Hobbiton comes back to life.
One of the best things as far as I’m concerned about the Hobbit being made back in New Zealand is that Hobbiton will once again be turned into a movie set, and look absolutely stunning.
When we first came to New Zealand on our honeymoon, we had no intention of it tuning into a “Lord of the Rings Movie Tour”, but it just so happened that Hobbiton opened to the public for the first time the day we got married. So by the time we had toured our way up and down the Coromandal – there were leaflets advertising tours there. Up till that point – all the information said that the set was on private land and visitors were not allowed in.
We changed our plans, headed over to the sleepy town of Mata Mata and paid $50 each for the tour.
And it blew us away!
There was almost nothing left of the film set, just some of the carcasses of the hobbit holes (including Bag End – above) – but it was still a magnificent place to visit. Apparently while the farmers owned the land, New Line Cinema owned the set, and they had to give permission for the owners to let people in. The landowners were also not allowed at the time to do anything to maintain or improve the hobbit holes – though from the looks of current advertising they have since been allowed to do this.
Tours are still ongoing – but it looks like it wont be long before it is shut down for filming – so if you want to go – go now. Hopefully when The Hobbit has finished filming it will again be open to the public, and with a real bucket of luck – they will keep it as it is in the film.
Hobbiton Tours: it’s now $58 for the basic tour from Mata Mata to the film set – but they now offer farm stays and farm tours in addition. They have also tidied the hobbit holes up so they look rather a bit sweeter than in our photos.
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