Hobbiton

IN A HOLE IN THE GROUND, THERE LIVED A HOBBIT.

That is all.

Well, not quite all. First off, Hobbiton was built on the grazing land of the Alexander farm, in a landscape without buildings, transmission lines and roads. Second, Hobbiton almost never came to be anything but a place where a movie was once shot. They were demolishing the site when the rains began and the filmmakers asked if they could come back in 4 months and finish the job. Meanwhile, people had begun calling and mailing the farm, asking to come and see. Another two years went into negotiating the contract. Only then could the Alexanders begin to show people around. To this day, Hobbiton is the only LOTR site that still has anything left from the actual films.

The road in to the film site was constructed by the NZ Army, in '99 I believe. As our eminent guide put it, "they didn't have much else to do at the time". They took the site and rearranged the landscape as they needed to make things look like they do in the movie. After seeing the place and hearing some stories I have a whole new appreciation of how much hard work goes into shooting just a few seconds of film.

All Hobbiton pics here.

Bag End, where Bilbo lived. I was five years old at this point.


This tree is fake. The leaves are fuckin' handpainted. I kid you not.


The magnificent Party Tree, where the party on Bilbo's 111th birthday is held.


The tree and the lake were the reasons the film company chose this site. The buildings were rebuilt for the filming of the Hobbit, and are actual buildings, unlike the Hobbit houses. The Alexanders are in negotiations to put a proper pub inside and add this to the tour. I'll have to come back when they do.


*wail*


This "window" is just a box dug into the hillside, it's not connected to a house.


THIS is what a hobbit house actually looks like on the inside.


Random hobbit houses from the outside. They look snug, don't they?




I'm tiny! With some help from a creative guide and an English boy.


My ugly mug, pic taken by a russkie.


Pickles, the resident cat. She was found by the roadside and taken to the film set, where she was quickly adopted by everybody. Now she lives out there, and loves to meet new people and get some attention.