigger in the film than what it was in real life. This is why some Hobbit holes are small (when filming the Hobbits) and others are larger (when filming Gandalf).
The movie set that was initially constructed for Lord of the Rings was not built to last. It was only supposed to be temporary. Everything was dismantled and partially disposed of after filming. But once the movies were released, tourists started to visit the area and would trespass on the property. And so the Alexander family started offering tours. When they were approached for filming The Hobbit films, they agreed on the condition that the movie set be rebuilt permanently so it could be used for tours afterwards.
The original movie set contained 39 Hobbit holes and took nine months to build. The current Hobbiton contains 44 Hobbit holes and took two years to rebuild. Two of those Hobbit holes have been constructed for visitors to catch a glimpse of what life is like for Hobbits. They weren’t used for filming, that was done in Wellington, as they were built afterwards.
Our group was split in two and each group got to go inside one of the Hobbit holes. The interiors are supposed to be identical. We went into the Proudfoot’s Hobbit hole. The ceilings were low, but thankfully neither of us had to duck, slouch or bend to move around. Everything looked so adorable. And it was all very nicely detailed and designed.
From there we walked past the Millhouse, across the stone bridge and into the Green Dragon Inn for a complimentary beverage. K went with the stout and I sampled a ginger beer. We also bought some baked goodies (a cheese scone and chocolate biscuit) and found a comfy spot by the fire. We had 30 minutes before we had to catch our shuttle back to the Shire’s Rest and parking area.
Despite how popular Hobbiton is, they had the timing and pace of the tours down pat and it never felt crowded. Overall it was a wonderful experience. Our little one was ready for a nap so we hit the road and headed to Hamilton where we’d be staying for the night.
L
I can see why that farm was chosen as the set for the Hobbit community. So bucolic and representative of those fictional characters. A very enjoyable and lovely set of pictures; I especially like the one of the three of you. Happy New Year to you and yours, Linda. All the best to you for 2026. Cheers.
Oh I know. The hilly landscape looks so lush and idyllic. We learned on our tour that the grass is well kept and meticulously cared for, even during dry periods and droughts. It was fascinating to see Hobbiton in person. It’s a lot smaller that I thought it would be, which goes to show how much magic happens during the filming process. Wishing you a happy New Year as well. We’re having a quiet evening tonight as our little M and myself are feeling under the weather.
So glad you got their Linda. It was a magical place even for us big people. The Green Dragon Pub was a good way to end it and also chat with a few other LOTR fans. Have a Happy New Year’s Eve and a Happy New Year. Allan
Visiting Hobbiton was one of the highlights of our trip. It was very cute and charming. We’re both huge LOTR fans and it was neat to see it in person and learn how it was filmed. Despite how many visitors there were, it didn’t feel overcrowded and we were happy with how much time we got to spend exploring the grounds. Have a happy New Year as well! Cheers, Linda.
It’s so wonderful that they kept the place going for the fans. We would love to be there one day.
Thank goodness they recognized what a fantastic opportunity this was to keep the magic of Hobbiton alive. It’s now very popular and brings in a significant amount of revenue for the country. We were a bit worried that it would be overcrowded, but they had everything timed, coordinated and planned to a tee. Our group was a reasonable size and we were happy with the amount of time we spent exploring the grounds. Nothing felt rushed. I highly recommend visiting if you’re ever in NZ.
Oh my gosh, little M isn’t so little anymore. Look at her! Also, what a fun tour!
No she ain’t! And you should see her now! She’s grown so much since we were in NZ and she’s even hiking on her own now. Granted it takes us four times as long to walk anywhere, but my back is happy to not have to carry her in the backpack carrier!
Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos! I would looove to see Hobbiton my self. ❤️😍
Thanks for your kind words. Hobbiton is such a magical place and it was captivating to see it in real life. NZ is far to get to, so it’s not the sort of place you can visit for a week or two. But it’s such an amazing country that you’d want to stay longer anyway! Have a happy New Year!
You are welcome! Happy new year! Your photography shows how beautiful NZ is, magical!
You are too kind John! We’re both huge Tolkien and LOTR fans so it was so much fun to see the magic of his books brought to real life. It was one of the highlights of our trip!
Happy 2026! 😎🤙🏻
Happy New Year to you as well!! Hope it’s off to a good start.
Thank you, it sure is! 🤙🏻😊
Aw I love this, what a fun day out – and great they manage the crowds.
It was the best. 10/10 experience. I was impressed at how well run the tours were. It didn’t feel crowded and we never felt rushed.
Peter Jackson changed this family’s life unbelievably.
Oh I know! They’re making gobs and gobs of money now from all the Hobbiton tours. Oddly enough the rest of the property it’s still a working farm!
