Hobbiton Movie Set’s ring of hobbit holes near Matamata
Published on 08/12/2026 at 14:18 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂĽller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Hobbiton Movie Set near Matamata is a filmed village laid across green farm country in Waikato, New Zealand. Its hobbit holes, gardens and lanes sit within a landscape linked to Peter Jackson’s movie set for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
A film village on Waikato pasture
The set occupies rolling grassland on the Alexander family property, southwest of Matamata. It was first constructed in 1999 for the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, with the farm later becoming the setting for a more permanent version tied to the Hobbit films.
The result is a place where film design meets rural land in full view. Hobbit holes, a mill and garden plots sit among clipped paths and low earthworks, while the wider farm remains part of the setting.
From temporary façades to permanent details
Hobbiton’s later rebuilding gave the site a stronger sense of continuity. The official story places the first phase in 1999 and the return of Peter Jackson’s production in the late 2000s for The Hobbit.
That second phase left a film landscape that looks fixed in place rather than temporary. Visitors see round doors, small domestic details and a village plan that reads as a constructed world, not a single façade.
The Shire as a built landscape
What makes Hobbiton distinctive is the way its parts work together as a visible whole. The set is not just a cluster of doors; it spreads across pasture, planted ground and low rises, all within a farm setting near Matamata.
The location is tied to the visual world of Tolkien’s Shire, and the site’s permanence is part of its identity. That connection is recorded in the set’s own history and in New Zealand’s tourism material, which treats Hobbiton as a lasting film location rather than a vanished shoot.
Visiting Hobbiton Movie Set: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The set lies southwest of Matamata in Waikato. The approach is by road from the town and through the surrounding farmland.
- The ground is uneven in places, with short slopes and grass underfoot. Parts of the site sit on open pasture rather than paved surfaces.
- The property remains a working rural landscape. The film village sits within farmland, so the setting combines constructed features with grazing country.
- The location is closely linked to Peter Jackson’s filming of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. That history is visible in the permanent details across the village.
- The site is in New Zealand, outside the UK, Ireland and the EU. Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Searching for Hobbiton Movie Set on social platforms
These links open searches for Hobbiton Movie Set on each platform.
Frequently asked questions about Hobbiton Movie Set
Where is Hobbiton Movie Set?
It is near Matamata in Waikato, New Zealand, on the Alexander family farm. The set lies in a rural landscape southwest of the town.
What should a visit feel like?
The place reads as a film village spread across pasture, with hobbit holes, paths and planted details. The setting combines rural ground with the visible language of movie design.
What makes it distinctive?
Its defining feature is the rebuilt permanence of a film set that still looks like a village. The connection to Peter Jackson’s Tolkien films remains visible across the site.
