The
Shire, better known as Hobbiton
By
Richard Moore
Deluxe
Middle Earth Filming Locations
Wellington
Lord of the Rings Location Tour
One
of the things The Lord of the Rings movie fans want
to do in New Zealand is visit as many sites from the films
as they can.
Many
are unrecognisable, but just outside Matamata in the Waikato
region of the North Island lies an unmistakeable piece of
movie history - The Shire.
When
you take the Rings Scenic Tours trip out to Hobbiton you
instantly see this is the real thing and if you don't spot
recognisable bits of scenery - the 17 remaining hobbit holes
will jog your memory.
It
has to be said the hobbit holes are not the beautifully
kept homes of the little creatures with the big hairy feet,
but are the facades that were left after filming.
That
pointed out there is a thrill awaiting any Lord of the Rings
fan (and others) when they travel out to the former set
as you can recognise so many parts from the movie.
Sign
boards help and colour-coded posts position the movie's
now-removed major props - like the bridge, mill, and stables.
But
the Rings Scenic Tours' guides are very practised at filling
you in on all the main points of the production including
the history of how the site was chosen, and if you've seen
the movies as often as this chap has then it really does
bring the tour to life.
The
actual site of The Shire set is about 20 minutes out of
Matamata on a private farm owned by Ian Alexander.
The
story of how his land was chosen is rather amusing - as
is the fact that this piece of prime sheep-producing country
had to have its flock removed and more-Shire-looking sheep
introduced.
There
is also the funny tale of how the landowner tested the wood,
plywood and foam-brick bridge with his ute ...
You'll
have to take the tour to find out the results.
Anyway,
apart from the set gossip you can see and touch the wonderful
Party Tree, which is all natural and not computer generated.
It is an amazing piece of nature, no doubt and it is to
the relief of all that Ian Alexander didn't chop it down
as he had thought about doing!!!!!!!
The
tours to the set from Matamata are $NZ66 per adult and $NZ33
for children from 10 to 14 years. Children from 5 to 9 are
$5.
From
Rotorua it is $NZ99 for adults, $67 for teens and $5 for
kids.
It
may seem steep for some, but this is a unique site and represents
a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk around a memorable
part of the movie trilogy.
And
according to comments in the Matamata Information Centre's
visitor book that the tour experience was "great value for
money" and even "the best money spent while in New Zealand".
The
Hobbiton Movie Set and Farm Yours have also added in a Woolshed
and sheep shearing demonstration that includes bottle feeding
of lambs.
Matamata
is a two-hour drive south of Auckland and about 40 minutes
from both Hamilton and Tauranga. Click to book hotels in
Hamilton or Tauranga.
Departure
Times
The two-hour tours of the Hobbiton movie set depart at 9.50am,
11.05am, 12.20pm, 1.35pm and 2.50pm each day. Extended tour
departure times: 4.05pm (excludes May to September).
Bookings
are recommended.
Contact
Details
Rings Scenic Tours
Phone 07 888 9913
Fax 07 888 9982
Email: office@hobbitontours.com
