Little Porcelain Princess: Visiting Hobbiton

Hello Lovelies!

Today I wanted to share with you my visit to Hobbiton! I actually visited during the summer time in New Zealand (February to be more precise) and have just taken two months to find the best pictures! I think I took more than 400 pictures :3

This post is going to be super photo heavy with some half remembered facts from the tour. ><

(This is the road where Frodo waits for Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring)

The set of Hobbiton is located in Matamata, which is a mere 30-40 minute drive away from Hamilton. My mother, younger sister and I decided to visit while we were driving from Gisborne to Hamilton before University started.

The tour takes you onto a very old school bus with a driving tour guide and your Hobbiton tour guide. The drive to Hobbiton is about 5minutes along a narrow dirt road on a steep incline with an impressive drop while the driver drives way too fast. I was impressed I hadn't vomited or pooped my pants by the time we got to Hobbiton. Seriously nerve testing stuff.

Hobbiton was originally built for the Lord of the rings trilogy and was to be demolished after the movie was completed. However they only got halfway through the demolitions when the owner of the farm it was built on stepped in to save the rest to turn it into guided tour's of Hobbiton! When The Hobbit film was being produced, they decided to rebuild Hobbiton as a permanent structure.

The 26-ton oak tree overlooking Bag End was cut down and brought in from near Matamata. Each branch was numbered and chopped, then transported, placed, and bolted back together according to Peter Jackson's whims. Artificial leaves were then imported from Taiwan and individually wired onto the dead tree to give it life.

(Bilbo's House)

Most of the hobbit holes are actually really small and are all built to a certain scale. Sam and Rosie's hobbit hole is the only hobbit hole built to a 100% scale.