Terrance Talks Travel

I live for adventure travel. I love American road trips. I’m crazy about Africa. I write about adventures in America and Africa—and share lots of cheap travel tips too!

The Hobbit

With the movie just being released (based on the bestselling book series), I thought that Hobbit fans might be interested… 

Destination: Hobbit Hot Spots
Where to go for a glimpse of Middle Earth (aka New Zealand)
BY JESSICA PASSANANTI
The movie set built in Matamata, New Zealand, to represent Hobbiton, Bilbo Baggins’s hometown; Hobbit Valley, seen from a Hobbiton window.
In the past decade, the three Lord of the Rings movies unleashed a flood of tourism on New Zealand, the stand-in for the fictional Middle Earth. Now the country has geared up for visits from fans of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first prequel to the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy. Here’s how you can follow in Bilbo Baggins’s footsteps—and get a firsthand look at a few places where the movie was filmed.BILBO’S HOMETOWN
Director Peter Jackson built the original set for Hobbiton on a sheep farm outside Matamata, a rural village on the North Island that’s a two-hour drive from Auckland. Hobbiton fell into disrepair after the LOTR movies were made but was restored and expanded for The Hobbit. (An electric fence was installed to keep sheep from wandering in.) Visitors can see the 44 Hobbit-house facades, which have round, brightly painted doors and porthole windows, built into a lush hillside. Don’t expect to go inside: It’s a set, after all, and in any case your average Hobbit is only 3½ feet tall. During your visit with Hobbiton Tours (two-hour tours from $62*), you can cuddle lambs, have a bite to eat at the Shire’s Rest Café and pick up souvenirs and woolen goods in the gift shop.

TOLKIENESQUE PEAKS
Still on the North Island, drive another two hours south to reach Tongariro National Park on the Central Plateau. The 300-square-mile park’s otherworldly landscape is punctuated by the volcanic peaks of Mounts Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu—better known to LOTR fans as Mount Doom and Mordor. For a great view of all three volcanoes and Ruapehu’s steaming crater lake, you can book a flight-seeing trip with Mountain Air (flights from $180).

BARREL BRIGADE
The Marlborough district, at the top of the South Island, is New Zealand’s largest wine-producing region, famous for its sauvignon blanc. Not far from the main town, Blenheim, is the Pelorus Bridge. Go there for a prime view of the spot where Bilbo and a group of dwarves navigate the Pelorus River in barrels. Take a dip yourself—or try kayaking or canoeing down the river. You could even pitch a tent in the nearby campground and spend a few days exploring the Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve. And luckily for New Zealand, there are two more Hobbit movies to come!

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About the Author

Terrance Zepke studied Journalism at the University of Tennessee and later received a Master's Degree in Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina. She has studied Parapsychology at the renowned Rhine Research Center. She began her career as a freelance writer and photographer, ... [ Read more ]