Hobbiton @ Matamata, North Island

Our first encounter with Middle Earth was at Hobbiton, which is located a farm near Matamata. Since the launch of the Lord of the Rings movies and the subsequent opening of the Hobbiton Movie Set Tours, Matamata has become a vibrant visitor destination, attracting visitors from all over the world.

Matamata, North Island, New Zealand.

Hobbiton is part of the Shire, a region of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional Middle-Earth, which is described in the Lord of the Rings. In Hobbiton, there is a village where Bag End is located (above the lane of Bagshot Row). Bag End is the home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, and later of Samwise Gamgee.

"Original Hobbit Hole Movie Set", Hobbiton, North Island, New Zealand.
Photo Image © Daniel Peckham

Hobbiton, Matamata, North Island, New Zealand.
Photo Image © Karen Toh

Hobbiton, Matamata, North Island, New Zealand.
Photo Image © Karen Toh

During the filming of Lord of the Rings, the location for Hobbiton was chosen primarily due to the rolling green hills, and the Party Tree.

The Party Tree @ Hobbiton, Matamata, North Island, New Zealand.
Photo Image © Karen Toh

My Hobbit Friend, Hobbiton, Matamata, North Island, New Zealand.
Photo Image © Karen Toh

Here are some other interesting things about Hobbits and Hobbiton.

• Hobbiton was made a year before production began to make it look like it was a natural, lived-in place, complete with real vegetable patches. The greens department regulated the length of the grass by having sheep eat it.
• About 28 separate Hobbit holes had to be built for the Shire. Each one had to be different.
• There are 47 chimneys in the Hobbiton location.
• The bridge in Hobbiton was built by the New Zealand army out of polystyrene.
• The large tree that stands above Bag End was built especially by the production department. Every leaf had to be manually attached.
• There were supposed to be 144 Hobbits at Bilbo Baggins's party. Due to budgetary constraints, there are actually only 100.
• Two sets of Bag End, Bilbo Baggins's home, were built. One to accommodate the Hobbits, the other 33% smaller for the full size Ian McKellen, right down to smaller versions of the books on the bookshelves.
• Although Bilbo Baggins's opening scenes are in Hobbiton, Ian Holm never actually worked on the location. His scenes were all done against blue screen.
• The design for the Hobbits's feet took over a year to perfect. Over 1800 feet were produced for the 4 lead Hobbits alone, and each pair would take about an hour and a half to be put on over the actors' real feet.
• Hobbits are approximately Three Foot Six.