tauronga

January 30, 2026

I have been looking forward to this stop on the cruise before I even made the initial deposit. New Zealand was always one of those magical places that you hoped you would visit one day but could never find the time or the resources. Then along comes Peter Jackson bringing the works of J.R.R. Tolkien to the big screen. Stories that I and countless other college students had devoured in the 70’s. Here I would be able to visit the actual locations where hobbits were brought to life.

The movie set is named Hobbiton. It is located about an hour from the port. The location selected in 1998 for Lord of the Rings was the Alexander Farm near Matamata. After filming the LOTR trilogy, the set was torn down. It was rebuilt in 2009 for The Hobbit trilogy, but this time with more permanent materials. All of the Hobbit holes from the original set were just facades. In the restoration, two new ones were added that had complete interiors.

Our Hobbiton tour guide told us many tidbits and anecdotes about the set and the cast and crew of both trilogies. A few examples: Since hobbits were only supposed to be about one meter tall, those cast to be hobbits could be no taller than 5’8″. A filming technique known as “forced perspective” was used to create the contrast with non-hobbit cast and surroundings. The mature tree above Bilbo’s home in LOTR was cut down and moved there and held up with cables; the smaller tree there now used for The Hobbit prequel is completely synthetic, made of steel and plastic.

Our tour concluded at the Green Dragon Inn where everyone could partake of a complimentary beverage made only for Hobbiton. Then it was back to the Shire Rest for souvenir shopping or a light lunch. The Hobbiton Movie set is open year round, rain or shine, except for Christmas day. The set sees about 2500 visitors a day. One in our group was making her 19th visit. I don’t think I’ll make it back again but if the right offer comes along……

Next stop: Wellington (spoiler alert: more LOTR)