Hobbiton Movie Set: a Shire built into Waikato farmland

Hobbiton Movie Set near Matamata in New Zealand takes a working Waikato sheep farm and turns its rolling hills into the Shire from Peter Jackson’s film trilogies. Built as a filming location for both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, it survives as a permanent landscape of hobbit holes set into green slopes, with paths and farm tracks winding between them.

The Shire on Alexander Farm

The setting for Hobbiton Movie Set is Alexander Farm outside Matamata in the Waikato region on New Zealand’s North Island, a landscape of rounded hills and pastureland used for both films.

The farm was first developed as the Shire for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, then reconstructed and made permanent when The Hobbit films were produced between 2011 and 2014, with the set expanded to 44 hobbit holes scattered across the property.expanded to 44 hobbit holes The result is a self-contained valley where low farm buildings, hedges and planted trees frame the burrow-style houses fans recognise as Bag End and its neighbours.rolling green farmland just outside Matamata

From film set to permanent landscape

The first version of Hobbiton Movie Set was constructed as a temporary set for The Lord of the Rings films, then removed after filming, leaving the hillside bare of props and detailing for several years.

When The Hobbit trilogy was commissioned, the production returned to Alexander Farm and rebuilt Hobbiton with permanent materials, creating hobbit holes with timber doors, stonework and garden planting that would remain after filming ended.reconstructed and made permanent for The Hobbit Scenes for The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King as well as The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies were filmed on this farm, making it one of the most recognisable cinematic landscapes in New Zealand.filmed at Alexander Farm, Matamata

Bag End, hobbit holes and the Green Dragon Inn

Walking across Hobbiton Movie Set, visitors encounter clusters of hobbit holes built into the slopes, with round doors painted in strong colours, stone or timber surrounds and small gardens, vegetable patches and washing lines arranged outside.

Paths lead between the houses to the Mill and to the Green Dragon Inn, a timbered building beside the water where visitors finish their guided tours with a drink in a space recreated from the films.past Hobbit Holes, the Mill and into the Green Dragon Inn The layout follows the hillside, with views across ponds, pasture and the planted Party Tree that anchors the landscape, making the farm feel like a real village rather than a cluster of isolated sets.the only way to access Hobbiton Movie Set is with a fully guided tour

Visiting Hobbiton Movie Set: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Hobbiton Movie Set lies just outside Matamata in New Zealand’s Waikato region on the North Island, reached by road along Buckland Road from the town and surrounding highways.
• The site sits in hilly farmland, and visiting involves walking on sloping paths and farm tracks with sections of uneven ground and a number of steps around the hobbit holes.
• The surrounding countryside includes the Kaimai Ranges to the east and other Waikato farmland, and the set is part of a working Alexander family sheep and beef farm.
• The official language is English and the currency is the New Zealand dollar.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Hobbiton Movie Set

Where is Hobbiton Movie Set located?

Hobbiton Movie Set is on Alexander Farm near Matamata in the Waikato region of New Zealand’s North Island, with the entrance on Buckland Road.located just outside the small town of Matamata

What can visitors expect on a visit?

Visits follow a guided walking route through the hills and hobbit holes of the Shire, past the Mill and ending at the Green Dragon Inn, with views across the surrounding farmland.experience the real Middle-earth with a fully guided tour

What makes Hobbiton Movie Set distinctive?

Hobbiton Movie Set is distinctive as a permanent film location built into a real working farm, where the Shire’s hobbit holes, Bag End and the Green Dragon Inn stand among genuine Waikato pasture and trees.