Hobbiton #NewZealand

Who is not familiar with Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Saga? I remember going to the movies for a special that played Lord of the Rings 1,2 & 3 when I was a teenager, a time way before online streaming and netflix and chill. 

The Hobbiton movie set was a must-see spot for us. Since we were roadtrippin through the area we still had our own car and drove straight to “the Shire’s rest” which is just a ticketing center and cafe where you will gather before heading into the bus that will take you to the Shire. You need to book a guided tour to be able to access the movie set. Don’t be fooled, you cannot just walk in there unsupervised and hang out all day like in a park. Well, that’s what I thought but nontheless, we booked our tickets online a week before. Adult admission is per person 79$NZ (79$SG/800,000IDR). Once your whole tour group has gathered you hop on the bus and get driven into “The Shire” and when you have arrived, that is where your walk through the Shire actually begins. 

The Shire is build on a private property owned by a New Zealand family. The Shire only became permanent after filming the Hobbit trilogy. (After shooting the 3 Lord of the Rings films finished they disassembled the whole set). 

Our guide Hayden was very enthusiastic and explained to us lots of fun facts throughout the whole walk. The movie set itself is an exterior movie set so you do not get to go into the Hobbit Holes but they transformed “the Green Dragon” into a tavern where at the end of your walking tour you will enjoy a much needed refreshing beverage.  

Have you been? We would love to hear your comments down below and share some of your New Zealand Tips to our fellow Mamas and Papas.

WHAT MAMA THOUGHT:

Being 20 weeks pregnant with the twinnies, it is not as exhausting as I expected. The walk around the Shire has a lot of spots to take a seat in the shade whilst your tourguide tells the stories. What you definitely should bring/wear/do: comfortable shoes (I wore sneakers), water, pee before you go on the tour (you will need to hold it in for 90minutes++), hat for shade. Even not being a die-hard fan, the Hobbiton movie set was really worth it for the beautiful serene landscape although it is very expensive.