Hobbiton tour: a journey to The Shire

when embarking on an epic journey through Middle Earth New Zealand, there is one place you must go to indulge your inner nerd: Hobbiton. we made a two-hour drive down from Auckland on route to Whitianga, and it was definitely out of our way. but worth it.

the Hobbiton tour takes you through the actual set from the Hobbit movies. the set was in the same location [and pretty much identical] for filming the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but the entire thing was disassembled and then reconstructed between the two.

the attention to detail here is insane - the props set up outside each home to tell the character's story, synthetic moss added to all the fences to age them just so, plants being brought in and even altered to fit the imaginary world.

I kept my nerd to a "take a million photos" level, but some people go all out - quizzing tour guides on their Tolkien knowledge and sporting full elf regalia. if that's your thing, I say go for it. what better place than Hobbiton?

being immersed in the set - feeling like you were IN the film - was really a fun and unique experience. even if you aren't a diehard LOTR fanatic, you can still enjoy the lush gardens and rolling hills. New Zealand landscapes never seem to disappoint.

we poked our heads in a few hobbit holes, wound our way through the shire and ended up at the Green Dragon - the pub straight out of the films. I had a tasty hard cider while Husband indulged in some meat pie and a cookie with his ale.

if you're planning a visit to New Zealand and would like to visit the Shire, you can book your Hobbiton Tour online. I would definitely recommend it if you find yourself in the area and are familiar with the books or movies. seeing Hobbiton come to life made for quite a magical afternoon.