So wonderful that I want to move there! 😉
Me too! Hobbiton looks so charming with all those lush rolling hills and adorable little hobbit holes. There’s something very visually appealing about those circular colourful doors.
No way !! That is so awesome !! I’ve always wanted to go there. I’m so excited for you! Great photos !! Thanks for sharing this adventure 😁
Thanks! We were so looking forward to our tour of Hobbiton and I’m happy to say that our expectations were exceeded. The Hobbit holes are so cute and colourful. I wouldn’t mind living there!
You had me at Hobbiton! Oh man it looks totally enchanting. It is so detailed and when I saw the first movie I felt it brought Tolkien’s words to life perfectly. And like Dianna said wow has little M grown!!
Hobbiton is every bit as charming and cute as it looks in the movies. It’s smaller than I thought it would be, but that goes to show the magic of filmmaking. It was a fascinating tour and worth every penny. Our little M has grown a lot since our trip to NZ! Shes now able to do some hiking on her own and is busy talking up storm!
I bet she is. They change so quickly at that age. I imagine she will be an adventurist little tike. We haven’t been to NZ in 4 decades but between your pictures and Allan’s it makes me think about going back. Bernie
We’ll be checking it (and NZ) out in February. After your teaser, looking forward to it even more.
How exciting!!! You’re going to love it there – both Hobbiton and NZ in general! You should have much better luck with the weather that time of year. How long are you going for?
Just a couple weeks. Group tour, so we’re on a pretty rigid schedule. (But we don’t have to worry about logistics.)
Hobbiton looks like a superb tour for LOTR fans and quite tastefully put together. Good it fitted in well with your little one’s schedule.
Our visit to Hobbiton was the first thing I booked once we paid for our plane tickets! It was such a highlight of our trip. The tour was very well organized and gave us a behind the scenes look at the Hobbiton movie set. It was fascinating and very cute.
The place looks like a dream. It looks so fascinating, but what made me smile is seeing cute baby M.🤍 Perfect photos! Is the lake/ pond manmade or natural?
Much of the landscape was unchanged for the making of Hobbiton, but the pond was man-made. The whimsical Hobbit holes were very cute. I wouldn’t mind living there!
I would love to live in such a dreamy place.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you as well. Wishing you lots of happiness, good health and adventures in 2026!
That was fun! I really enjoyed looking at your pictures of Hobbiton. You may not believe this, but although I have read The Hobbit and the trilogy, I’ve never seen the movies. Still, my memories of their dwellings stayed with me. Just a coincidence, but today at the library, I was shelving the Lord of the Rings books – haha! I hope you have a wonderful New Year with lots of great adventures in in 2026!
Thanks for your lovely comment. Hobbiton helps bring some of the magic from Tolkien’s work to life. They did such a great job designing the movie set with all those adorable Hobbit holes. And it’s not hard to see why this location was chosen to build it. The Hobbit movies are okay. But the LOTR films are superb and are some of my favourites. I’m actually reading Tolkien’s Letters from Father Christmas at the moment.
Oh that’s great! I may have to re-read Lord of the Rings!
Me too! Such great books. And they’ve aged well too.
Very popular checkouts at the library where I work!
It’s funny how they’re still so popular given they were released nearly 75 years ago.
Such a wonderful nature photography and the place is gorgeous beauty of full nature dear friend 🌷🙏👍🏻
So lovely photos your family and Wishing dear you all Happy New Year 🥳 💞🎉Be Blessed 🖖🤗
Thanks for your kind words and for leaving a comment. Visiting Hobbiton was such a magical experience. Wishing you a happy New Year as well.
Thank you so much for likes my feedback and most welcome my sweet friend and Happy New Year 🥳 many greetings blessings 💞✌🏼💐
You as well! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
🌷🙏🖖🥰🌷
What wonderful post! And I continue to be amazed at how much traveling you do with a little one. Kudos to you. I’m just getting back on WP after quite a while away, and am enjoying catching up on your New Zealand travels. Expanding my knowledge beyond “Brokenwood”. …
Happy New Year,
Julie
Thanks for your lovely comment. Travelling with our little one definitely requires more preparation, planning and patience, but I couldn’t imagine not having her there with us. She’s such a trooper and may enjoy being outside even more than us! Welcome back to WP! Hope you enjoyed the holidays! Happy New Year to you as well. Cheers, Linda.
It looks amazing!! I had no idea about the whole story behind it beside it being the set of the films. That’s actually such a decent way to deal with trespassers and also keep the LOTR realm alive!
Absolutely! They did a remarkable job creating Hobbiton and bringing the magic from Tolkien’s books to real life. I must say, despite how many visitors this place gets, the tours were a well oiled machine and very well managed. It was a delightful experience.
