I admit, I'm not a fan of Lord of the Rings and haven't watched any of the movie prior to our visit in Hobbiton Movie Set in Matamata, New Zealand but I am surprised how much I loved the entire tour even though I could not relate to any scene (not a single one!) depicted form the movie.
The experience comes with a high price tag. One person costs NZ$79 (this is 2017 price) but the experience is worth it and definitely worth splurging on. There's no way you can enter the Movie Set without availing the walking tour. You must book ahead of time as it is almost always fully-booked. We booked through their official website. Check out their latest prices and check if there are any on-going promotions that you can avail. The tour has several options to choose from. There's a package where you can have the tour plus lunch buffet, a private tour, evening banquet tour and many more. We only chose the 2-hour tour as we're on a tight budget.
To go to Hobbiton, you can either go straight to the main location in The Shire's Rest or go to one of the pick-up points in The Matamata i-SITE or Rotorua Hobbiton Shop Tours. The Shire's Rest is recommended for those who are self-driving as there are no more additional fees for transfer and parking is FREE! Anyway, this is the assembly place before going inside the movie set via the Hobbiton tour bus.
The Shire's Rest itself is already beautiful because of these cherry blossom trees and adorable sheep scattered all over the place. Imagine what more when you get inside the middle-earth!
We hopped on the tour bus and began our journey to the middle-earth. Our tour guide began explaining facts about the site and how it was discovered by Sir Peter Jackson's team in 1998. The location scouts were doing an aerial search and found the stunning privately owned 1,200 acre of sheep and beef farm from the Alexander family in Waikato. The lush green pastures truly resemble Hobbiton as described in the book.
There are 44 Hobbit Holes inside the movie set. Although you can only go inside one (1) Hobbit hole and the rest are off limits. Photos and videos are very much welcome inside the movie set. Drones are not allowed though. We brought our trusty selfie stick and tri-pod so we can do a photoshoot. You just have to be very quick at it because you cannot leave your tour group.
The Hobbit holes comes in different scale based on the scenes and height of the actors. For example, the hobbits were placed in 90% scale so they will look tiny. Most of the indoor scenes were filmed off-site in a studio in Wellington which we also visited (and will blog about it too!).
The entire movie set was well preserved. It takes more than 180 employees to take care of the Hobbiton and several gardeners to keep the greeneries lush at all times.
Look at all the prop details! You can really feel like you've been transported to a different world. I love looking at the charming details of the houses, pots, gardens, workshop and even this clothesline.
Part of the tour is to experience a Hobbit lifestyle and that includes going to the Green Dragon Inn for some specialty beer, cider, or ginger beer for 20 minutes. If you booked the lunch or dinner buffet package, you can have a scrumptious feast Hobbit style.
Finally, after the tour, you can purchase your LOTR merchandise at The Shire's. Prices vary of course but in my opinion, it's mostly overpriced although you are guaranteed that the items are really one of a kind.
There's a small cafe at the top of The Shire's. You can grab a snack and coffee before your long drive to your next destination.
Overall, I highly suggest you to try the Hobbiton tour when you're in Matamata. The ticket is pricey but I assure you that you will enjoy the tour and even just the sceneries because it's as if you've been transported inside a storybook. It's not just for the fanatics but also to people like me who haven't watched any of the trilogy.
MOMMY TIP: If you plan to go there with your children or babies, I suggest you bring a carrier because the road is not stroller friendly. The paths are bumpy, muddy, and made of cobblestones. Some paths are very narrow and may need to climb stairs made out of soil.
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