You’re about to read my Hobbiton review based on taking the Movie Set Tour departing from Matamata on November 21st, 2019.

In one of the first posts on Chur New Zealand, I asked a bunch of people is Hobbiton is worth visiting?

Turns out the answer is yes, even if you haven’t seen the movies or read the books (like me). That was enough to convince me to give Hobbiton a visit.

This Hobbiton review post will tell you about my experience, including:

(you can click on these to go straight to the respective section)

• Buying tickets
• The tour itself
• Facts I learned about the movie set
• How long the tour took
• Tips for you if you’re planning to go
• Closing thoughts

BUYING TICKETS AND GETTING TO THE SHIRE

The day before I wanted to visit Hobbiton, I went to the Matamata i-Site and booked a place for the 9:30 am tour departing from the i-Site (keep an eye online to see if bookings are filling up or not). The price was the same as if you’re booking online, and the super helpful i-Site staff made the process super easy.

The next morning I arrived at the i-Site at 9:15 am and collected my tickets before waiting for the bus to turn up.

Tip: If you book online for the tour departing from Matamata you still need to get your tickets from inside the i-Site in the morning.

The bus arrived on time and everyone was on time (yay). Our driver was Pip whose self-deprecating humour gave everyone a good laugh. Why? She’s short so she basically said she was a hobbit…there was a bunch more banter but I won’t spoil it in case you get Pip as your driver too.

From Matamata it’s a 20-minute ride to the Shire’s Rest, so we got to watch a short video on the bus. It is madness at the Shire’s Rest, it’s where the tours begin so everyone is milling around, trying to find a park, and getting their life sorted. One of the biggest benefits of taking the tour departing from Matamata is we could avoid all this. We stayed on the bus as a few extra people boarded (plus our guide Kelly) before we made the final drive to where the tour itself begins.

THE HOBBITON TOUR

Kelly gave a good first impression in front of our group. She had a clear voice and was loud enough that no people were whispering with no idea what’s going on. I also felt like she cared, and genuinely wanted us to have a good time.

On the tour, you wander along tracks (no walking on the grass) and the guide stops at various points along the route to talk about the relevant hobbit houses, interesting tidbits about the movies (read some below), the movie set, and any other information that helps paint the picture of what’s involved in the making of the movies.

The opportunity for photos was more than reasonable. With 32 people in the group, most of whom wanted to take photos of anything and everything Kelly was as patient as possible while doing her best to keep us moving. With tours starting every 10-20 minutes, the guides need to keep up a certain speed so the groups don’t end up getting mixed together.

I was staying towards the back of the group and found the opportunity for photos to be as good as gold with a bit of patience (if there was a group of more serious photographers that’d be annoying).

The landscape around the set today is immaculate, and that’s also noted in some of the stories Kelly told us. The fact they left little details in the paddocks like fishing rods, clothes hanging out to dry, market stalls, and scarecrows to name a few adds to the experience (it makes it more authentic perhaps?).

And the gardens and structures are so well maintained, which is where I started to realise that the price is really worth it. Staff costs in NZ aren’t cheap!

And of course, you’ll have heard about the beer you get from The Green Dragon™ Inn. We had a few options for a beer (non-alcoholic options too) and it actually tasted nice…I wasn’t sure what to expect. The Green Dragon Inn felt like I was back in Europe with the decor inside for some reason, but I preferred being outside next to the lake enjoying the last few minutes at the Hobbiton movie set.

With a few minutes to browse through the souvenir shop, we all boarded the bus with Pip and got back to Matamata with plenty of time to fit in some more activities in the afternoon.

HOBBITON TOUR TIMELINE

I got these times from when I took photos at various points.

• Departed Matamata i-Site @9:30
• Arrived at The Shire when the tour began @10:01
• Arrived at The Green Dragon™ Inn (pub) @11:15
• Departed The Shire @11:44
• Arrived back to Matamata i-Site @12:13

Total time: 2 hours and 43 minutes.

On the Hobbiton Tours website it says the duration for the tour departing Matamata is 3 hours approximately including transfers, so that’s pretty accurate. I feel like they say three hours so they know they won’t be late.

FACTS ABOUT THE SHIRE

As you go through the tour you’ll learn lots of fascinating facts that I found interesting despite never watching the film. Here are five to give you just a little taste (you’ll discover lots more):

1. The Shire became a permanent structure in 2012. After the 2003 filming, the whole place was dismantled only to be rebuilt again for the next film.
2. There are 44 Hobbit Houses (5 of which were backup houses).
3. There’s just the one Hobbit Hole you can stand in the doorway with.
4. There’s a fake tree on-site with thousands and thousands of hand-painted leaves.

TIPS FOR VISITING

• If you know when you’ll be visiting, book in advance. You can see all the times available (and the ones that are fully booked) on the site, so at worst keep an eye on how far in advance they’re being booked out.
• The tour departing the Matamata i-Site costs the same as the price if you drive yourself there. If you want to avoid the chaos of the Shire’s Rest, departing from Matamata isn’t a bad idea.
• If you want the best photos, aim for the first or last tour of the day. When I went (9:30 am departure) the sun was high up and most of the hobbit house doors had no sunlight on their fronts.
• Walk at the back of the group if you want the best photo opportunities. But be respectful and don’t make everyone wait for you.
• Use sunscreen as you’ll be in the sun for the majority of the tour.
• Ask your guide about Pickles!

MY HOBBITON REVIEW CLOSING THOUGHTS

As someone who is unfamiliar with the storylines surrounding the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings I really enjoyed the tour and don’t regret plonking down the $84.

But with Hobbiton asking for consent to more than double the number of people allowed to visit this could change. It felt like the place was close to capacity as it was…fitting twice as many people in? That seems a bit far fetched, even if they open up for longer hours in summer. And then, as the Matamata locals mention…can the infrastructure hold up to that extra demand? Time will tell…

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I hope that helped you with planning your trip to Hobbiton.

If you’ve got any questions, let me know below. I’d also love to hear your review below if you’ve visited recently!

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