I’m so happy you had an absolute blast visiting Hobbiton. A guide who loves what they do, is the best thing a visitor can get. It makes the whole experience one that you wouldn’t forget anytime soon!
You’re absolutely right. The movie set itself was impressive, but it was our guide that really made it a memorable experience. He was hilarious and clearly really enjoyed his job! It does seem like a pretty awesome place to work despite having to deal with all the visitors.
I can see why a fan would be taken with Hobbiton. The whole Lord Of The Rings thing has passed me by in life so I doubt we’ll be calling in – but it must be a great place for those who love it!
It’s never too late to join the LOTR / Tolkien fan club! Even if you haven’t read the books or seen the films, it’s still worth visiting. The Hobbit holes are charming and the whole movie set is very idyllic. The tour was very well organized and informative.
Thank you for sharing—I enjoyed the vicarious tour! 🙂
love, love, love! You can’t not stop at Hobbiton when in New Zealand- and it looks every bit as delightful as you would expect it to 🙂 Great post about this famous place
Oh I know! Hobbiton was actually the first activity I booked once we purchased our plane tickets. Expectations were high and the tour did not disappoint. It was one of the highlights of our trip.
We’d tickets for March but had to come home and missed out. Among the pals, some were looking forward to the helicopter at Franz Josef, most were looking forward to a rugby match in Auckland but this was going to be my highlight! I watch the movies at least once per year (at this stage if Tom is away because he’s sick of them!!!😂
Sorry to hear that you weren’t able to visit Hobbiton, especially given how much of a LOTR fan you are. This was one of the activities I was most looking forward to it certainly exceeded expectations. It was a magical experience to see a piece of Tolkien’s books come to real life.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tour of Hobbiton; it certainly is quaint and charming, and in a beautiful setting too. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for reading and leaving a comment. If they designed a Hobbiton community like that in real life I would totally move there!
After seeing the beauty and magic of Hobbitenango in Guatemala, I’d love to see the real thing in New Zealand 😍 thanks for sharing!
I have never heard of Hobbitenango before and just did a quick search to see what it was. Looks amazing and something we’d both enjoy given all the hobbit-style houses and restaurants. Thanks for putting this on my radar. Something to keep in mind for when we eventually visit Guatemala.
Feel free to check out my Hobbitenango article if you’d like 🙂 https://adventuresfromelle.com/2025/11/21/hobbitenango/
Thanks for sharing! Looks enchanting!
Oh wow, I had no idea a place like this actually existed. I’d love to live there… These photos are incredible. I can only imagine the excitement when you discovered it.
Love seeing you all in the photo by the door too.
Wishing you a wonderful, safe, and blessed New Year 2026
Oh I know, me too! The hobbit holes are very charming. I’d totally love to live in a place like Hobbiton. It was such a fun tour and a great way to bring the magic of LOTR to life. Hope you enjoyed the holidays. Happy New Year to you as well!
Happy New Year to you and your family. Thank you for bringing us along and sharing the backstory on how the place came to be. Beautiful images as always.
Happy 2026 to you as well! Visiting Hobbiton was such a highlight of our five week trip to New Zealand. Even in the rain, it’s still a magical place.
Oh wow! What a fun and enchanting tour. Thank you for sharing! Sparking the imagination, that’s for sure!
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. We had high expectations of Hobbiton and it did not disappoint. It was such an amazing tour and overall experience. 10/10.
That says a lot considering your traveling experience. You’re very welcome and thank you!
I’m not a Lord of the Rings fan, but my brother-in-law is. He and my sister took an 8 day trip to NZ just to see Hobbitton. I think with the flights etc they only had 4 or 5 other days to see the rest of the country. Needless to say he and I do not travel the same. 😊 Maggie
The magic of imagination… your post is a delight so thank you for sharing this. Happy New Year to you and your loved ones. 🪄💞💕💫
You are too kind. Hobbiton really brings the magic of Tolkien’s Middle Earth to life. It was such a neat experience. Hope you enjoyed the holidays. Happy New Year to you as well!
Sweet! You inspired me to watch the Hobbit trilogy again and I may watch the Lord of the Rings again too 🤩😍
I love it!! I should do the same! I started rewatching LOTR on our flight home from New Zealand, but didn’t end up finishing. And that was nearly a year ago (where does the time go!?).
This looks amazing!!! (And I say this as someone who doesn’t even like the LOTR films.) It’s so quaint and imaginative, and the level of detail is incredible. It’s great you had such a wonderful visitor experience, too. Happy New Year 🙂
I’m going to pretend I didn’t read the part in parenthesis. Hobbiton is very charming and whimsical. It was such a fun tour and neat to see the movie set in person, especially since we’re both huge Tolkien fans. Happy New Year to you as well!
