Is Hobbiton New Zealand Worth A Visit? (As Told By A LOTR Nerd and A Skeptic)

When it comes to The Lord of the Rings fandom, there’s a bit of division in our household. Ray grew up reading all the books and watching all the movies, and was stoked to visit New Zealand in part because it’s where the filming took place. Sam, on the other hand, is by no means a LOTR-hater but has only read The Hobbit and you’d pretty much have to A Clockwork Orange her eyeballs to get her to rewatch any of the movies in full.

While Hobbiton, the fully-preserved set of The Hobbit movies, was at the top of Ray’s list for our three-week New Zealand itinerary, Sam wasn’t sure if it’d warrant the $75 ticket price. Here, a brief review of Hobbiton as told by both sides.

RAY: NERD BONER ALERT

I’m a pretty big LOTR nerd. I wasn’t gonna make Sam put on fake elf ears and call me Aragorn son of Arathorn the whole trip, but I wasn’t about to *not* go to Hobbiton while we were in New Zealand. I was getting hyped on the long drive out to middle-of-nowhere sheep country, as you could recognize the rolling green hilly landscape from the movie. You get to the parking lot and visitor center, surrounded by LOTR mega-nerds in an actually fairly badass gift shop with all sorts of stuff Sam wouldn’t let me buy (i.e. very dope $200 Middle Earth maps). At our admissions time we got on a bus to take us out to the set. The bus had a TV showing interviews with Peter Jackson and the owners of the land that Hobbiton is built on (luckiest sheep farmers of all time), talking about the origins of the filming location. The resident farmer turned away the location scouts in their first inquiry because he was watching a rugby game! As you get close, they play the Fellowship soundtrack, and part of the opening scenes with Gandalf riding into town and lighting off fireworks (getting a nerd boner at this point…). Then we rolled into Hobbiton. I immediately recognized the stone bridge from the Gandalf scene and Bilbo’s house at the top of the hill. It’s literally, full on, real Hobbiton! A nerdy tour guide takes you around from Hobbit hole to Hobbit hole in the huge set. Highlights were the “Proudfeet” hole, Sam and Rosie’s house from the end of Return of the King, and obviously Bag End complete with the “Do Not Disturb Except on Party Business” sign on the front gate. There’s nothing inside the houses, but they let you roam around pretty freely to take pics in front of all the multi-colored doors and living gardens. The last stop was the open, grassy field with the single big tree from BIlbo’s one-hundred and eleven-dieth birthday party scene. Finally, you end the tour at the Green Dragon Pub, which was actually legit. It looks amazing inside with the large wooden tables, big fireplace, and stacks of barrels with real beer behind the bar. You get a free beer which is cool, but then they gave us about 5 minutes to chug it and get going. They bookend the tour nicely by showing the final scene of the trilogy on the TV in the bus back to the visitor center. It was a LOTR fantasy come true and I’d go back in a heartbeat! Now if I could just get Sam to wear those elf ears...

Ray living his best life... #nerdboner and all.

SAM: HAS NEVER STAYED AWAKE THROUGH A FULL LOTR FILM

Ok…don’t understand 90% of the references Ray just made above and I was alive and present for the entire tour. Moving on…

I was fully committed to visiting Hobbiton because I knew Ray was ALL ABOUT IT. However, New Zealand was the first stop on a 3.5-month journey for us and we were making every effort to stick to a budget, so when I found out about the $75 ticket price I was, let’s just say, less than thrilled. I was picturing a Universal Studios type situation, and just couldn’t fathom how it could possibly be worth it. But like I said, I would never deny Ray the ultimate chance to live out his LOTR wet dreams complete with sexy elves and the whole works (to be clear, sexy elves are in no way part of Hobbiton so don’t get your hopes up…sorry Ray). As we entered the farm where the set is located, I started to get a better idea of just how special this place could be. There were rolling green hills dotted with sheep as far as the eye could see. If nothing else, it’s a peaceful and striking area to see, even before you get to the set. Then came the gift shop and the crowds on crowds as we waited for our tour group to start...major eye rolls coming from my end 🙄. As the tour bus parked and we entered the gates to Frodo's hood, I’ll admit I was already feeling the magic a bit. Yes, Hobbiton is super crowded and likely always will be. But...the realism of the set makes up for the overabundance of humans, and they actually do a pretty decent job keeping the tour groups separated when you’re walking through. We meandered along paths the hobbits had scampered down in memorable scenes from the movies. We explored real, maintained gardens with real, delicious-looking fruits and vegetables. And we had the chance to take photos with all the adorable hobbit holes. The level of detail put into making the set feel like a true, living village was the coolest, most mind-blowing part, even to someone who doesn’t know all the minor details of the films. To end the tour on a high note, the last stop is the famous Green Dragon Inn where you get a complimentary "hobbit-brewed" beer. It was a kick to see the whole thing through Ray’s eyes as he relived such fun memories from some of his favorite books and movies (see huge smile and loving gaze towards the beer mug above). To sum it up, Hobbiton is a truly unique experience and is much more than your typical set. Despite my initial reservations, I'm definitely glad we went! As far as an elf costume somewhere in my future…never say never I suppose. 🧝‍♀️

Sam pleasantly surprised at the cuteness of Hobbiton.

SO, IS HOBBITON WORTH IT?

In summary, it was for us! They do a good job of keeping the movie magic alive, the surrounding landscape is beautiful, and we enjoyed learning the history of the farm and how it got selected as a filming location, which is a pretty crazy story.

The ticket prices are a little steep, and it’s definitely crowded, so we wouldn’t recommend making it a priority if you’re not at all familiar with the books and movies and just don’t care. But if you are a fan, or you’re at least with a fan and can experience the magic alongside them, Hobbiton makes really fun stop during your New Zealand adventure!

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Happy Travels!