Today, I’m set to explore a fantastic movie location from The Lord of the Rings—none other than Hobbiton! I rose around 9:00 am, a bit later than planned. Despite the chilly night, I managed to sleep well with my jacket on. After a quick bathroom break to freshen up, I headed out swiftly, en route to Matamata, or at least somewhere in its vicinity.
Navigational Hiccups: Trusting Road Signs
Initially, my GPS was functional, but later it failed, causing some anxiety. These roads stretched for 20 kilometers without any safe spots for a u-turn. I decided to keep going and relied on the road signs pointing to Matamata. Within 10 minutes, I spotted a sign for the film location and followed the directional cues, surrounded by the picturesque hilly landscape that I thoroughly enjoyed.
In a mere 15 minutes, I reached the farm film location of Hobbiton. After parking my car, I purchased a somewhat overpriced ticket for 75 dollars. A bus was scheduled to pick us up in 10 minutes, commencing our tour. The tours operated every 30 minutes, and the place was bustling with a considerable crowd. Right after I parked, a convoy of 10 high-end cars (BMW, Jaguar, SAAB, Mercedes) rolled in, seemingly part of a club featuring older individuals—quite a sight!
Journey to Hobbiton: A Pricey Ticket and Unexpected Guests
The tour commenced, and while enjoyable, I couldn’t help but find it a tad too pricey! Even 50 dollars felt steep; a more reasonable range might be around 30 to 40 dollars. Nevertheless, we explored Bag’s End, Sam’s House, the Party Tree, The Green Dragon Inn—everything was there. The advantage of being on the second tour of the day was the opportunity to capture some picturesque moments without any photobombers interrupting our shots.
Exploring Hobbiton: A Tour Through Middle-earth
Our tour guide, William, shared a wealth of information with us. He revealed interesting tidbits, like the fact that the mold on the fences was artificial. In the early filming days, Peter Jackson found the shadows on the leaves in front of Bilbo’s House lacking, so he had people paint each leaf! The Shire was set on a sheep farm, and as a result, sheep were scattered throughout the landscape. The tour concluded with a refreshing beer for everyone; I opted for a non-alcoholic one. We spent a total of 1.5 hours there, a mix of Lord of the Rings enthusiasts and casual visitors.
Solo Retreat: A Hostel to Myself
After the tour, I headed towards the northeast coast of New Zealand. The two-hour drive to Tairua, where my next hostel was located, proved to be quite exhausting, especially in the last 40 kilometers with numerous twists and bends. Despite less-than-stellar reviews about the hosts, cleanliness was my main concern, and fortunately, the hostel met that expectation.
Fortunately, the hostel was empty, and I had the entire dorm, kitchen, and shower to myself—a solo retreat that I thoroughly enjoyed. I spent the afternoon typing up some reports. In the evening, I attempted to cook canned corn, but the taste was so unpleasant that I discarded it after just a few spoonfuls.