What an absolutely charming post!! Your photos look just like the Shire in the LOTR movies. How neat that the interiors look like comfy homes. Who wouldn’t want to live there? Love the photos of your family in the round doorways. 💞💞
Thanks Rose! Hobbiton was actually the first thing I booked once we bought our plane tickets. We were really looking forward to this tour and I’m glad to say that it did not disappoint. I would totally love to live in one of those adorable, cozy Hobbit holes!
Oh my goodness, this is beyond amazing, Linda! To have experienced this in real life is so awesome, even more so that both of you are LOTR fan. I know baby M will be one day too.
The family is smart to have negotiated the sets be rebuilt and now they’re just gonna profit of it. It’s also amazing what camera angles can do to make something look bigger on screen compared to real life.
Such a cool experience and glad to you three enjoyed it together!
This was honestly the highlight of my trip to NZ and the activity I was most looking forward to. I’m such a fan of Tolkien and it was amazing to see the magic of Hobbiton brought to real life. They did such an amazing job with the movie set and organized tours.
Good thing the family recognized what an amazing opportunity this was! And it didn’t feel gimmicky or cheap or crowded in any way. 10/10 would recommend.
Best of luck with the snow today! We’re completely snowed in. Road isn’t plowed. Day care is closed. I guess I’m working from home today! Darn!
The tourist attractions that don’t feel gimmicky are the real gems!
Sounds like a big disappointment to have worked from home yesterday. 🤣
Oh, Absolutely! And hey, any excuse to work from home, I’ll gladly take! 🙂
Linda, this is delightful—such a vivid walk through Middle-earth, rain, umbrellas, and all. You captured both the movie magic and the practical realities of traveling with a little one beautifully. I’ll be sharing this with my family; we’re big LOTR fans and loved every detail.
Thanks for your lovely comment Michael. We’re both huge LOTR fans as well. Our visit to Hobbiton exceeded our expectations. It was such a magical experience and makes me want to move into a Hobbit hole!
I love it! It’s so cute and pretty and perfect!
Hobbiton is very adorable. I wouldn’t mind living living there in one of those adorable and cheerful little Hobbit holes.
What an absolute delight! Thank you so much for sharing all these photos about this very special place
Maybe when M is old enough to watch the movies, she would want to go back to New Zealand to revisit Hobbiton. I’m glad the Alexander family decided to push the film producer to make the set permanent. 😆
I sure hope so! I know I would certainly love to revisit Hobbiton and check out one of their longer tours. It’s such a neat place that brings the magic of Tolkien’s Middle Earth to life. It’s pretty amazing how the family recognized that this could be a huge thing and negotiated that the set be made permanent. Great thinking on their part!
I recalled that the film locations had been removed. However, the presentation is very appealing and extends the experience of reading Tolkien’s work, which I found more fascinating than the dark and violent films.
That’s right. They also did all the interior filming of the Hobbit holes in Wellington. It was such a neat experience especially given that we’re both huge fans of Tolkien and the world he created.
Isn’t it charming?! I was delighted by Hobbiton, so pleased it’s preserved for people to visit, fan or not. Loved seeing your photos.
Thanks for your lovely comment, Ruth. Hobbiton is very charming and enchanting. It’s a great way to bring the magic of Tolkien’s Middle Earth to life.
A trip to wonderland (and a fine money-making scheme). So cleverly made xx
Yes and yes! It’s all very charming. And Hobbiton brings in a lot of money for the government. Despite how popular it is and how many visitors there were, the timing of the tours were nicely staggered and we never felt crowded or rushed. It was actually a very lovely experience.
Ahhh, this place looks so neat! I love The Hobbit, and it looks like a dream land. This is definitely on our travel list for someday!
We just drove through Hobbiton (on the way to Rotorua) and regret that we didn’t have time to stop here. Fortunately, I now had the opportunity to see this place through your eyes (and camera lens). It really looks adorable from the outside and thanks for also showing what it looks like inside.
Bummer that you didn’t have enough time to visit Hobbiton. We’re both huge fans of Tolkien and this was at the top of our list of things to do in NZ. I actually reserved our tour right after purchasing our plane tickets. It was neat to see the magic of the Shire brought to life. It was very charming and the tour was excellent!
Very interesting story. Such a quirky place and nice to see it in reality.
It was such a well organized tour and a great way to bring the magic of Tolkien’s work to life.
I’d love to do this tour
It was such a fabulous experience! It was one of the highlights of our trip.
I bet
We’re both huge LOTR fans and it was pretty amazing to see Tolkien’s work brought to life through Hobbiton. It was an exceptional tour.