Hobbiton Movie Set facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hobbiton
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Movie Set / Tourist Attraction
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A small Waterhouse opposite to the Green Dragon Inn
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 Hobbiton
Location in New Zealand
Hobbiton
Location in North Island
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| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Waikato |
| Territorial authority | Matamata-Piako District |
The Hobbiton Movie Set is a famous place in New Zealand. It was used to film the amazing Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. This special place looks just like the town of Hobbiton from the books, located in a magical area called the Shire. You can find it on a family farm near Matamata, and now it's a popular spot for fans to visit!
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The Farm Before the Movies
The land where Hobbiton now stands is a large farm. The Alexander family moved to this 500-hectare (1,200-acre) farm in 1978. It has rolling green hills, which made it perfect for the movies. For many years, the farm was home to thousands of sheep and hundreds of Angus beef cattle.
Creating Hobbiton for The Lord of the Rings
When director Peter Jackson was looking for places to film The Lord of the Rings, he saw the Alexander Farm from an airplane in 1998. He thought it looked "like a slice of ancient England." The hills even looked like Hobbits had already started digging their homes!
Work began in March 1999 to turn part of the farm into Hobbiton. The New Zealand Army helped build a 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) road to the site. Workers then built the fronts of 37 hobbit holes. They also created gardens, hedges, a mill, and a double arch bridge. A huge 26-tonne (29-ton) oak tree was brought in and rebuilt above Bag End. It even had fake leaves! The roofs of the pub and mill were made from plants growing on the farm.
Jackson wanted Hobbiton to feel real and lived-in. He let weeds grow and planted gardens a year before filming started. This made the set look incredibly natural, not just like a movie prop.
Rebuilding for The Hobbit
The first Hobbiton set was not made to last forever. Many parts were taken down after The Lord of the Rings movies were finished. But in 2010, the set was rebuilt much stronger for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Filming for this movie started in 2011.
Ian McKellen came back to play Gandalf the Grey. Martin Freeman, who played Bilbo Baggins, also filmed scenes there. He said the place looked like a real village where people lived and worked.
Visiting the Hobbiton Movie Set
You can now take guided tours of the 5.5 hectares (14 acres) movie set every day. The tour lasts about two hours and is very popular, so it's a good idea to book your tickets early!
On the tour, you can see famous spots like Bagshot Row, the Party Tree, and Bilbo's home, Bag End. There are 44 hobbit holes to see. You can only go inside a few of them, and they are mostly empty. The inside of Bag End was actually filmed in a studio in Wellington.
The hobbit holes were built in different sizes. Some are the correct size for Hobbits (who are smaller than humans). Others are larger to make the human actors look smaller, or "dwarf" scale for scenes with dwarves. The color of a hobbit hole's front door often tells you its scale. For example, blue doors mean the hole is built for humans.
You can grab snacks and drinks at "The Shires Rest Cafe" before or after your tour. They even serve "Second Breakfast"! In 2012, a copy of the "Green Dragon" inn from the movies opened on the set. There's also a shop where you can buy souvenirs. The tours are very popular, and in 2013, Hobbiton welcomed its 500,000th visitor! In December 2023, new hobbit holes were opened for visitors to explore.
Images for kids
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Peter Jackson said of the set, "It felt as if you could open the circular green door of Bag End and find Bilbo Baggins inside".
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Hobbit holes overlooking the lake on the set
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Hobbiton mill and double-arched bridge
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Interior of the Green Dragon inn
