A Nerd’s Guide to Hobbiton in New Zealand
About seven years ago, my boyfriend (now husband) and I traveled across the world together on our own for the first time. We had been on some other smaller road trips before (see the Road Trip from Hell), but this was the first time I planned a full international trip. Exciting! So, how did we choose New Zealand? One major factor was Hobbiton!
We are huge Lord of the Rings fans! We can quote the entire extended-edition movies. I personally identify with a Hobbit’s need for 6 meals a day and I also love that someone so small had such an impact!
Naturally, visiting Hobbiton in New Zealand was a life goal and was bound to be emotional and exciting. It was like stepping into Hogwarts or being able to visit Endor or Batuu. So, whether you’re on an epic 7 day New Zealand road trip (like us), or you’re hitting all the Lord of the Rings locations, or even just looking for a great day trip from Auckland, here’s everything you need to know about visiting Hobbiton in New Zealand.
Tour Overview
Yepp, the only way to experience Hobbiton is on a guided tour. It’s actually on a family farm, so they can’t just have tourists running amuck. But, honestly the tour is amazing and worth it because of all the details you get to learn about!
Everyone starts the tour on a bus that goes into the Alexander’s farm that was transformed into the movie set we know and love.
You are part of a medium sized (~30 people) tour group with a charismatic guide who tells you lots of fun facts about the set and movies that you probably will not hear anywhere else.
For example, the Hobbit Holes originally built for the Lord of the Rings series were not meant to be sustainable, so when they settled in for the Hobbit films, they rebuilt the movie set to last.
They have different size Hobbit Holes so they could shoot all the forced perspective shots, making the actors appear to be different sizes. The largest one is Samwise Gamgee’s Hobbit Hole for his final family shot in the series.
They also have different themed Hobbit Holes, like a potter, baker, and town drunk. It’s seriously such a blast to see all the little clues they left and try to figure out which hobbit lived there.
Not only is the landscape dreamy but the details in the set design are amazing! For example, they hand-made many of the leaves on Bilbo’s tree to make it look more full!
There’s one moment where you can step inside the doorway of a full-sized Hobbit hole for a photo, which I’m sure you’ll treasure until the end of time like we have.
After you walk through the neighborhood and gardens, taking more pictures than you ever thought possible, you’ll end at the Green Dragon where they have their own brewed beer drafts, and you get one free pint with every tour (“they come in pints!?”)!
I can honestly say the location is incredibly peaceful and serene. And, if that doesn’t compel you, the details are worth the visit. We didn’t want to leave. It was so magical!
Planning Your Trip to Hobbiton
Where is Hobbiton?
Hobbiton is located in Matamata. It’s about 2 hours south of Auckland or an hour northwest of Rotorua.
The address is 501 Buckland Rd., Matamata 3472, New Zealand.
How to get to Hobbiton
I highly recommend getting a rental car with a GPS so you don’t have to rely on your international service plan or data alone.
And as always, I recommend downloading your Google Map offline. It’s so helpful to have it to fall back on, just in case.
Another option is to take a guided tour that comes with ground transportation from a bigger city. This is a great choice if you don’t have a rental car, but still want to visit.
Auckland to Hobbiton
Generally, from Auckland you’ll travel south down State Hwy 1 for the majority of the trip. You’ll turn left onto Karapiro Road, then turn left onto Buckland Road, where you’ll run into Hobbiton.
For turn by turn directions, click here. The drive from Auckland will take you approximately 2 hours.
Alternatively, take a tour of Hobbiton from Auckland that includes transport.
Rotorua to Hobbiton
From Rotorua, you’ll travel northwest on Highway 5, then turn right onto Highway 28 following signs for Tauranga. You’ll turn left onto Puketutu Rd, then a right on Buckland Rd until you reach Hobbiton.
You can find turn by turn directions here. The drive from Rotorua will take you approximately one hour.
If you don’t have a rental car, consider a tour from Rotorua that includes transport.
How crowded Is Hobbiton?
You need to book your tour ahead of time because it will likely be sold out.
Group trips and tours from around the world come to Hobbiton, so brace yourself, it will be crowded. There will be tour buses full of people who have never seen Lord of the Rings (I cry).
But there will also be people like me with Kleenex stuffed in their bags ready for all the emotion. It was a strange feeling sharing this beautiful place with the masses, some of whom hadn’t even seen Lord of the Rings.
Where to stay when visiting Hobbiton
We stayed in Hamilton and hit up Hobbiton on our way from Hamilton to Rotorua as part of our 7 day North Island itinerary.
We were actually in an Airbnb that isn’t around any more, but there are plenty of lodging options nearby.
You can also stay in Rotorua where there are some really nice spa resorts, as it’s a geothermal hot spot. I would opt for Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort with rates from $80 and up.
Tour Types and How Much Hobbiton Costs
The standard movie set tour, is guided around the 12 acre set seeing the Hobbit Holes and the Green Dragon, including the complementary beverage. This is what I did. It costs $75 for adults, $42 for youth (9-16 years old), and children are free. It lasts approximately 2 hours.
*You can add a festive breakfast for $26 or lunch for $36 per person.
There is also an evening banquet tour at dusk that includes a full dinner. It costs $195 for adults, $152.50 for youth, and $100 for children. This tour lasts 4 hours.
These tour prices assume you start the tour at Shire’s Rest in Matamata (the Hobbiton headquarters). Instead, you can start the standard tour from Rotorua or from Auckland. However, the price increases for this option.
My Number One Tip
It’s best to book your tour in advance and have the best time!
More time in New Zealand? These posts will help:
My Travel Essentials
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- Get Your Guide – Check out Get Your Guide for a one-stop-shop for booking travel activities.
- Booking.com – This is my favorite hotel search aggregator, specifically for reading reviews. On Booking.com, the reviews can be searched for keywords like WiFi, breakfast, pool, amenities, etc.! So helpful!
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- Staycation Idea – Check out Resort Pass, which gives you day passes to resorts so you can use their pool, spa, and fitness center, a great staycation idea!
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We did the Evening Banquet Tour and it was SO worth it! I loved it!
I’m so glad! I would love to go back and splurge on the evening tour!
Is there any way I could just take a picture with one of the hobbit holes? I’m going with my parents and they don’t seem too interested with the tour as they have not seen the movies or read the books
Theresa, unfortunately not. The hobbit holes were built on a private farm so you need to book a tour to gain access.