Over the christmas break I traveled up to Matamata or as my ex boss liked to call it Matamatamata (don't know why but calling it Matamatamata got stuck in my head). While Peter Jackson was traversing around NZ in a helicopter he spotted a lovely spot in the country side of the metropolis which is Matamata (population 6000). After many visits to Matamata we decided as the whole family was together (which is no small feat due to them living all over the world) to fork out 75NZD each to see Hobbiton. I can't say I know for sure but I believe Hobbiton is just a name they came up with instead of The Shire.
Hobbiton is what remains of the movie set from Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies. After the first films most of the set was destroyed however when they reconstructed it for the Hobbit they made it permanent for tourism purposes. Which is quite nice as it was a very cool tour seeing all the different hobbit holes all different shapes and sizes. Yes they are different sizes as we learnt that they used forced perspective in the film to make people look either bigger or smaller such as Gandalf and Frodo. Anyhow enough talking and some photos of some pretty neat modelling!
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| Just incase you are tempted, the bread is made out of car tires. |
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| My wife and I playing Hobbits |
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| Bagend |
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| At the top is bagend, the tree is also fake with leaves imported from China |
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| A view of the Red Dragon Inn across the lake |
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| Hobbit security is pretty advanced |
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| The Red Dragon Inn, or was it Green Dragon... |
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| My wife and I enjoying a free pint in the Red Dragon at the end of the tour. |
We discovered that the stout has an alcohol percentage of 1%. Critics tell us that it tastes like water, so we went with the ale which was aright.
All in all it was a fun trip although a little on the expensive side of things. I would recommend it if you are in the area and have a bit of cash to burn. Supposedly one of the tour guides is around 75 and does it for the love of the LOTR mythos.
Wow..it really does exist!! Great photos.
ReplyDeleteCheers Paul.
DeleteGreat stuff, Victoria and I will be visiting Hobbiton when we are in NZ this August.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you are coming to the land of the long white cloud. I'm sure you will have a blast! Hopefully it's not to cold :-)
DeleteThat looks like a great trip I can see you and your lovely wife enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Robert.
DeleteWhat a cool place, and what a way to cap it off with a free pint! Maybe your ex-boss thought it sounded like "batter batter batter" from baseball games? :) Best, Dean
ReplyDeleteThe free pint at the end was a nice touch. Haha perhaps it was because of baseball however nobody plays baseball in NZ.
DeleteVery cool and an interesting day out especially if your a Hobbit fan :D
ReplyDeleteWe've been a few time already, seeing it in differing stages of readiness, last time we went they were still adding finishing touches to the pub so we couldn't go there. We are planning a visit again at the end of this month when my folks come over from UK... did you feel inspired to make hobbit holes? ;-)
ReplyDeleteWow you have been a few times! It sounds like you should bite the bullet and get some hobbit miniatures! Or at least put it on a trade me watch list to see if anything comes up for cheap.
DeleteI am sure you will enjoy it with the finished pub, it's quite nifty in there. We were lucky to get a secluded round table that wasn't in the main area. Oh and the beef and ale pie, despite being overpriced and small was quite tasty.
Unfortunately I am not inspired to make any hobbit holes.
Yeah, my focus has changed for 2014, and Hobbit/LOTR are going to feature...
DeleteI thinking of having a hobby clear out - selling a bunch of stuff I will probably never get round to painting anytime soon... which may free up some funds for new albeit expensive Hobbit models...
I've always loved LOTR so may as well scratch that itch... :-)
Looking forward to that pint and pie :-)