No Admittance Except for Party Business

Hobbiton!!!!!

We left early this morning and headed an hour north towards Matamata to see Hibbiton. It was pouring rain and we literally followed a rainbow for miles. 

After checking in and getting a coffee we boarded a bus and headed out to the Shire. Peter Jackson scouted farms over 20 years ago to film Fellowship of the Rings. Originally he thought he would have to film the Shire scenes in 12 separate locations but upon seeing the Alexander farm he realized he could film all in one place.

In 1999 the film was made on site of the farm but the set was not built to last. Most film sets are destroyed after filming. So when the Hobbit Trilogy was filmed in 2009 the family and Jackson agreed to build it to be permanent. And this led to a new tourist trade for the country.

The set is really cool. With 44 Hobbit houses, the Green Dragon tavern and a huge garden, no detail was forgotten. We got to see Biboes house with the sign he posts about no Admittance (except for party business), Sam's and Rosie's house, the square where the 111th birthday party took place, the pond where they fished, etc. We even got to drink beer at the Green Dragon Inn.

The level of detail and the tricks used to create the illusion of Hobbits (who were humans after all) we're fascinating. The farm itself is stunning. Even Steve, the hater of science fiction, enjoyed the experience.