I first read the Lord of the Rings trilogy when I was about 12 years old. We had been assigned The Hobbit in 7th grade English class. I started it after school on Friday afternoon and finished it Saturday afternoon (despite having to fit it in around other weekend plans). The first thing I did next was ask my mother to take me to a bookstore so I could buy LOTR. By the time I made it to English class on Monday, I was half-way through The Two Towers, and I finished Return of the King before bedtime on Tuesday. I was hooked. For the next 15 or so years, I reread the series about once per year, and I still reread it every few years almost 60 years later.
And then came the movies. I actually was working (at that time) for the insurance company that insured the production of the movies. I was living in SoCal when the first movie came out, and so also had my brother Dave and his family nearby. We were all huge fans.
When I spoke to the travel agent I worked with on this trip, the very first thing I said about north island was "And I definitely need to visit Hobbiton!".
The original set was not built to last, the hobbit hole facades having been constructed from untreated timber, ply and polystyrene. Much of it was torn down after the filming. In 2010 the set was rebuilt to be more permanent (when The Hobbit was filmed).
The village... and proof that I was indeed there! And by the way, we had a terrific tour guide, and everyone we spoke to seemed so happy to be there!
Different hobbit holes. Different sizes also, as they needed this for perspective. There are currently 44 hobbit holes in Hobbiton. Built to 100%, 90% and 60%. The color of the door is related to their scale; for example, a blue door means the hole is built to human scale.
Bag End
In 2023, opening in December 2023, Hobbiton created 2 complete and fully furnished hobbit holes. During the tour our group was split into 2 groups, with 1/2 of us able to into and explore one of the complete dwellings. It was amazing, it really felt like it was real.
On the way to The Green Dragon, passing the mill, and inside as well as the surrounds of The Green Dragon
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