When I have traveled with my son, I’ve asked him what he wants to include on the trip. His choices have taken us to some places I might not have visited: the United Nations when in New York, Pompeii in Italy, and Carthage in Tunisia on a Mediterranean trip. Hobbiton was his selection for the North Island, and it was magical!
The Hobbiton Movie Set was created for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films, the town where the Hobbits lived in the Shire. Many breathtaking natural sites on the South Island formed the scenic backdrop to other travels in those movies. The location for Hobbiton, the Alexander sheep farm, was found through an aerial search. The owners agreed, with the director, Peter Jackson, to let the filming crew transform the area with the caveat that they could then keep it as a tourist site.
The colorful round doors of the Hobbit homes were dug into lush green hills and, although they were not complete houses—the internal scenes were filmed somewhere on a set in Auckland—they were picturesque and compelling. It almost seemed as though one would open and a little fellow would invite us in for tea or second breakfast. We were wandering through a fantasy world.
Click to enlarge:
The Green Dragon bar served drinks, pies, scones, and other baked goodies.
New Zealand
North Island: Auckland, Rotorua, Hobbiton, Wellington
South Island: Abel Tasman National Park, Kaikoura, Christchurch, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Dunedin, Otago, Oamaru, Moeraki
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Email me at: Ruth@RuthRosenfeld.com
Ruth Rosenfeld 
I’d forgotten that those movies were filmed in New Zealand. Have you seen any of the films?
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Yes, I read all the books earlier and saw all the movies. The movies are easier to follow if you read the books first for backstory and detail. My son and late husband were avid Tolkien fans.
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That is so cool, Ruth!
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😄
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Being a fan of the films of Lord of the Rings it’s a delight to see these images and to read this informations. Thanks Ruth.
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It was quite a delight to see it in person! Glad this connected with you.
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May come as a surprise, but I actually didn’t start watching Lord of the Rings until just last year! I enjoyed the film, though: I’ve been curious in visiting New Zealand in general for a while now, but now I especially want to go in order to see Hobbiton! Thanks for sharing your trip there with us. 🙂
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My pleasure! Thanks for your comment, Rebecca.
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Amazing!!!!
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😊
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Stunning pictures! New Zealand is in my bucket list because LOTR opened my eyes to the beautiful places.
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Thanks so much! It’s a country of lush scenery so it’s understandable as a backdrop to the Rings series.
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This looks a fun place to visit 🙂 I’d heard about it and seen other photos, but I never knew the back story about the sheep farm and the owners’ stipulation about the tourist attraction – clever thinking on their part!
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It was great fun, and they did a good job of making it interesting but not a Disneyland kind of things.
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It looks so beautiful in a lovely setting, and so much fun!! Your photos really bring it to life 🙂
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Thanks so much! It was a beautiful little world.
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Somehow I only read “The Hobbit” and only saw “The Lord of the Rings” movies (probably because “The Hobbit” movie came out a decade later). If I ever make it to NZ I’ll have to watch the movie first, just in case I make it to Hobbiton!
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I believe the first of the Rings movies starts in the Shire, so you may have seen this scenery already on screen.
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I would visit here in a heartbeat. I would go to NZ just to see this alone. Love it! Your son has good travel instincts!
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We loved Hobbiton. It’s really magical isn’t it. But then i guess that’s the point.
Alison
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Yes, you can feel the magic and imagination of Tolkien’s stories there. 😊
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I’m such a fan of all things Tolkien, especially the Lord of the Rings. Hobbiton looks like such a neat place to explore. I love all the colourful round doors.
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You would love to wander there. Put it on your list if/when you get to New Zealand!
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Oh what a magical place to visit. It is so beautifully crafted and impossibly green, the owners really landed on their feet when Peter Jackson came calling. This would definitely be on my list if we ever make it to NZ and I wasn’t even a huge fan of The Hobbit films if truth be told. The houses are stunning, funnily enough we came upon a chalet sight in rural Armenia that had made a dozen or so such Hobbit houses as Airbnb rentals. A fantasy world indeed, Ruth.
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Ooh, that sounds like a fun find in Armenia of all places! My late husband was a big sci-fi and fantasy fan and we read those stories to my son at an early age, long before the movies came out. I’m glad he suggested Hobbiton, it was a delight.
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