I know it's hard to believe, but somehow we managed to wait an entire month in New Zealand before visiting Middle Earth. For my birthday weekend, we rented a car and headed out to Matamata ('Matt-ah matt-ah'), official home of Hobbiton! When location scouting for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson and team stumbled upon the Alexander family's beautiful sheep and dairy farm, complete with rolling hills and scenic vistas. As Megan and I (the only passengers on our bus from downtown) approached the farm, it was easy to be taken with the natural beauty of the place, and the way in which it perfectly fits my mental image of the Shire while reading Tolkien's words.
Although the tour group before us must have had 20+ people, somehow the 11 am tour we took had only 7. According to our tour guide, in the summer there are hundreds of people at any given time, so it was very fortunate to be with such a small group. Amazingly enough, apparently roughly 30 percent of the visitors to Hobbiton have never seen the movies!!!
We were able to take a TON of pictures and wander around without being swamped with rabid fans. Note: a proper slide show will follow soon!!
I was very surprised to see just how large Hobbiton, as it exists, really is. It features a grand total of 44(!) Hobbit holes, in addition to the party clearing, mill, and, of course, the Green Dragon Inn. The tour was approximately 1.5 hrs, lots of time to soak in all the hobbity goodness. At the tail end of the tour, we visited the Green Dragon for a pint of their finest ale (they brew 3 special drafts -- only available on site). Although we had hoped to hang out there all day, the unfortunate policy is that they shout you one beer and you must be on the road again. Don't worry Green Dragon, we'll be back!!
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| The Doors of Hobbiton |
To top off the already fantastic day, Megan surprised me with an early birthday present!! (See if you can spot the finished product in the above collage.)
All said, if you're a Tolkien fan and visit New Zealand, Hobbiton is not to be missed. Next up: Mount Doom!!
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