Hobbiton Movie Set
Hobbiton Movie Set tour
Matamata · from NZ$130
The signature 2.5-hour guided walk through the 12-acre set: the only way in.
Book the tourME-1Aotearoa New Zealand · 2001–2003
There and back again
The story walks in a straight line. On the ground it zigzags across two islands: a farm, a volcano, a lone hill in a high valley. Every stop is a real place you can stand in today.
Peter Jacksondirector
Ian McKellenGandalf
Elijah WoodFrodo
Viggo MortensenAragorn
Andy SerkisGollum
Mount Sunday in the Rangitata valley, 2016: Tomas Sobek, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ngāuruhoe from Whakapapa Village, 2024: NightOwlCall, CC0 · Hobbit-hole doors above the millpond, Hobbiton Movie Set, 2013: Jackie.lck, CC BY 2.0 · Peter Jackson, December 2003: foilman, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ian McKellen at the Return of the King premiere, Wellington, December 2003: Stefan Servos, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Elijah Wood at the Return of the King premiere, Wellington, December 2003: Stefan Servos, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Viggo Mortensen at Wellington Airport, 2003 (cropped): Phillip Capper, CC BY 2.0 · Andy Serkis at the Return of the King premiere, Wellington, December 2003: Stefan Servos, CC BY-SA 3.0
ME-2Hinuera, near Matamata · 37°51′S 175°41′E
The Shire is a farm
that never let the set go.
2023
Doors you can open
Bagshot Row, with hobbit holes you can go inside, opened in December 2023.
Field notes
Hobbiton Movie Set
Evening Banquet Tour
Matamata · 4.5 hours · from NZ$240
The set by daylight, a banquet inside the Green Dragon Inn, then a lantern-lit walk home through the Shire.
Book the banquetME-3Wellington · Te Whanganui-a-Tara
The first danger is
a hill above the capital.
The hobbits hide from the Black Rider in the Town Belt pines, a walk from the city centre. Rivendell is a regional park up the Hutt valley. The films were made in Miramar.
The road out · in the city
Mount Victoria / Matairangi
On Mount Victoria’s forested slopes the hobbits hid from the Black Riders in The Fellowship of the Ring.
A walk from central Wellington. The Town Belt tracks are free and open; the exact filming spot is not marked.
Field notes
Rivendell · 43 km from Mount Victoria
Kaitoke Regional Park
The Rivendell walk visits the location of Rivendell, home of the elves, in The Lord of the Rings.
From the Pākuratahi Forks car park, cross the bridge for the 15-minute return Rivendell walk. Gate closes 6pm in winter, 9pm in summer; no drones over the picnic area.
Field notes
Isengard’s gardens · 33 km from Mount Victoria
Harcourt Park
Harcourt Park was the set location for Isengard, transformed into its gardens.
A public park on the Hutt River Trail. Nothing of the set remains and the spot is not marked.
Field notes
Where it was made · 3 km from Mount Victoria
Wētā Workshop and the Wētā Cave
The 90-minute guided tour at 1 Weka Street shows props, creatures, weapons, armour and costumes from films including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
The Wētā Cave shop is free to enter. The 90-minute guided tour of props and costumes is booked online; some areas are camera-free.
Field notes
Made here, by
Peter Jackson
Philippa Boyens
Richard Taylor
Wētā Workshop
Wētā Workshop tour
Miramar, Wellington · from NZ$59
A guided tour of the workshop’s props, armour, creatures and costumes from both trilogies, in Miramar.
Book the tour
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Live marketplace results for Lord of the Rings tours around Wellington: Mount Victoria, Kaitoke and the Hutt valley. Check each itinerary.
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Compare toursME-4The thread
A straight road
on crooked ground.
01/14 · 0 km as the crow flies · 0 crossings of Cook Strait
The Shire → Hobbiton Movie Set · North Island
The Alexander farm near Matamata became Hobbiton; filming began there in December 1999.
Guided tours only, on a working farm; book ahead. Tours leave from The Shire’s Rest and the Matamata i-SITE.
Field notes
ME-5Hakatere Conservation Park · Canterbury
A hall stood on this hill.
