Hobbiton Film set - Matamata - Feb. 15, 2007
We left the cockpit for a 2 hour drive north to Matamata - home of the Hobbiton film set. We met with the tour group at the Matamata iSite (visitors center) and shuffled onto the shuttle for a 20 minute drive to the Alexander sheep farm where the set was located. Both of us were very excited about this tour, but Jonathan was REALLY excited. Our tour guide was very pleasant and you could tell that she was a fellow LOTR geek which enlivened the tour even more.
On our way to the farm, we got the rundown on the local area - known for Dairy farming and race horse breeding. Then we got the scoop on how the Alexanders’ farm was chosen for Hobbiton. The site was chosen primarily for one tree: a beautiful round pine tree whose shape was very uncommon. The tree (the Party Tree in LOTR)–which was right by a pond–was the only distinguishing feature, as the farm itself, while beautiful, was just like any other sheep farm in New Zealand. The tree got special treatment every day in the form of watering an minerals, as there was a drought during filming.
The tour took about an hour and we were there during the late afternoon which lit the area up nicely. The hobbit holes were remnants of their former selves, and under the Alexanders’ agreement with New Line, cannot be reconstructed to look like the movie. It was still cool, though…the rolling landscapes alone were a sight to behold. We had the opportunity to go inside Bag End, which was the only hobbit hole you could actually walk inside. The rest had about 1-2 feet of room, and would only be shot as the hobbit walked into the door…then–CUT to the next scene!
There was quite a bit filmed at the location, but you would not believe what they did to complete this movie. They reassembled a tree from elsewhere (26 tons) over bag end, sewed fake leaves to trees, all to keep accurate for a few lines in the book. Say what you will about Peter Jackson, but the man put a lot of thought and time into keeping the little details. Jonathan thinks he did a great job–Jess is actually excited to watch the movies now! 
Afterwards, we ate at the recommended Workmen’s Cafe where Jess had veggie (pronounced “vee-jee”) fritters and Jonathan had steak eye on a bed of the creamiest potatoes. DELICIOUS! Everything in New Zealand is so fresh you can hardly go wrong unless you enter a McDonald’s (which of course we did NOT do).
We stayed at the Opal Hot Springs Holiday Park in Matamata, and arose early the next morning for breakfast at a local cafe before heading off to our last destination…Waiheke Island.
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