This year, for winter break, I traveled to New Zealand. It’s a beautiful country, full of rolling hills and gorgeous forests. One of my favorite parts of this trip has been getting to visit “Hobbiton”, the set of the beginning and end of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies.
Firstly, you arrive at “The Shire”, a small area with a cafe and gift shop, where you wait to board a bus that’ll take you to the main attraction. Onboard this bus, a short clip is played, explaining the history of the location and its significance. Hobbiton is actually part of the Alexander farms, a family farm that was chosen because of one specific tree, their lake, and the overall quaint vibe of it. After the initial filming of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the director had agreed to dismantle the entire set. 12 years later, however, when plans for the Hobbit movie were underway, the Alexander farms agreed to let the buildings stay permanently.
Today, the Alexander farm is still running, so as you drive from the Shire to Hobbiton, you’ll pass sheep and cows idly grazing. Inside the set, however, is a whole new world. Hobbiton is an incredibly idyllic set, where it’s possible to believe that magic is real. Real and carefully cultivated gardens are housed behind fences, bees buzz gaily to their next flower, and miniscule scenes are frozen in time. Each Hobbit house, no matter its size or importance, tells a story- in one house, fish are being roasted next to a fishing rod, clearly a fishmonger’s house. In another, bread and honey are being sold outside, while peeping in through a window, you can see an oven filled with dough, indicating a baker’s house.
While most of the houses were unfurnished, simply left as spaces for the actors or artists to leave supplies, two were fully done, remodeled only last year. The same concept artist of the actual movies was the one hired to plan out the interior, therefore ensuring that the same vibe was carried throughout. The inside of the house was adorable, complete with a scrabble set, crocheted dolls, a “mushroom guide” (of which were poisonous and which were not), and so many more details.
Finally, we were taken to the “Green Dragon Inn”, where we were able to sip ginger beer and relax with the views of Hobbiton (and swans) in the background.
Overall, Hobbiton was such a beautiful and breath-taking experience! I loved exploring the set of such influential movies and I might even be inspired to watch the movies :).
