Hobbiton Movie Set: tours, tickets and getting there

Where Hobbiton is, and how the set came to stay

The set is on Buckland Road near Hinuera, in rolling dairy and sheep country between the Kaimai Range and the Waikato River. The nearest town is Matamata, a farming town that has leaned into its role: the information centre is dressed as a hobbit gatehouse. Hamilton is the nearest city, about 45 minutes west.

Peter Jackson's location scouts found the farm during an aerial search in 1998, and the big pine beside the small lake became the Party Tree. Construction started in March 1999, with the New Zealand Army helping to build the access road. That first set was temporary and mostly demolished after filming, but 18 of the 37 hobbit hole fronts survived, and the Alexanders started tours in 2002. In 2010 the set was rebuilt in permanent materials for The Hobbit, and the Green Dragon Inn opened as a working pub in 2012. What you walk through now is that second build, kept as if the hobbits had only just stepped out.

What the Hobbiton tour is like

Every visit is a guided group tour; there are no self-guided tickets and walk-ups are often turned away, so book. The Signature Tour lasts about two and a half hours: a short bus ride from the Shire's Rest cafe across the farm, about an hour and a half on foot through the set with a guide, a look inside one of the hobbit holes on Bagshot Row, and time at the Green Dragon for a complimentary drink. Groups are capped at around 40. The paths are gravel with some slopes and steps; the operator has an accessibility page worth reading if anyone in your group has limited mobility.

You will not be alone. Tours leave every few minutes in the busy months, and the photo stops at Bag End and the Party Tree come with a queue of other groups behind you. Guides are good at moving people along without rushing them. If you know the films well you will spot small things everywhere, from the laundry lines to the half-eaten plates in the windows. If you do not, it still works as a garden walk through a village built at hobbit scale. Our guide Is Hobbiton worth it? makes the case for sceptics.

Hobbiton ticket prices and tour options

At the time of writing, the operator's prices for adults are NZ$130 for the Signature Tour, NZ$170 with lunch, NZ$200 for the Second Breakfast tour, NZ$240 for the Evening Banquet and NZ$290 for the Behind the Scenes tour. Youths aged 11 to 17 pay half, and children 10 and under go free with a paying adult. Prices change, so check Hobbiton Movie Set Tours before you budget.

• Signature Tour, about 2.5 hours: the one to book unless you have a reason not to.
• Second Breakfast, about 3.5 hours: the tour plus a hobbit-style breakfast at the Green Dragon. Morning light on the set is the best of the day.
• Evening Banquet, about 4.5 hours: a late tour, a long feast in the Green Dragon and a lantern walk back through the set after dark. The one we suggest for fans, and it avoids the midday crowds.
• Behind the Scenes, about 4.5 hours: smaller groups, more time, and stories from the build. 1 of our itineraries include it.

How to get to Hobbiton

Most tours start at the Shire's Rest on Buckland Road, where there is free parking and the tour bus takes you onto the farm. There are also departures from the Matamata information centre in town, which suits people coming by InterCity bus. From Auckland the drive is State Highway 1 south past Hamilton, then east through Cambridge and onto State Highway 27 or 29 near Tīrau. It is easy driving on good roads the whole way.

Can you drive there yourself? Yes, and it is the best way if you have a car, because you can pick a tour time that avoids the coach arrivals. Our itineraries usually slot it into the drive from Auckland to Rotorua, which turns a three hour transfer into a full, easy day. The nearest airports with scheduled flights are Hamilton, Tauranga and Rotorua; most visitors fly into Auckland.

When to visit Hobbiton

The set is open all year except Christmas Day, and tours run in any weather with umbrellas handed out when it rains. The Waikato is mild: summer afternoons are in the mid 20s°C and winter days around 13 or 14°C, with frosty mornings and more rain. The gardens look fullest from late spring to autumn, roughly November to April, which is also when the set is busiest. Winter is quieter and the hobbit holes are still dressed; you give up some colour in the gardens and gain room at Bag End.

The operator also runs one-off evenings through the year. Past examples include a beer festival in November, Christmas evenings in December and a summer harvest festival in February; they sell out and cost more than a standard tour. Check the Hobbiton events page if your dates are fixed.

Where to stay near Hobbiton

You cannot stay on the set, and very few of our itineraries stay nearby. Matamata has motels and farm stays, and Cambridge, 30 minutes away, has more choice and good places to eat. 1 of our itineraries use Wild Canvas, a glamping site with safari tents in the area. For most people, though, the sensible plan is to visit on the way and sleep in Rotorua, an hour on, where the geothermal parks and the Māori cultural evenings fill the next day.

If you are putting a North Island trip together, Hobbiton pairs naturally with the Waitomo glowworm caves, about 90 minutes south west, and many of our tours do both on consecutive days. You can see every trip that stops at the set on the tours through Hobbiton, from NZ$1,740.