I’m not a big Lord of the Rings fan, and haven’t even gotten around to reading The Hobbit. But there’s something magical about visiting the beautiful movie set for the Shire, set deep in the hills of the north island of New Zealand. I went without too much expectation, thinking it would perhaps be like the cheesy sets we see at Universal Studios, but I couldn’t be more wrong.
The story of it goes like this: Peter Jackson had people flying in helicopters scoping out potential film locations for the Lord of the Rings series, and one flew over this sheep farm near the small town of Matamata. They went and knocked on the doors of Craig Alexander on a lazy Saturday morning, and was given free access to check out the farm, as long as they stopped disturbing him from watching the rugby match. Peter came a few days later to check it out himself, and soon decided that this would be the location for the Shire, the home of the hobbits.
Mr. Alexander was not a big fan of the series, and when told that the movie being filmed here was the Lord of the Rings, his reply was “the lord of the what?” It didn’t take long for him to realize what an epic production this was to be. As we walked through the set, our guide, Craig’s son Russell, shared with us some of the behind the scenes stories during the building of the set, which really just led to the conclusion that Peter Jackson was extremely anal about everything.
For example, the great oak tree which perched on top of the Shire was actually purchased from a nearby farm, where each branch was cut, numbered, and bolted onto the uprooted tree after it was brought over. The smaller one next to it, with the beautiful leaves waving in the wind, is actually made of silicon. At one point Peter was not happy with the color of the leaves (as they faded a bit), and a few members of the crew were lifted up by crane to repaint them to the perfect shade of green.
There are a few hundred hobbit holes built around the Shire, and most of them only have the facade with about a meter of space behind the door. Each hole is reflective of its owner — the drunkard’s yard is very unkempt where as the doctor’s is quite nice. When these were first built for the series, temporary material was used and they were expected to be deprecated after filming. When Peter came back and asked to film The Hobbit here, the Alexander family asked whether they can build a permanent set and use it for tourism later, and after some negotiations, Peter agreed. The new Shire was built with sturdy material and every detail was impeccably recreated. THere was a 11 second scene at the beginning of the movie, where Bilbo was seen running through the stoney entrance to the Shire. The bricks were laid and torn down three times, before Peter found it to be the satisfactory shape and size.
The most grand view of the place is from the top of the hills, right in front of Bilbo’s hole. The whole Shire sits in front of you with the great party tree and the lake in the center, and layers of hobbit holes peeking behind each corner. The clear lake was actually manmade, and behind it you can see the hills littered with sheep. Even though the family has turned this into a tourist attraction, they have not given up their day job. One of the brothers runs the sheep part of the operation with the help of just one other person.
Our visit ended with a stop at the bar by the lake, where you can grab beers, ciders, and even some hobbit inspired food. I enjoyed a ginger beer out at the picnic tables facing the lake, watching the ducklings play and the sheep wander, and fully expecting to see a hobbit or two bouncing out of their round doors any minute.
I finally saw The Hobbit in Wellington, at the theater where it first premiered. When the movie opened with the beautiful scenery of the Shire, I almost wanted to yell to the world “I was just there!” It was truly a magical journey that takes you into another time and place. Say hi to Bilbo for me if you are ever there!
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