Visiting Hobbiton in New Zealand

Memories of New Zealand #1: The Shire

I am a vivid Lord of the Rings fan long before it was made into a movie. I love Tolkien's writings, his poems and new languages, his detailed design of the Middle Earth with it own history and mythology. The Lord of the Ring is a three book trilogy written by T.R.R.Tolkien which consists of

The Lord of the Rings
Tolkien's own cover designs for the three volumes of the first edition
Volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring The Two Towers The Return of the King

The major part of the movie trilogy was filmed in New Zealand, a beautiful country.



The Waikato region of the North is one of the finest farming region in New Zealand. A unique site in this beautiful farming country near Matamata in North Island was chosen to be the Green Hill Country of the Shire, Hobbition, Middle-Earth.

Here are some of the props that was used in the first fifteen minutes of the first movie, The Fellowship of the Ring and the last few seconds in the last movie, The Return of the King. The Hobbit hole shown above is where Frodo and Bilbo lives.

An quiet pond on the farm was converted into a Hobbit village, complete with bridge and village square. The photos below shows the completed set on the same pond above.



Another view of Frodo's and Bilbo's house. The hobbit hole on the right is the woodcutter's hut where the night-riders came looking for the hobbits.

This is the Birthday Tree around which were celebrated Frodo's birthday.

I have had a wonderful time at Hobbiton. The guide was very helpful and knowledgeable. He showed us the exact location where each of the shots of the movie about the Shire were taken.

We are very gladful to our New Zealand hosts who drove us to this way out place.

Man, I am going to watch the movies again.

Interested? Contact www.hobbitontours.com

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