In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.
If excitement sets in every time you read the above lines, fear not brave traveller, for you have ventured on the right place. A place of comfort, parties, pipe-weed and up to six meals per day, Hobbiton. Tolkien's fantasyland came to life on a picturesque farm somewhere in New Zealand, surrounded by rolling hills and emerald fields.
Too good to be true? Indeed, that was my first thought when I set foot in Hobbiton Movie Set in Matamata, on the North Island of New Zealand. The bus reached its destination so I switched on my camera and rushed out. During the short trip from Rotorua, the driver kept us busy with interesting and really weird facts about the movie set and the great attention to detail that was given during filming.
"Welcome to Hobbiton, where you own adventure starts today", the tour guide said. Even if it must have been the 10th time during the day that he was going to make the same tour, he sounded pretty excited. I was totally unprepared for what was going to follow.
I was walking right within the fantasyland of my dreams; amongst colourful hobbit-holes, picturesque gardens and peaceful ponds. Everything was there - the part tree, the Old Mill, the lucrative Bag End and last but not least, The Green Dragon Inn.
I grabbed a pint of (local) Hobbiton beer and sat outside the pub. No matter where I looked I couldn't detect any sign of civilisation. All I could see was endless green fields, hobbit-houses and sheep, many of them.
Fact: Hobbiton Movie Set is maintained by gardeners, making sure that all the products growing in the area do not go to waste. Instead, they end up on The Green Dragon Inn.
Whether you are a fan of Lord of the Rings or not, if it happens to visit New Zealand, then you need to make sure to visit one of the best-maintained movie sets in the world. This place is a real-life utopia that you actually cannot believe it exists unless you see it with your own eyes.
More info can be found at https://www.hobbitontours.com/.
