The Hobbiton Movie Set sits in the Alexander family's farmland just outside Matamata, about an hour east of Hamilton. It is one of the few film locations anywhere in the world that was rebuilt permanently, which is why it draws visitors from every corner of the globe.
Almost everyone arrives the same way: on a coach, in a group of forty, on somebody else's timetable. There is another option, and it is the one we get asked about most. Here is what a private visit actually looks like.
What you see at the movie set
The guided walk takes you through the Shire as it was built for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. There are 44 hobbit holes set into the hillside, each with its own garden, letterbox and painted door, all maintained by a full time gardening team.
The route winds past Bagshot Row and up to Bag End, over the arched bridge and the Mill, and finishes at the Green Dragon Inn, where your ticket includes a beverage from the Southfarthing range. There is a fully detailed, furnished hobbit house on the route that you can step inside.
- 44 individually built and planted hobbit holes
- Bag End and the party tree above the Shire
- The double arched bridge and the Mill
- A complimentary Southfarthing drink at the Green Dragon Inn
Private tour versus coach tour: the honest difference
The set itself is the same either way. You still join a guided walk once you are inside, because that is how the property runs. What changes is everything either side of the gate.
On a coach you are collected at a fixed time from a fixed point, you travel with a full bus, and you leave when the bus leaves. On a private tour you are picked up from your accommodation or Hamilton Airport, you travel with only your own group, and the driver waits. If you want twenty minutes at the Green Dragon rather than ten, you take twenty.
- Door to door pick up rather than a central meeting point
- Your group only, no strangers in the back seats
- Flexible departure and return times
- Somewhere to leave your bags and jackets between stops
- A driver who knows the back roads and will stop for photos
Getting there from Hamilton
Hamilton to the Hobbiton Movie Set is roughly 65 kilometres and takes about an hour on a relaxed run through Morrinsville and Matamata. It is farmland the whole way, and the Kaimai Range sits on the horizon for most of it.
If you are staying in Cambridge or Te Awamutu the drive is similar. Rental car parking at the set is straightforward, but a lot of visitors would rather not drive on the left for the first time on a rural highway, which is where a chauffeured option earns its keep.
What to pair it with to make a full day
Hobbiton takes around two hours on site. That leaves a lot of daylight, and Matamata is close to some of the Waikato's better afternoon stops.
Our own Hobbiton run continues to the Okoroire Hot Springs Hotel, a heritage building dating back to 1889, where you can soak in the natural hot pools and have a meal before heading home. It turns a two hour attraction into a proper day out.
- Okoroire Hot Springs and the 1889 heritage hotel
- The Te Waihou Walkway and Blue Spring at Putaruru
- Tirau, for the corrugated iron sculptures and the cafes
- The Firth Tower Museum on the way back through Matamata
Practical tips before you go
Book your movie set tickets ahead. The set runs to timed entries and the popular slots fill well in advance over summer, so arriving on spec is a gamble.
Wear shoes you can walk a couple of kilometres in on grass and gravel. The Shire is a working hillside and it does not care that it is a film set. Bring a jacket even on a good day, because the site is exposed and the Waikato weather is famously changeable.
- Book timed entry tickets well ahead in summer
- Comfortable walking shoes, the route is uneven in places
- A light jacket, the hillside is exposed
- Camera or phone charged, photography is allowed throughout
