Matamata Things to Do

Get to know in loco LOTRs Shire and Hobbiton.
Hobbit holes walls skeletons are still there. A guide will thoroughly explain everything that went through since the location was found from the air. He will tell you in detail and exactly where some scenes were filmed, how many meals were served daily, the works taken to shape the hole town.
To view the first film before going there is a good move. It will excite you even more when you are there, if you are a LOTR fan.
To visit you must join a tour by Rings Scenic Tours. Bookings are essential on peak season. There are daily tours several times a day, so on lower season, if you don´t get on one, you may get on the next one easily.
The website has detailed information, schedules and prices.

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Tours of the Hobbiton movie set depart at 9.30am, 10.45am, 12pm, 1.15pm, 2.30pm and 3.45pm each day. You can book ahead or when you get there - we just booked when we got there, but were not there in peak season.

Tours cost:
Adults NZ$50.00
Children 10-14 NZ$25.00

The tour guides escort you in our courtesy van, which operates daily from the Matamata Information Centre at 45 Broadway, Matamata. See Map on website for directions. Be there 15 minutes before the departure time.

I had heard others were disappointed in the tour, but I personally really enjoyed it. Just don't expect the actual sets to still be there and you will have fun! It was gorgeous countryside even without being a movie set location! Our tour guide was great and gave us all sorts of interesting info about when the movie was being filmed. He also offered to take lots of pictures for us in all the prime photo shot locations. :) All that is really left are some of the structures of the hobbit holes (see my pictures). But they also have a few photo boards up to show you the comparisons of how it looked during filming. If you are a fan of the movie or just like beautiful scenery, you will enjoy it!

For those of you that are familiar with Hobbiton, then you will surely recognize this tree, which was known as the Party Tree in the movies.

The movie set is no longer here, but you can visit the Hobbit holes, and also see where the movie was filmed and how some of the effects were put up.

Here is a view from what is known as Bag's End, or where Bilbo Baggins lived. I would recommend watching the movie before going out to the site, then watching it again when you get back. You will definitely see the movie in a different light!

During the trip to Matamata, Sarah and I took the tour to see where the Lord of Rings "Hobbiton" portion of the movie was filmed. Although the actual sets are no longer there, we both felt the tour was worth the money.

It is a quite expensive tour at about $50NZD each, we did learn alot more about the movie and got to see some great landscape. The tour guide was wonderful, and you could tell he really did enjoy his job.

The tour takes about 2 hours total, including the drive out from Matamata, and the tour actually begins as you leave town. The guides go over alot about how the site was selected, a little about the people who own the land, and some of the unique features of the property that made it perfect for Hobbiton.

Have a great trip!

On a private sheep farm just outside the town of Matamata are the remains of the orginial Hobbiton village set from the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. It is the only LOTR set remaining in New Zealand, as all others were destroyed immediately after filming completed. In fact, the Hobbiton set was partially destroyed before being saved. Thus, today visitors can take a guided tour of Hobbiton. Though the village tavern, market, and bridge are gone, you will still find most of the original hobbit homes with their circular windows and doors.

As the set is on a private farm, you are not allowed to visit it on your own, and you must take the official tour that leaves from nearby Matamata town. The guides are very knowledgable and the tour is well run. my only real complaint is the price, a whopping NZ$50 per person! But if your a big LOTR fan you will definitely get your money's worth. Casual fans like myself will still enjoy it, but definitely have some second thoughts over the price.

Delightful country museum in lovely garden settings, attractive to both adults and children.
$5 adults, $1 children, Seniors $3.

A European Pioneer, Josiah Firth, built the tower in anticipation of war with the Maoris. However it never really saw action, but is one of the few architectural relics from the past in this area.

Learn about early NZ life in this area. Various buildings have been moved here to help portray how things were in yesteryear. Functions and weddings are still held in the grounds of the complex.

This is run as a community project and is at times a bussling place.

Over the summer months there are various activities at the airfield. We get interesting aircraft visit as well, similar to this Catalina flying boat which some of the skydivers got to jump from!
Resident at the airfield are skydivers, power pilots, glider pilots, model aircraft and microlights.
Call in if you are passing to see if anything of interest is going on. Nice comfort stop with ablutions available to the public.

The Hobbiton movie set has been returned to its natural state, however the hobbit holes and some structures from the film set are still present.
Travel acorss sheep farms and see the spectacular Kaimai Ranges to arrive at the ten acre site where Hobbiton was created for LOTR