Nothing remains.
The New Zealand Army built the access road; Meduseld stood on top of the hill. Filming took about three weeks, then the set was dismantled and the site returned to its natural state.
Nothing remains of the Edoras set, which took months to build.
The track is 1.5 km, 30 minutes one way, easy to intermediate, with a swing bridge.
Field notes
Mt Potts Lodge
Mt Potts Lodge
Ashburton Lakes, Canterbury
A high-country lodge on Hakatere Potts Road: the lodge says Mount Sunday, the hill that became Edoras, is a five-minute drive away.
View the lodgeME-6Tongariro National Park · dual World Heritage
The darkest mountain in the films
is one you are asked not to stand on.
Peter Jackson found his Mordor in Tongariro National Park, with Mount Ngāuruhoe as Mount Doom. Ngāuruhoe was digitally enhanced to look taller and more fiery; because it is sacred to Māori, many scenes on its slopes were filmed nearby on Ruapehu.
The mountains are sacred to local iwi, who ask visitors not to summit them. DOC names Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro of Ngāti Tūwharetoa as the local iwi, and asks visitors not to touch or enter the sacred waters.
Meads Wall, a short walk from the Whakapapa ski field, was Emyn Muil, where Frodo and Sam first meet Gollum.
Field notes
Skotel
Skotel Alpine Resort
Whakapapa Village, Tongariro
In Whakapapa Village inside Tongariro National Park, looking straight at Ngāuruhoe; Meads Wall and Tawhai Falls are a short drive.
View the resortME-7The Hobbit · 2011–2012 photography
Then they went back
for the dragon.
The barrels
Te Hoiere / Pelorus River
Peter Jackson filmed the dwarves floating downriver in barrels here for The Desolation of Smaug.
On SH6, 18 km west of Havelock: walk the riverside tracks or kayak to the barrel stretch with a guide.
Field notes
Lake-town
Lake Pūkaki
Lake Pūkaki was chosen as the location for Lake-town in The Desolation of Smaug.
Easy to see from State Highway 8 and the Mount Cook Road lakeshore. Braemar Station is a working farm: no public access is implied.
Field notes
The Trollshaws
Mangaotaki Rocks
The cliffs and forest at Mangaotaki Rocks were the Trollshaws and Staddle Farm in An Unexpected Journey.
A private working farm, seen only on the family’s guided tours. Their website says the business is hibernating: check before you go.
Field notes
The hidden door
Tūroa
The rocky slopes of Tūroa were Hidden Bay, the entrance to the Lonely Mountain, in The Desolation of Smaug.
A ski field on Ruapehu reached by Ohakune Mountain Road. The exact Hidden Bay spot is not published.
Field notes
With
Martin Freeman
Ian McKellen
Pelorus Eco Adventures
Hobbit kayak tour
Havelock, Marlborough · 3–3.5 hours · NZ$230
Paddle the Pelorus past the rocks and waterfall of the barrel scene.
See the tour
ME-∞Back at the Shire
…and back again.
The thread ends where it started: on a farm near Matamata, where a set that was meant to come down is still standing.
Elijah Wood
Liv Tyler and Sean Astin
Viggo Mortensen
Andy Serkis
Field notes
ME-8The guide
Where it is now
18 places you can visit, island by island. Private farmland, like the Pelennor Fields near Twizel and the Trollshaws at Mangaotaki, is reached only on tours and is not pinned.
Pins mark public places and booked visitor sites; private farmland is listed but not pinned.
General reference · Restricted access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Guided tours only, on a working farm; book ahead. Tours leave from The Shire’s Rest and the Matamata i-SITE.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. See Ngāuruhoe from the park’s roads and tracks; iwi ask that you do not climb to the summits. Meads Wall is about 30 minutes return from the Whakapapa ski-field car park.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Park on SH48 about 4 km below the visitor centre for an easy 10–15 minute walk. The river floods fast and the rocks are slippery; please do not enter the water.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A ski field on Ruapehu reached by Ohakune Mountain Road. The exact Hidden Bay spot is not published.
