{"id":671872,"date":"2022-08-05T19:22:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-05T16:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tourism.com.de\/?p=671872"},"modified":"2022-02-03T11:11:49","modified_gmt":"2022-02-03T08:11:49","slug":"hobbiton-village-matamata-new-zealand-photo-description-map-how-to-get-there-working-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tourism.com.de\/en\/hobbiton-village-matamata-new-zealand-photo-description-map-how-to-get-there-working-hours\/","title":{"rendered":"Hobbiton village (Matamata, New Zealand) – photo, description, map, how to get there, working hours"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not far from the town of Matamata is one of the most famous villages in the world<\/a> – Hobbiton. This place is sacred to fans of John Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings trilogy – they come here from all over the world. But even those who have never read these books, as a rule, do not deny themselves the pleasure of visit<\/a>ing the fairy-tale world of hobbits. After all, no matter how they try to clone it in other countries<\/a>, the original, where the films were shot, is still the same.<\/p>\n

How it all began<\/h2>\n

New Zealand is a country of beautiful landscapes that civilization has not reached. Here, sheep graze imposingly on the endless fields, and private farms are located<\/a> at a distance of several tens of kilometers from each other. One of them, in principle, unremarkable, was noticed by the famous director Peter Jackson, who decided to shoot a film based on the trilogy of John Tolkien in these parts, far from the urban fuss.<\/p>\n

He was looking for a place very car<\/a>efully, inspecting the surroundings from the helicopter. His attention was drawn to the lands of the Alexander family, spread over picturesque green hills. Such a landscape, according to the director, perfectly matched what was described in the books. No sooner said than done. Soon a large share of private property was sold to Hollywood, and a long painstaking work began…<\/p>\n

Building Hobbiton<\/h2>\n

The main thing that Peter Jackson didn't want to deviate from and didn't step back a step – all the scenery for the film had to be natural, and not made of cardboard or plywood. That is why the fabulous village of Hobbiton was literally rebuilt from scratch, from scratch.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The country's government immediately realized that such a project could bring New Zealand not only popularity, but also economic benefits – after all, the shooting would end, but the village would remain. That is why, without any questions or complaints, the army reserve was connected to the work: people and equipment. 1.5 kilometers of road, preparations for round holes, some of which are six meters deep, a bridge<\/a> and hilly terrain – it took almost a year to create all this. After the rough work was completed, the design<\/a>ers got down to bus<\/a>iness.<\/p>\n

\"Hobbiton<\/a><\/p>\n

Particular attention was paid to the drawing of details. Every little detail of the scenery had to look natural. And if flower pots or old barrels are not so difficult to find, then there were many problems with some moments. One of the main ones is how to<\/a> grow old at home. In order to do this, the lichen, which grows in nature for a very long time, was soaked in a special solution. Stimulated by him, he perfectly took root and spread.
\nHowever, there are also “fictions” in the village of Hobbiton. First of all, it is an oak, under which Bilbo Baggins' hole was located. There are practically no large trees in New Zealand<\/a>, so it was “collected” piece by piece: a trunk made of natural wood, and leaves made of fiber optics.<\/p>\n

\"Hobbiton<\/a><\/p>\n

Another fake in the village of Hobbiton is a garden of their dwarf apple trees. They could not find them before filming and replaced them with plums, and artificial fruits<\/a> had to be used for decoration.<\/p>\n

We recommend a few more interesting places<\/a> in New Zealand:<\/p>\n

What is Hobbiton today<\/h2>\n

Since the filming of the film in the village of Hobbiton, nothing has changed. The houses of fairy-tale heroes still look very realist<\/a>ic, linen is hung on the ropes, and vegetable gardens are planted in the yards. Sometimes it see<\/a>ms that the inhabitants of the graying have not gone away – it's just that now is the time for a quiet hour for them.
\nTour<\/a>ists can visit the courtyards of any of the houses, but they are not allowed to go inside. Despite the fact that Hollywood scenery has been preserved in some “burrows” and even the doors are ajar (by the way, all “interior” shooting was carried out at the studio, and not in Hobbiton). This is a whim of the creators of the museum<\/a> village. Perhaps by doing so they wanted to preserve the illusion of the mystery of the world of hobbits, without revealing all its secrets<\/a> to the end. True, some gates lead to nowhere – after all, most of the holes are dug less than a meter and have never been used for filming inside.<\/p>\n

\"Hobbiton<\/a><\/p>\n

But to look into the Green Dragon tavern and drink a glass of cider is quite real. Some of the dishes offered on the menu are prepared from products grown in hobbit gardens. While walking<\/a> along the village streets, one can often observe such a picture: a rest<\/a>aurant employee comes out, plucks a fresh salad, zucchini or something else, and again hides behind the kitchen door.<\/p>\n

\"Hobbiton<\/a><\/p>\n

And, of course, walking through the village of Hobbiton, you can\u2019t pass by the legendary oak, the creation of which took more than one million dollars. It looks really very realist<\/a>ic and it is almost impossible to understand from afar that a tree is just a fiction.<\/p>\n

How to get<\/a> to Hobbiton Village<\/h2>\n

Fans of independent excursions<\/a> will be disappointed – you can get to Hobbiton only as part of a group or by purchasing an individual tour. The journey to the magic<\/a>al village begins from the information center located in the center of the town of Matamata. He does not have an exact address, but it is impossible to get lost or pass by. Not only all roads lead here, but also numerous signs. After purchasing a ticket, tourists are put on “branded” transport<\/a> and taken directly to the village.<\/p>\n

If you are planning your trip from Auckland, then you can immediately purchase a tour<\/a> (almost all local travel<\/a> companies<\/a> offer them) or drive to Matamata on your own<\/a>. True, for this you will have to rent a car or use a taxi<\/a> service – the situation with public transport<\/a> in New Zealand is bad.<\/p>\n

Cost of visiting<\/h2>\n

A ticket to the magical world of hobbits is not cheap, it will cost 75 New Zealand dollars. There is a discount for children<\/a> – small guests aged 11 to 14 years old can enter the village for 37.5 New Zealand dollars, from 5 to 10 years old – for $ 10, up to 5 years old and completely free.<\/p>\n

Working mode<\/h2>\n

The tourist center<\/a> in Matamata is open from 9-00 to 16-30. During the high sea<\/a>son, the schedule may change, the working day is extended by several hours (it is better to check this point in advance. The tour of the Hobbiton village lasts about 3 hours, the last guests leave the territory after 19-00.<\/p>\n

Hobbiton village on New Zealand map<\/a><\/h2>\n