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Where Filmed
Bag End under the party tree at the Hobbiton Movie Set, Matamata

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2 productions

Matamata: filming locations of 2 productions

The town next to Hobbiton.

SC 00 · MAP OF THE FILMING LOCATIONS

ACT IThe Lord of the RingsFilm · 2001–2003, Hobbit 2012–2014

Bag End under the party tree at the Hobbiton Movie Set, MatamataJoe Ross from Lansing, Michigan · CC BY-SA 2.0

EXT. HOBBITON MOVIE SET – MATAMATA

Hobbiton Movie Set

as The Shire, Bag End, the Green Dragon

The Alexander family's sheep farm was Hobbiton for both trilogies. The 44 hobbit holes, the Party Tree, the mill and the Green Dragon inn were rebuilt permanently from 2009 for The Hobbit (the Green Dragon opened in 2012) and are the only surviving set of either trilogy. Since 2023 you can enter two furnished hobbit-hole interiors.

VISITING

Guided tours only, about two and a half hours from the Shire's Rest (four hours from Matamata), timed and pre-booked; departures from the Shire's Rest on the farm or from Matamata i-SITE. Includes a drink at the Green Dragon. Two hours' drive from Auckland, 45 minutes from Rotorua.

NOTEThe first tour of the morning and the last of the afternoon have the softest light and the fewest people in your photos. Book the evening banquet tour if you want the Green Dragon at night.

Hobbiton Movie Set tours and transfers

Most booked

Hobbiton Movie Set: Guided Tour Ticket

★ 4.9 · 8,892 reviews2.5 hoursvia GetYourGuide
from$74.46Check

Hobbiton™ Movie Set Walking Tour from Shires Rest

★ 4.8 · 4,011 reviewsvia Viator
from$76.14Check

From Auckland: Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Day Trip with Lunch

★ 4.9 · 2,963 reviews11 hoursvia GetYourGuide
from$205.63Check

See the filming locations: The Lord of the Rings →

ACT IIThe HobbitFilm · 2012–2014

The Green Dragon inn beside the pond at Hobbiton Movie Set, Matamata – the hobbits' pub, built in permanent materials for The HobbitJoe Ross from Lansing, Michigan · CC BY-SA 2.0

EXT. HOBBITON MOVIE SET – MATAMATA

Hobbiton Movie Set

as Bag End, the Green Dragon, the unexpected party

The opening of An Unexpected Journey – the dwarves arriving at Bag End, Bilbo running down the lane with his contract – was shot here in 2011 on the set rebuilt in permanent materials for these films. The Green Dragon inn was finished in 2012 and pours the drink at the end of every tour. Since 2023 two furnished hobbit-hole interiors on Bagshot Row can be walked through.

VISITING

Guided tours only; the operator states the set cannot be visited independently. The Signature Tour takes about 2.5 hours from the Shire's Rest (501 Buckland Road, Hinuera) or about 4 hours from Matamata i-SITE, NZD 130 for adults in 2026, groups capped at 41, bookings essential and open ten months ahead. Two hours from Auckland, 45 minutes from Rotorua.

NOTEThis is the Hobbit set, not the Lord of the Rings one – the 2000 set was temporary and came down. If you want the Green Dragon at night, book the Evening Banquet; the day tours give it 15 to 20 minutes.

Hobbiton Movie Set tours and transfers

Most booked

Hobbiton Movie Set: Guided Tour Ticket

★ 4.9 · 8,892 reviews2.5 hoursvia GetYourGuide
from$74.46Check

Hobbiton™ Movie Set Walking Tour from Shires Rest

★ 4.8 · 4,011 reviewsvia Viator
from$76.14Check

From Auckland: Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Day Trip with Lunch

★ 4.9 · 2,963 reviews11 hoursvia GetYourGuide
from$205.63Check

See the filming locations: The Hobbit →