Hobbit-hole doors above the millpond, Hobbiton Movie Set, 2013. Jackie.lck · CC BY 2.0 Matamata, Waikato · North Island
Hobbiton Movie Set
In 1998 location scouts on an aerial search found the Alexander family’s sheep farm near Matamata.
Guided tours only, on a working farm; book ahead. Tours leave from The Shire’s Rest and the Matamata i-SITE.
Field notes
Ngāuruhoe from Whakapapa Village, 2024. NightOwlCall · CC0 Tongariro National Park · North Island
Whakapapa, Ruapehu and Ngāuruhoe
Peter Jackson found his Mordor in Tongariro National Park, with Mount Ngāuruhoe as Mount Doom.
See Ngāuruhoe from the park’s roads and tracks; iwi ask that you do not climb to the summits. Meads Wall is about 30 minutes return from the Whakapapa ski-field car park.
Field notes
Tawhai Falls, Tongariro National Park, 2014. Blueromulan · CC BY-SA 3.0 Tongariro National Park · North Island
Tawhai Falls
Tawhai Falls was the Forbidden Pool, where Faramir’s men capture Gollum in The Two Towers.
Park on SH48 about 4 km below the visitor centre for an easy 10–15 minute walk. The river floods fast and the rocks are slippery; please do not enter the water.
Field notes
The base of Tūroa ski field in winter, 2002. Pseudopanax · Public domain Mount Ruapehu · North Island
Tūroa
The rocky slopes of Tūroa were Hidden Bay, the entrance to the Lonely Mountain, in The Desolation of Smaug.
A ski field on Ruapehu reached by Ohakune Mountain Road. The exact Hidden Bay spot is not published.
Field notes
Stay
Sleep near the story.
Lodges and rooms beside the places, from the Rangitata to Whakapapa.
Mt Potts Lodge
Mt Potts Lodge
Ashburton Lakes, Canterbury
A high-country lodge on Hakatere Potts Road: the lodge says Mount Sunday, the hill that became Edoras, is a five-minute drive away.
View the lodge
Paradise Trust
Paradise Trust cottages and Miller House
Paradise, near Glenorchy
Historic cottages and huts at Paradise, where the Trust says The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were filmed among its beech forest.
View staysSkotel
Skotel Alpine Resort
Whakapapa Village, Tongariro
In Whakapapa Village inside Tongariro National Park, looking straight at Ngāuruhoe; Meads Wall and Tawhai Falls are a short drive.
View the resort
Matamata Lodge
Matamata Lodge
Okauia, Matamata
Countryside rooms that describe themselves as a short drive from the Hobbiton Movie Set.
View the lodgeBook a way in
Walk where they filmed.
Hobbiton, Wētā and the South Island ground, with the people who run them.
Hobbiton Movie Set
Hobbiton Movie Set tour
Matamata · from NZ$130
The signature 2.5-hour guided walk through the 12-acre set: the only way in.
Book the tourHobbiton Movie Set
Evening Banquet Tour
Matamata · 4.5 hours · from NZ$240
The set by daylight, a banquet inside the Green Dragon Inn, then a lantern-lit walk home through the Shire.
Book the banquetWētā Workshop
Wētā Workshop tour
Miramar, Wellington · from NZ$59
A guided tour of the workshop’s props, armour, creatures and costumes from both trilogies, in Miramar.
Book the tour
Nomad Safaris
Glenorchy Lord of the Rings safari
Queenstown · 4.25 hours · from NZ$315
A 4WD half day around Glenorchy and Paradise: Isengard, Lothlórien, Fangorn and Amon Hen ground, with a walk in Paradise forest.
See the tourPelorus Eco Adventures
Hobbit kayak tour
Havelock, Marlborough · 3–3.5 hours · NZ$230
Paddle the Pelorus past the rocks and waterfall of the barrel scene.
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Live marketplace results for Lord of the Rings tours around Wellington: Mount Victoria, Kaitoke and the Hutt valley. Check each itinerary.
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A reason to go now.
Dated events on the set and the score played live.
Checking current event dates…
Take it home
The poster, the books, the score.
An original 2003 one-sheet from our store, the location guide and the soundtracks.
Printed Originals · Our poster store
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
An original 2003 US one-sheet, rolled, in mint condition.
