Hobbiton

• Where to find: 501 Buckland Rd, Hinuera, Matamata 3400, New Zealand;
• Website: hobbitontours.com;
• Phone: +64 7-888 1505;
• Open: 09.00-17.45

Among the many attractions that New Zealand boasts, the Hobbiton is the newest, but perhaps the most noteworthy. After all, this place was created just over 15 years ago, but it quickly became popular among tourists.

The incredible hobbit village is a place from the fairy-tale product of the cult British writer J. Tolkien created by Hollywood decorators for the screening of two books: The Hobbit, or There and Back and the trilogy The Lord of the Rings.

Getting here, tourists are magically transferred to the amazing Shire - the most kind, calm and green country of the fabulous Middle-earth, in which live the lovely and good-natured hobbits. The main village of Shire was Hobbiton, where the stories created by Tolkien's fantasy began.

How was the construction carried out?

Choosing locations for filming, director Peter Jackson decided that it is necessary to film books in New Zealand - her nature suited for this in the best way. For Hobbiton, a place near the town of Matamata was chosen - this is the territory of a private sheep farm.

Construction of the village began in 1999 - a film company from the United States bought a part of the farm. The chosen territory was ideally suited for this purpose with its landscape, beautiful nature and complete absence of signs of civilization and the presence of people.

And although in the overwhelming majority of cases today it is customary to use computer graphics to display non-existent in reality scenery, the hobbits village in New Zealand was completely rebuilt, ideally illustrating being fairy-tale inhabitants.

The forces of the New Zealand army were involved in the construction. In particular, soldiers prepared a one and a half kilometer road to the village, special heavy equipment was fitted, which carried out earthwork and other work. The village of Hobbiton in New Zealand consisted of 37 moors dug in the hillsides and trimmed outside and inside by wood and plastic. Around the houses of the hobbits have been carefully prepared:

• green fences from barberry;
• small gardens;
• benches and other outdoor household items.

Total construction took 9 months, during which more than 400 people worked tirelessly.

Desolation after filming

When the shooting of "The Lord of the Rings" was completed, the village overtook desolation. Some of the decorations were dismantled, and only 17 of the 37 houses built were "active." Only sheep from the nearby farm came to the territory of the fairy-tale settlement.

Rescue for the settlement of the hobbits was the decision to screen the book "The Hobbit, or There and Back." The village was not only restored, but also expanded, and after the shooting was over, they decided to leave everything as it is. In the end, turned out to be a full-fledged Park Hobbiton, known throughout the world. Every fan of the mysterious and incredibly interesting world of Tolkien dreams to visit here.

Tourist attraction

Now it is a place of pilgrimage for tourists. At first, the farmers were not entirely satisfied, that they were constantly distracted from work, wishing to look at the place of filming. However, later the idea was born to create a full-fledged tourist route to these places, which freed from the worries of farmers and allowed everyone to enjoy the cozy hobbit houses and their attractive village.

Every day about 300 tourists come here. The cost of the tour is 75 New Zealand dollars, and the duration is about 3 hours.

During this time, it is possible to bypass the village, visit the hobbit's house, sit on the shore of the lake and feed the ducks. And, most importantly, completely saturated with the appropriate fabulous atmosphere, because nowhere is there a hint of civilization.

By the way, there are interesting statistics - it turns out that about 30% of all visitors to the village did not read books and did not see films about hobbits and their adventures.

How to get there?

Where the village of Hobbiton in New Zealand is located, almost everyone knows - just 20 minutes drive from the town of Matamata, on the North Island . Although in the town itself is not so easy to get - it does not have an airport, not even a railway station. The nearest airport is in Tauranga , which is 52 kilometers from Matamata. And the international airport - in Oakland, which is 162 kilometers from the town. The nearest railway station is 62 kilometers away in Hamilton .

Even if you get to Matamata - a trip to the fairy-tale world is not over yet. It will be necessary to reach the cafe Shire's Rest, which is located on a narrow road. From there, shuttle buses run to the village.

Now you know where the Hobbiton is - if you are a fan of Tolkien's works, we highly recommend you to visit this magical place!