As you know, John Tolkien’s novel “The Lord of the Rings” was adapted into a film in 2001. After full-scale filming, the location in New Zealand remains a fabulous city that most of the fans would like to visit. Therefore, soon after the release of the film, it opened as an ecotourism park, where you can enjoy not only interesting houses and their interiors, but also almost pristine nature.
Now the park is so popular that fans from all over the world flock here. The entrance fee is $50. This gives you the right to walk in the park all day long.
History of the Area
The story began with the fact that the director was looking for a suitable place for the village, flying around the North Island in a helicopter, and found a suitable farm, or rather a small site located on the private territory of local farmers Alexander brothers. Peter liked the place very much, and he began to negotiate with the owners of the land.
I must say that the brothers-farmers were very successful in the agricultural business. At that time, they had more than 13,000 sheep and about 300 Angus steers. The farmers received a decent income from their holdings and did not plan to change anything. But the meeting with the director changed everything in their lives. The brothers really liked the idea, and they agreed to build a movie village. Construction began in March 1999.
The most interesting thing about visiting this place is, of course, the peculiar mood of this village, which has a special charm. Imagine if the evolution of the human race had gone a little differently. Maybe we would still live in such a fabulous town with burrows instead of houses, would be engaged in agriculture and would know the birthdays of all our neighbors.
And it is in such a cozy and pleasant world that we invite the owners of the park, where you can completely disconnect from the outside world and dream of a quiet rural life in a beautiful New Zealand valley.
Usually this kind of large-scale scenery is made of cardboard and plywood, or created on a computer. But Peter Jackson broke this unwritten rule and decided to build a solid village for real. The houses are made of wood. The streets, gardens, and vegetable gardens are all real.
How do I find a Hobbit Village?
The village was named Hobbiton. It is located on the North Island about 10 km (6.2 mi) southeast of the city of Matamata.
Hobbiton village on the map
Geographical coordinates -37.857721, 175.680674. Distance from the capital of New Zealand Wellington about 400 km (250 mi). Distance to the nearest international airport Hamilton about 30 km (19 mi)
How Does it Work?
For 9 months, 400 people worked on the creation of the Hobbiton. Everything was done thoroughly and planned. During the work, the country’s army was even involved. It was the military who paved the 1.5-kilometer-long (1 mi) road from the parking lot to the hobbit village.
How high-quality the work was can be judged by the fact that on a small area (about 400 by 500 meters – 440-550 yards), a whole, and quite real village grew up. It has 37 hobbit houses. But not all the houses inside are equipped, many are just a facade with a door. The original old arched bridge over the lake, a hedge of barberry, a mill, paths and a real restaurant “Green Dragon” were built, where local half-breeds (as the hobbits are sometimes called in the film) liked to have a beer or ale. Green Dragon Restaurant”
After the end of filming, the village began to deteriorate and collapse, but an interesting thing turned out. Fans of Tolkien and films about Hobbits, elves and other heroes of the saga were drawn in strings to the village of Hobbiton.
At first, the Alexander brothers were not happy with the fact that they were constantly distracted from business by regular tourists with requests to show and tell about the hobbit village. But then the idea came up to make Hobbiton a tourist attraction. So there were sightseeing tours in the village of Hobbiton.
The owners of the land were happy – because now the guides took on the heavy burden of telling travelers about the village and the process of shooting famous films, and the owners of the farm received additional income. The village of Hobbiton is now visited by up to 300 people every day. The tour is naturally paid and takes about 3 hours.
Features
The charm and splendor of the village you see in the movies is no longer there. It’s a little dimmed. There are no cheerful hobbits on the streets, no one is cultivating small vegetable gardens and orchards now. But despite this, cute houses with round doors, scattered on the hills, look very fabulous. The paintings are complemented by sheep grazing peacefully in the surrounding meadows. The animals are so used to people that they can safely be fed by hand. For this purpose, food is specially distributed to visitors. You can even give the lambs milk to drink here.
All the attractions of Hobbiton Village are accessible to tourists. The only drawback – you can not enter the houses of hobbits. But you can have a beer in the same restaurant “Green Dragon”. Usually this place turns out to be very interesting and funny photos.
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