In stock
View poster
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The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook
Ian Brodie
The field guide to the real places, with directions and GPS points.
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The Making of the Movie Trilogy
Brian Sibley
How the films were made, from scouting to the last shot.
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The Art of The Fellowship of the Ring
Gary Russell
Concept art and design from the first film.
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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey — Chronicles: Art & Design
Wētā Workshop · Daniel Falconer
The design of the return to Middle-earth.
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The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien
The novel, in the 50th anniversary edition.
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The Fellowship of the Ring: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Howard Shore · CD, 2001
The score that walked out of the Shire.
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The Return of the King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Howard Shore · CD, 2003
The score of the long road home.
Live marketplace search · listings and condition change
Find a copyDates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.
Field book
Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.
20 of 20 places · 20 of 20 Moments
Hobbiton Movie Set
Matamata, Waikato · North Island
The Shire
The Alexander farm near Matamata became Hobbiton; filming began there in December 1999.
Mount Victoria / Matairangi
Wellington · North Island
Hiding from the Black Rider
On Mount Victoria’s forested slopes the hobbits hide from the Black Riders.
Kaitoke Regional Park
Upper Hutt, Wellington · North Island
Rivendell
Kaitoke Regional Park is the location of Rivendell.
Harcourt Park
Upper Hutt, Wellington · North Island
Wētā Workshop and the Wētā Cave
Miramar, Wellington · North Island
Pūtangirua Pinnacles
South Wairarapa · North Island
The Dimholt Road
At the Pūtangirua Pinnacles Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli ride to meet the Army of the Dead.
Whakapapa, Ruapehu and Ngāuruhoe
Tongariro National Park · North Island
Emyn Muil
Meads Wall near the Whakapapa ski field is where Frodo and Sam first meet Gollum.
Mount Doom
Ngāuruhoe plays Mount Doom, digitally enhanced; many slope scenes were filmed on Ruapehu.
Tawhai Falls
Tongariro National Park · North Island
The Forbidden Pool
Tawhai Falls is where Faramir’s men capture Gollum.
Tūroa
Mount Ruapehu · North Island
Hidden Bay / Lonely Mountain entrance
Tūroa supplies Hidden Bay; temporary scaffolding protects native flora during the one-day production visit.
Mangaotaki Rocks
Piopio, King Country · North Island
Trollshaws / Staddle Farm
Mangaotaki Rocks supplies Trollshaws and Staddle Farm contributions.
Mount Sunday
Hakatere, Canterbury · South Island
Edoras
Mount Sunday supplies the Edoras filming ground.
Twizel farmland
Mackenzie Country, Canterbury · South Island
Wargs chase contribution
The Twizel region supplies part of the Wargs chase; regional LOTR recurrence does not establish the same field.
The Pelennor Fields
The Battle of the Pelennor Fields was filmed on farmland near Twizel.
Mount Owen
Kahurangi National Park · South Island
Dimrill Dale after Moria
Mount Owen contributes ground to the geography after Moria.
Lake Alta
The Remarkables, Queenstown · South Island
Dimrill Dale after Moria
Lake Alta is another contributor to the geography after Moria; this does not establish a continuous real route from Mount Owen.
Kawarau Gorge
Gibbston, near Queenstown · South Island
The Pillars of the Kings
The Fellowship pass the Pillars of the Kings on the Kawarau; the Pillars were added in the studio.
Paradise and the Dart valley
Glenorchy, Lake Wakatipu · South Island
Lothlórien
The beech forests at Paradise are the setting for Lothlórien.
Deer Park Heights
Queenstown · South Island
The road to Helm’s Deep
Deer Park Heights carries the Rohan refugees’ trek and the warg attack.
Mavora Lakes
Southland · South Island
Nen Hithoel
The Fellowship moor at North Mavora Lake at the end of the Anduin.
Te Hoiere / Pelorus River
Marlborough · South Island
The barrels
The dwarves float downriver in barrels on the Pelorus.
Lake Pūkaki
Mackenzie Country, Canterbury · South Island
Lake-town
Lake Pūkaki was chosen as the location for Lake-town.