Is the Hobbiton movie set worth a visit?

Hobbiton movie set worth a visit?
Is the Hobbiton movie set worth a visit? According to the books, the bigger home you have, the richer you are in the Shire. Bilbo Baggins has the largest home apparently.

Before we go into the post ‘is the Hobbiton movie set worth a visit?’, I would say it’s a valid question as the entrance ticket is rather expensive and it takes a while to get there from Auckland (about 2 hours). For instance, the entrance ticket for adults is NZD84 and it’s about a 30 minute detour from the main road that we were travelling on. Hence, visiting Hobbiton is an investment of both money and time.

You can only go on a mandatory guided tour – which is pretty informative in my opinion, and there’s a free mug of beer waiting for you at the end of the tour. If you are a big Lord of the Rings fan, I would say that the experience is quite priceless. In our case, we didn’t check the ticket price before coming and paid for the tour since we had come a long way.

Is the Hobbiton movie set worth a visit?

It depends on your love for Lord of the Rings

Hobbiton movie set worth a visit?
Love the pine tree that stands out from the lake.

I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy but have yet to watch the Hobbit film series. The Shire was my favourite part of the series – it represented my ideal kind of life in the Middle Ages, where everyone was contented, happy and living without a care (with lots of beer). I also loved the soundtrack which accompanied the Shire’s setting. In the video above, you can see scenes from the Shire, and those can be found right in the Hobbiton movie set.

hobbiton new zealand
A smaller reflective lake

Places we saw on the guided tour

hobbiton new zealand sheep farm
Hobbiton is part of a working sheep farm.
hobbiton new zealand sheep farm
Little benches for people to chill out. Notice the sign – keep off the grass.

As shared earlier, the guided tour of 2 hours is mandatory. I suppose the management doesn’t want visitors wondering around and stamping on the grass patches. Hobbiton is set in a working sheep farm in New Zealand and there are sheep grazing just a couple of metres away. The farm was found by location scouts some years ago. It was selected due to the rolling hills and a fine pine tree by the side of the lake.

us hobbiton guided tour
On the bus to Hobbitton!

You will first board a bus to the Hobbiton set. Along the way, there will be a short introduction by the guide and a video will be played on the bus featuring scenes from the movie and a short soundbite from Peter Jackson. It appears that the Lord of the Rings film crew and the farm owner got along very well together. Help was also rendered by the New Zealand army for creation of the set. Today, there are 44 permanently reconstructed Hobbit Holes and the Green Dragon Inn which functions as a working bar.

hobbiton new zealand sheep farm
Love the trees that stand out in the middle of the fields.

You will not get to see the interior of the Hobbit holes as they are filmed in the studio

Do note that the scenes featuring the interior of the Hobbit holes, like in Bilbo Baggins’ house, were not filmed on site but in the studio. You will not get to see the interior of the Hobbit holes during the tour. We were told that the size of the actors were digitally shrank to fit the size of the hobbit holes as those are about 1.3m – 1.6m in height.

Hobbiton movie set worth a visit?
The sign marking the entrance.
entrance hobbiton movie set new zealand
At the entrance of Hobbiton. It felt rather life-like.
Hobbiton movie set worth a visit?
They have Hobbit holes for all sorts of professions. This guy’s probably a grower?
hobbit holes movie set new zealand
One of the many Hobbit holes. Each made for a different profession. Love the fresh lettuce growing in the garden.
hobbiton hole
If I’m not mistakened this is a potter’s house.
pottery hobbiton auckland
Pottery baking in the sun.
The map of Hobbiton
Hobbiton movie set worth a visit?
The home of Bilbo Baggins

At the end of the tour, you’ll be served with a selection of beer, cider or ginger ale at the Green Dragon, one of the inns in the Shire where Frodo frequents.

green dragon hobbiton beer
The Green Dragon actually looks like a legit bar.
green dragon hobbiton beer
The Green Dragon
beer hobbiton guided tour
Some beer for the road.
lake hobbiton green dragon
Love the lake right next to the Green Dragon.

The Travelling Squid’s Take

I thought the visit to Hobbiton was a unique experience. Lord of the Rings is one of my favourite films and it was nice to see places from the Shire in person. I thought the ticket price was rather hefty but if you’re die-hard fan, it’s definitely worth it. After all, one of the reasons that brought me to New Zealand was Lord of the Rings. Till today, I still remember the epic mountains featured in LOTR, and in this particular case, undulating hills with little homes carved into them. The Shire was also one of my favourite scenes in Lord of the Rings as it represented pure innocence, joy and friendship. Is the Hobbiton movie set worth a visit? It’s definitely up to you, just take note of the hefty entrance fee!