Aini R.

Hobbiton was AMAZING!!! We visited New Zealand and this place was the #1 priority and it did not disappoint! The whole experience was very efficient with dedicated tour guides. Definitely book your tour in advance. I went with a tour company through Viator that picked us up from our hotel in Auckland and drove us to Hobbiton and the Worm Caves. The tour included one drink from the Green Dragon and a buffet style lunch. We did not feel rush at all for lunch and the staff took great care of our food allergies. Highly recommend this place!!!

Shauna S.

This has been on my bucket list for years. My husband made reservations for us when we were on vacation here a few weeks ago. Everything was great--our tour guide, the bus driver, Hobbiton, the food and drinks at Green Dragon, and the gift shop. It was a magical few hours.

Kathy X.

This was absolutely one of the highlights of my time in New Zealand! I booked a tour for the Hobbiton Movie Set months in advance, so didn't have to worry about driving to Matamata (over 2 hours away). When we arrived to the location, I was overcome with excitement! We had a bit of time to peruse the gift shop and cafe, where I grabbed a mocha, which was rich, chocolate-y and tasty. From the store, I picked up Lord of the Rings colored pencils with 2 coloring posters included. Soon enough, we were ready to line up and board the Hobbiton bus to the movie set. The rolling green pastures with trees, flowers, vegetation, streams of water, bridges, doors to Hobbit homes, were simply stunning. Every little detail was kept the same as it was in the movies. Our guide shared many interesting, funny stories and facts about Hobbiton. One thing that stood out was that there's actually a fake tree on top of one of the hills, but it's so realistic looking that you would never know if it wasn't mentioned. Toward the end of the tour, we got to enter one of the Hobbit homes, and the set up was beautiful. There was a living room with fireplace, chairs with games out; kitchen, bedroom, writing corner, and much more. I loved that it was interactive and we got to sit on the bed, chairs, as well as touch the props. The final stop was the Green Dragon Inn, where we were able to get our free drink. The only non alcoholic option was ginger beer, which was refreshing and sweet. There was plenty of seating and a cozy fireplace. I also bought an Afghan cookie and muffin, which was quite yummy. Overall, this was a fantastic experience and well worth it. I truly enjoyed my time in The Shire!

Shaili B.

The minute I knew I was going to New Zealand I knew I needed to watch the hobbiton and lord of the rings series. We booked the hobbiton tour maybe 4-6 months in advance online. We drove from Auckland which took some time but we got to the hobbiton area maybe 10 minutes before the check before our tour. They had a great parking lot and then we checked in, the staff were very friendly. They had restrooms which was needed after a long drive! We then lined up for the tour and entered the bus- where we watched a small welcome video from the director of the series. We then were dropped off at the beginning of the set. The tour itself maybe lasted 1-2 hours and ended with one included drink giving one non alcoholic ginger beer and other alcoholic beverages options. It was super hot! In December during the tour and I was not prepared for it - also should have brought my water bottle. They do offer umbrellas which is nice and helps with the heat. They have many photo opts. The only AC areas were inside one of the hobbit homes and and the very end where they have other restrooms a mini cafe. We then hopped on the bus back to the main area- the main area had another cafe upstairs and it was super busy but was around 12pm and we were rushing a little because we had a 2pm tour at the waitamo caves for the glow worms so didn't get to try the cafe. Overall- if you are a hobbiton fan, you have to come here!

Sudipto G.

Great tour of the set of the lord of the rights and hobbit movies. The place is really magical and we thoroughly loved the tour. Definitely stop by if you're a fan of middle earth

Zach O.

A dream come true. A magical experience. A memory I will hold forever. This place is everything and more than I was hoping for. My dad got me into Lord of the Rings as a kid, and we always talked about going to check it out. Unfortunately he's passed away, so it was extra special that I got to go and experience it all for both of us. I could go on and on about how amazing it is, but there's not enough words to describe it. Even if you aren't a huge Lord of the Rings fan, it's still a beautiful and interesting experience for people to see and explore. On top of that, I was genuinely surprised by how God the food was! It's not a BS average money-grubbing buffet, it's actual good food that I would absolutely eat again. If you go to New Zealand, this is the absolute number one stop you need to make, no matter what.

Andy F.

Where do you want to go when visiting New Zealand? HOBBITON! Where else? HOBBITON!! I want to see the Hobbitses! I was probably expecting more, but I had a wonderful experience. If you flew into Auckland, it's about a two hour trip to Hobbiton. I booked a tour to make things easier, and probably a better deal. We arrived at The Shire's Rest where you wait for the shuttle bus. There's a gift shop and cafe, but you'll return here, so you can purchase your gifts afterwards! Hobbiton is actually located within a HUGE Sheep farm called the Alexander Family Farm. Per our tour guide, Peter Jackson was scouting filming locations via helicopter, and instantly fell in love with this farm. You will see sheep everywhere during your shuttle bus ride into this gigantic compound, and Hobbiton is just a small area. Our tour guide was great! Clear, upbeat, kind, and friendly, and always keeping everyone engaged. She also takes awesome photos! She can be a professional photographer! During the tour, you can download an app to read about each specific stops. After the main hobbiton area, you get to your inside one of the houses--all hobbit sized! A cool experience! The last stop is the Green Dragon Inn where receive your complimentary beer. English Ale, Amber Ale, or Ginger beer (non-alcoholic). Water, coffee, and tea are also available. You can take your drink inside and outside this area next to a beautiful, picturesque lake. Back to The Shire's Rest! Overall, I had a wonderful experience. It was definitely interesting and unique. Our tour guide was great and an excellent photographer! The whole area was very well maintained, clean, and easy to walk around. It was nice! Almost like walking around a botanical garden. I honestly thought Hobbiton would be a little bigger, more interactive, and include some other areas besides Hobbiton itself. Basically, Sam's house looks like Bilbo's house, which also looks like Merry and Pippin's house. Even so, I'd still recommend coming here for all Hobbit and Lord of the Ring fans visiting New Zealand.

