Hobbiton Movie Set by Brian is licensed under CC BY 2.0
If you have seen the Lord of The Rings movies or read the books you are no doubt familiar with Hobbiton. Originally built in 1999 and later rebuilt in 2009, the Hobbit village is now a permanent attraction in Matamata, New Zealand. Visitors can tour the grounds, Hobbit holes, and even relax at the Green Dragon Inn.
In 1998 the Alexander family, who have owned and operated a farm on this location since 1978, received a knock on the door. To their surprise, director Peter Jackson’s team of location scouts had completed an aerial tour and felt this farm was an excellent match for the Hobbit village. This site would soon become one of the most visited tourist destinations in New Zealand.
The original set took 9 months to construct. The New Zealand army even came in to help shape the land and built a road leading in. After the Lord of the Rings trilogy was finished Hobbiton was dismantled and all but 17 facades remained. Russell Alexander began conducting tours not long after the first movie premiered. In 2009 Peter Jackson returned to film the Hobbit movies and Hobbiton was rebuilt.
It now includes 44 Hobbit holes and each year about 350,000 visitors tour the grounds. Alexander employs a permanent staff of 50 with about 180 members during peak season.
Recently, the Hobbiton team won some accolades in the gardening world. The “Beekeeper’s Hobbit Hole” received 3 awards for excellence! It was designed by Movie Set Project Manager Brian Massey. He felt like J.R.R. Tolkein’s writings contained a real sense of nature being a part of the architecture and wanted to bring that into this creation.
To learn more about Hobbiton click here.
