Hobbiton In Full Bloom
Lovely images of Hobbiton at Matamata in New Zealand found down the back of my hard drive.
Bag End in full bloom.
Including decorative hobbit wind charm.
Hobbit-scale cart with firewood on the verge of the Party Field.
Unusually straight blue door.
Weather red door and overgrown doorstep (in sore need of the Gamgee touch).
Bagshot Row at dusk.
The Green Dragon viewed from The Hill.
South Farthing ale on tap.
The noticeboard at the Green Dragon bar, including lost green cloak and a plug for Sandyman’s Mill.
The bar, resplendent with a carved green dragon and hot pots.
A fine view of The Hill (Bag End is the green door, of course, beneath the oak), plus authentic adoring fans.
Bywater Mill at sunset.
Barrels – useful for storing beer or dwarves
Ahh, that’ll be the author at Bag End (note: not in full bloom) with erstwhile farmers the Alexanders, who own and run the Hobbiton movie location at Matamata. Russell on the left, Ian on the right — it was Ian who famously answered when a location scout knocked on his door and asked if they could use this small parcel of land for a film version of Lord of the Rings. He thought he was mad, and if his wife (a fan of the book) hadn’t intervened, who knows where they would have found Hobbiton.