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Hobbiton Tours Expects More Visitors

Hobbiton Tours Expects More Visitors


The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the much-awaited prequel to The Lord of the Rings film series, is now showing in theaters in New Zealand. As more cinema patrons see the film, demand for tours of Middle Earth — or the location sets used for filming the series — is fast increasing. Hobbiton Tours offers information on trips to the area as well as other services that the series’ fans can avail.


Your tour starts with a drive through the picturesque 1,250 acre sheep farm with spectacular views across to the Kaimai Ranges. Your guide will escort you through the ten acre site recounting fascinating details of how the Hobbiton set was created.

Matamata, New Zealand, November 29, 2012

This year, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit fans can finally rejoice as the latest instalment to their favourite film series, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, hits theatres throughout the globe. The film premiered November 28th in New Zealand, home of the various locations where the previous The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies were filmed. The motion picture will then grace the silver screen in other countries on later dates.

For loyal enthusiasts of both the books and the film series, nothing can be more exciting and memorable than walking through the fabled lands of Middle Earth. With the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey this year, more buzz has been generated about sightseeing trips to the New Zealand movie sets. Hobbiton Tours, one of the leading groups in New Zealand offering tours of the Hobbiton and The Shire movie sets, is actually anticipating a considerable rise in visitors arriving at the Tauranga and Rotorua airport within the next few weeks.

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Speakers from Hobbiton Tours report an increasing number of inquiries for more details and booking information about the tours. They share that visitors can visit Hobbiton and The Shire through one of two ways: by either driving to the location straight from the airport or being picked up by the group at selected pickup points.

New Zealand vacationers with accommodations in Rotorua can avail of pick-up service from Hobbiton Tours. According to the company’s representatives, “Pre-booking is essential for this kind of service. We can arrange pick-ups from any place or accommodation in the Rotorua Central Business District, whether you’re staying in a hotel, motel, backpacker lodge or bed and breakfast.”

Visitors who wish to immediately see Hobbiton can start the tour right after arriving at the Tauranga airport or after departing from a cruise ship. The drive from Tauranga to Matamata where Hobbiton is located will take about an hour. Vacationers arriving at the Rotorua airport can also proceed from there by hiring rental cars from Hobbiton Tours and driving to the location.

“Your tour starts with a drive through the picturesque 1,250 acre sheep farm with spectacular views across to the Kaimai Ranges. Your guide will escort you through the ten acre site recounting fascinating details of how the Hobbiton set was created,” state representatives of the company.

Upon arrival at Hobbiton, visitors will then be toured around the various memorable structures built for the films, such as the Hobbit holes, the Green Dragon Inn and the Mill, to name a few. The tour ends with a visit to The Shires Rest, a café and function centre built with the same hobbit-like aesthetics that can be seen in other structures in Hobbiton.

For vacationers interested in hosting events at Hobbiton, The Shires Rest can also be booked for various occasions. The café can cater for in-bound tour groups, Christmas functions, private or special occasions, weddings, excursions, conferences and seminars, training and team building corporate events and customised or themed events.

“We have set menus but we can also design menus to suit your specific needs, whether it is finger food or sit down meals with several courses. We have various room sizes, and we can cater for groups of any size,” shares speakers from Hobbiton Tours.

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