Sara G.

"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to," Visiting Hobbiton in New Zealand was like stepping straight into J.R.R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth. It's located on the Alexander Farm, and was the movie set for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Everywhere you look, you're greeted by charming hobbit houses with their bright round doors, whimsical and lush gardens, and fantastic little details. Our guide, Sal, made the experience even more special with his enthusiasm and storytelling. He shared fun tidbits about the set, such as how Peter Jackson discovered the Alexander Farm while scouting for the perfect Shire location by helicopter. The farm's rolling green hills and large pine tree (now known as the Party Tree) were perfect. One of the highlights was getting to step inside one of the hobbit houses--love! Though the interiors were filmed elsewhere, just being inside the cozy lil houses was like we were in the movie. The tour ended with a delicious buffet lunch. I could easily imagine myself living in a hobbit hole. Such an immersive experience. I very much enjoyed it!

Dianna D.

Highly recommend as a stop on your New Zealand trip! How could one miss the magic of the rolling hills and beautiful landscape of the hobbits' homes from Lord of the Rings? I had to reserve tickets more than 2 months in advance for a 2.5 hour set tour. As the website proclaims, "bookings essential!" There are over 20 tours a day, and some times fill up more quickly because of the package together with various meals. The check in area for tours were near the Shire's Rest Cafe. The food and coffee at the cafe were pretty good, at reasonable prices. I appreciated that they asked what time my tour was, so that they could ensure delivery before the tour started. The experience itself was great. We boarded a bus with our tour group to Hobbiton, which drove about 10 min through the rolling hills of Alexander Farm. After we arrived at Hobbiton, the tour guide took us through the Hobbiton set, a hobbit's home, and the Green Dragon Inn, where we received a complimentary drink. The guide seemed to love his job. He was informative, funny, and very open minded to all sorts of our group's questions and cheeky responses to his questions. It really helped that he was a LOTR fan, and was actually able to answer quite a bit in detail. After sending a question to their email regarding the Shire's Rest Cafe, I received a reply in less than 24 hours. All around great service! A bit pricey, but worth it!

Curtis C.

While there are a few small things you could nitpick on, Hobbiton is an unbelievable experience for any fan of Middle Earth. Everything is so well done, from the introduction video by Peter Jackson to the small details inside of the Hobbit homes you get to visit. The tour guide gives great information about the filming, techniques used, stories, and more. The place itself is beautiful and really does feel like you're at The Shire. I did the included lunch and while the food could have been better it was good and the price wasn't bad. Good variety too. Visiting The Green Dragon was fun as well and a free drink is included with your tour. You do have to stay with your tour group and it moves at a modest pace. We had a particular group within the tour group that were pretty annoying, always loudly talking over the guide, wandering off the paths into restricted areas, hoarding space and time for pictures like Smaug hordes gold while the rest of us quickly took our photos to accommodate others, but even they couldn't put a damper on this visit.

Suelynn N.

We did the tour with the dinner banquet. It was amazing. I'm not a big lotr fan but I totally appreciate all the hard work put into this and the fun facts learned during this tour. The food was also also super amazing and I had a little bit of everything. I think about the mash herb sweet potatoe, veggie pot pie, the herb chicken, and the lamb shank. The cider drink was really good. Staff are super sweet. For parking, make sure you follow their direction. For alcohol, make sure you have your passport or New Zealand id. If you can, go for the evening banquet tour. You get to see everything in the day and night!

Maddy G.

I think this is worth seeing especially first thing in the morning when there are not too many people in your photos. It was mostly enjoyable for a toddler but not stroller friendly (recommend a baby carrier). Note- it is quite touristy and quite an operation but beautiful setting. There is a cafe to get coffee in the morning.

Jasmine A.

I have zero interest in Lord of the Rings franchise (both the books and the movies), but Hobbiton was on the top of my sister and husband's list of things to see in New Zealand. However, Hobbiton is a pretty cool place that even non-fans will enjoy it! Located on a sheep farm a couple of hours from Auckland, Hobbiton is the movie set from the LOTR and Hobbit movies. Originally it was a temporary movie set, but it became such a popular attraction that it was then rebuilt permanently. You can purchase tickets for just a tour of Hobbiton, or a tour and meal combo (either second breakfast, lunch, or an evening banquet). We purchased the tour and lunch combo, and the lunch was fantastic! It was a buffet of a wide variety of food -- salad, vegetable dishes, meat, fish, pasta, desserts, etc, and they also offered gluten free items, as well as dairy free and vegan items. In addition to the meal, you were also served one complimentary beverage (beer, cider, or ginger beer), and you could purchase additional drinks (including wine!) for a very reasonable price (I think a glass of wine was $8). As I don't know much about the movies (I found them very boring), I didn't recognize the iconic Shire locations, but the scenery was beautiful and the Hobbit houses were very photo-worthy. Overall, it was a great tour, although there was this annoying middle aged couple who, despite there being the lightest sprinkle of rain, had large umbrellas and kept nearly poking me in the face with them. There was plenty of room for everyone in the tour to stand and hear the tour guide, yet they had to stand right beside me and shove their umbrella in my face. I told them to be careful and when they made no effort to move their umbrella away from my face, I moved far away from them, but they followed me and stood right beside me again, nearly poking my eyes out again! The tour guide saw what they were doing and firmly told them to behave. (They didn't, but I made damn sure not to stand anywhere near them. I don't even know why they were in the tour -- they seemed to be hating it.) [Yelp collections: NZ/Fiji 2023; New Zealand 2023]