Hobbiton movie set tour, a visit of the hobbit village in New Zealand

What is the Hobbiton movie set tour

Hobbiton is the hobbit village in New Zealand that was used for the movie set of both the Lord of The Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy.

For the first trilogy, The Lord Of The Rings, the Hobbiton village was built using temporary material, as they had no idea it would ever be used again - and the village was actually built on the private property of a farmer.

However, with the growing number of visitors and fans coming to see the remains of the Hobbit village movie set, for the filming of the second trilogy, The Hobbit, they decided to build it with durable materials, and the result is now known as the Hobitton movie set, for which a tour can be done.

As the Hobitton movie set is on a private property, however, it is not possible to visit it for free. The only way to visit it is to buy a ticket from the official website, which are selling the cheapest ones - there is no way to find cheaper tickets somewhere else on the Internet.

Hobbiton tour from Rotorua

The tour starts by visiting the Hobbiton movie set office in Rotorua city center.

Inside the office, simply showing the email confirmation is enough to get the ticket printed, and receive on top a little booklet with a few explanations.

While waiting for the bus tour to start, there is most likely plenty of time to explore the location, which is a shop but also has some Lord Of The Rings statues and other paintings on display.

About 15 minutes before scheduled departure, the bus doors will open, and it will be time to board!

At several intervals during the nearly one hour trip to the Hobbiton movie set from Rotorua, some small videos are shown, giving information about the Hobbiton village history.

Between the videos, there is another spectacle to enjoy, the magnicifent scenery of New Zealand outside.

Arriving at the Hobitton movie set

Once arrived at the Hobitton movie set, the tour starts. A guide, which will most likely be a Lord Of The Rings fan, and know a lot about the subject, will start giving explanations about the history of the location.

After some introduction, it is time to enter the magical Hobbit village!

Arriving inside the village, the landscape is amazing, and the Hobbiton village is even more beautiful than in the movies.

We quickly get to pass near some Hobbit houses, which we are told are of different sizes to be able to play with the characters height, in order to create the illusion of size.

All houses are decorated with some fake accessories, but most of the greenery is real.

A garden in the middle of the Hobbit village is composed of both fake and real vegetation.

We will be told later that gardeners are coming every morning, before the tour starts, to make sure that everything is in order, as the vegetation changes every day.

Visiting the Hobbit village in New Zealand

We pass Hobbit house after Hobbit house, stopping in front of most of them.

Our guide of the day, originally from England, and working for a few months at his dream location, has plenty of details to give us.

In front of some of the Hobbit houses, he tells about some elements that have been moved between movies, or changed somehow.

We get a lot of detail from the guide, and he is definitely worth the price: simply walking by ourselves in the village wouldn't be the same experience at all.

After a while, we arrive in front of the most famous Hobbit house of all: Bilbo's house, on top of the Hobbit village.

We of course all use the opportunity to take some pictures in front of that famous Hobbit house.

From there, we also get an amazing view on the surroundings, which are beautiful.

Going down the hill, there are still more of these beautiful houses to see...

Until we get close to the party area, the field on which the parties in the movie have been held.

The Green Dragon Inn

The Hobbiton movie set tour end at the Green Dragon inn, the place where the Hobbits had drinks and where it is possible to have a night banquet.

A drink actually is included in the tour, and there is choice between many options: several types of beer, and some non alcoholic drinks.

The place is also magical, and there are plenty of places where we want to take pictures.

After finishing the drink, our group gathers in front of the inn, and we head back to the last place of this Hobbiton movie set tour, which is... a souvenir shop.

We are given 10 minutes to buy our souvenirs, and we go back to the bus.

Time to go back to our daily lives, after having being for a few hours on what seems like to be another universe, the one of the Hobbits in the Middle Earth.

Hobbiton booking online tickets

There are four different tickets that can be booked online:

• Hobbiton movie set tour from The Shire's rest for NZ$84, on the official website,
  
• Hobbiton movie set tour from Matamata for NZ$84, on the official website,
  
• Hobbiton movie set tour from Rotorua for NZ$119, on the official website,
  
• Hobbiton movie set tour from Auckland, starting at NZ$159, on other tour operator websites that will include transport to Rotorua or Matamata for you.
  

Simply go on the website, select the ticket that fits your need, and pay online! You can then simply get the ticket by visiting the Hobbit office in Rotorua center, or at Matamata information site, about half hour before the tour planned start.

Hobbiton movie set pictures

Frequently Asked Questions

What can visitors expect from the Hobbiton Movie Set Tour, and how does it recreate the magical world of the Hobbits?

Visitors can expect a guided tour of the movie set, seeing hobbit holes, the Green Dragon Inn, and the Party Tree. The tour recreates the magical world with its attention to detail and picturesque landscape.