PHOTO GALLERY: Hobbiton – Home of the Hobbits

2014/04/07

one of 40 charming hobbit holes situated in Hobbiton

PHOTO GALLERY: Hobbiton – Home of the Hobbits

I grew up on The Hobbit and the Trilogy of the Rings. With Bilbo, Frodo & Sam. With Gandalf, Gollum, the Elves and the Dwarves. With Sauron and Saruman. With The Shire, Middle Earth and Mount Doom.

As a kid I traveled around the eastern half of the USA over several years with my family, mainly camping at National Parks, Forests and Seashores. Sleeping in our big family-size tent on mountains, beaches, forests and lake sides. In the evenings, my mom would read us The Hobbit as bedtime stories, while we were all snuggled up in our sleeping bags inside our cozy tent.

As an adult I’ve re-read those books uncountable times, never tiring of the hobbits’ grand adventures.

Bag’s End – Bilbo Baggin’s hobbit hole

Those exciting stories have been major inspirations for my life of travel.

Who would have known those stories were going to be showcased on the big screen one day? Given my background, you can just imagine my excitement at going to cinemas to SEE the hobbits, elves, dwarves, heroes and anti-heros.

So this year when I finally got myself to New Zealand and learned that the film locations are scattered about the country, readily visit-able by the public, you can perhaps guess my sheer overwhelming thrill at being able to actually VISIT the home of the hobbits and the actual places they traveled through during their adventures in Middle Earth. Particularly Hobbiton.

So despite the tour’s hefty price tag of $75 and its ultra-touristy-ness, Hobbiton Tour was just one mega-attraction I simply could not pass up during my travels through NZ. Especially since the Hobbiton set has been permanently installed and is now well-maintained by a full-time crew of gardeners, bartenders and carpenters.

I took the tour, nearly thrilled to tears, walking through The Shire, Hobbiton and the Green Dragon Inn. It was akin to a dream come true visiting Bag End, home of Bilbo Baggins himself!

Throughout the 2-hour visit I was continuously snapping away with my camera, a massive grin plastered across my face and eyes a-glowing. I made sure the tour guide took several shots of me in Hobbiton, too. I simply must have photos of myself at Bilbo Baggins’ hobbit hole! He and Frodo were my childhood travel heroes.

Please enjoy these 36 photos of Hobbiton from my recent visit.

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