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 Post subject: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 3:33 am 
Elven Warrior
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Just got back from a week in the North Island of NZ and as part of our trip we did the tour of the Hobbiton movie set and also some tramping (as the Kiwis call it) on the Tongariro Crossing which takes you right past Mt Ruapehu (in fact you can climb to the top if you want), which was the volcano used by PJ in LOTR to represent Mt Doom.
I thought I would post my review of the tour here in case anyone else was thinking of visiting Hobbiton. Also there are lots of pics below!

In short – we had a great morning and the tour is well worth it for LOTR fans. Cost is NZD$75 pp for a 45-60 min tour. **Note – it is best to go on the first tour of the morning (9.30) as this means you can get landscape shots of Hobbiton without the view overrun by tourists. The tour is very popular and they can get 2000+ visitors per day. You are driven into the site by bus in group sizes of up to 50 (our group had < 20 people – benefits of getting out of bed early!). You are only allowed to access the site with a guide and it can’t be seen from the road. The guide takes you around the set and provides lots of interesting info about how the set was made etc. Our guide was pretty good, but I imagine they are all following pretty much the same script.

The movie set is now a permanent tourist attraction after being reconstructed for the Hobbit movies (for LOTR is was made mostly out of polystyrene and other less durable material, but now it’s made out of timber, stone etc.). There are about 40 hobbit holes to view, plus The Green Dragon (which has been completely fitted out inside – something that happened post movies as a way of entertaining tourists). We even had a ‘pint’ in the GD (well small cup) as this was part of the tour. However, you only get about 10 mins to enjoy the GD as it’s at the end of the tour and you have to make way for the next group (welcome to factory tourism NZ style). The Old Mill is also there, along with various Hobbit gardens, the party tree and tent etc.

You are allowed to enter 1 hobbit hole, but as you would expect there is only dirt and some supporting timbers behind. No hole interiors have been fitted out for tourists. You are not allowed to enter Bag End though you can see the entrance way has been fitted out with interior timbers to allow shooting of doorway scenes for the movies. Apparently Bag End is the most excavated hobbit hole and can fit 100 people standing inside.

The guide provides various insights into PJs vision for Hobbiton and his meticulous attention to detail. For example, the oak tree that sits atop Bag End was brought in from elsewhere. The tree had fallen in another location, was cut into pieces by the film crew then re-assembled in Hobbiton. Each leaf is fake and was glued on by hand. This was OK for the LOTR movies, but when it came to the Hobbit of course the tree was too old (since The Hobbit is a prequel) so PJ needed a new, younger tree (but looking similar to the one in LOTR). So he tore down the old fake tree and made a new one completely out of concrete, plaster, fake leaves etc. There were also stories of the crew painstakingly removing leaves from certain trees only to replace them with more appropriate (and fake) foliage.

Anyway, here are some happy snaps. Let me know if you have any questions.

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Looking across the pond to the Green Dragon. PJ relocated all the frogs from this pond as they made too much noise during filming!
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Sam and Rosie's hobbit hole
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Inside the Green Dragon
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The Old Mill
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Mt Doom - we didn't climb it. It rained all day during our hike.
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 Post subject: Re: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 4:14 am 
Ringwraith
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Jealousy, it's what I feel.

Great pictures and thanks for sharing them!

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 Post subject: Re: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 4:36 am 
Elven Elder
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SOO jealous. I need to make my way out to NZ sometime, just don't think it'll be any sooner than 2017 or so.

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 Post subject: Re: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 6:00 am 
Elven Elder
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Very cool!

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 Post subject: Re: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 7:49 am 
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Well done - there are more diorama possibilities in one spot than anywhere else on the planet, methinks.
Frogs. Never thought of frogs. I know they had problems with aircraft taking off and landing near the studios so they had spotters permanently watching air traffic and warning them when it was about to get noisy.

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 Post subject: Re: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 9:30 am 
Loremaster
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Thanks, that's probably all the Shire reference pictures I'll need to make some scenery!
Love the tree story... :)
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 Post subject: Re: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 12:21 pm 
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Woow thanks for sharing that! Really cool stuff

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 Post subject: Re: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 4:17 pm 
Kinsman
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I did this tour about two years ago. I spent three months travelling around NZ. It seems however that it's much more open now. Back when I was there, they had just decided to make three films instead of two, so alot of the site was off limits because they may have been back to film pick up shots. So we didnt get down around the green dragon and the mill for example. The interior of the green dragon must have been done since as well. Makes me want to go back again!!

I remember thinking when I was there that it would be epic if you had the money to rent out the whole set for the day and have a bilbos birthday type party there. Even more so now that the green dragon is actually open for business!! I also did the Tongariro Crossing which was great. Luckily we got a glorious day for our trek. Didn't climb mount doom either but it's on the possible to do list for when I go back!

I also did the lotr tour in Wellington and two different tours in Queenstown. Being the incredible lotr nerd that I am I loved all of it and was disappointed that I didn't manage to get some of the other tours in as well. I did do sledging on the river very close to where the Argonath was filmed!! It's a stunning country and you really can feel like you've been dropped into middle earth there!!

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 Post subject: Re: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 4:53 pm 
Elven Warrior
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The plants do indeed look cartoonish lay perfect! "And then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go adventuring"

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 Post subject: Re: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 5:56 pm 
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I remember thinking when I was there that it would be epic if you had the money to rent out the whole set for the day and have a bilbos birthday type party there. Even more so now that the green dragon is actually open for business!!

Now that would be fantastic, particularly if they could hold a gaming tournament and everyone could lodge in the Hobbit holes running up to it!
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 Post subject: Re: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 6:39 pm 
Loremaster
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Amazing, this is on my bucket list of things to do, now they made the set permanent. Great pictures edge

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 Post subject: Re: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 8:26 pm 
Craftsman
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Poor frogs :(
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 Post subject: Re: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 9:26 pm 
Elven Warrior
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Zirak-Zigil wrote:
I remember thinking when I was there that it would be epic if you had the money to rent out the whole set for the day and have a bilbos birthday type party there. Even more so now that the green dragon is actually open for business!!


They actually allow events there now. You'll notice in one of my pics of the Green Dragon some tents off to the side. Apparently you are able to have weddings etc here and in the GD. Not sure what they charge for hiring the site!

Hill-Troll wrote:
Poor frogs :(


The frogs were relocated to another dam on the same farm - so not too traumatic hopefully. I felt more sorry for some of the trees having all their leaves stripped because they didn't look right. I was a bit taken aback at PJs willingness to engage in nature destruction or disruption to get the right look for the movie.

Glad everyone enjoyed the pics.

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 Post subject: Re: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 10:59 pm 
Loremaster
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Wow! I really wish I could be there!
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 Post subject: Re: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 4:25 am 
Kinsman
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I think when I went there they said they were planning a 'Hobbit Motel' for visitors to stay in overnight. Pretty cool imo.
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 Post subject: Re: My tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set **Very Pic Heavy**
PostPosted: Tue Dec 31, 2013 7:53 pm 
Elven Elder
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It would be a dream to visit there. I hope I get to do it.

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