Hobbiton Movie Set, Film set near Matamata, New Zealand

Hobbiton Movie Set is a 5.5-hectare filming location on the Alexander family farm near Matamata, Waikato, New Zealand. Its hillside holds 44 hobbit hole facades with round doors, including a red door and a smaller blue-grey door set in a stone arch beneath grass-covered mounds. A single-storey inn with a steep thatched roof and a wooden deck stands at the edge of a pond.

The site was first built in the late 1990s using temporary materials for a trilogy of fantasy films, then taken down after production wrapped. When a second trilogy was filmed in the early 2010s, the owners rebuilt everything with permanent materials and decided to keep it open for visitors year-round.

The set stands on the Alexander family's 500-hectare working farm, which runs 13,000 sheep and 300 Angus beef cattle; farming income comes from mutton, wool and beef. The Green Dragon Inn opened on the site in 2012 as a functioning inn serving beverages and hosting private banquets, and the Shires Rest Cafe serves Breakfast and "Second Breakfast" before or after tours.

All visits take place on guided tours that must be booked ahead, as the property does not allow independent exploration. The paths cross hilly terrain and include some unpaved stretches, so wearing sturdy shoes is recommended.

The round doors and windows come in different sizes to create the illusion of height differences between characters during filming. A team of gardeners tends to the trees and flowers every day, ensuring that the landscape remains green and carefully groomed throughout the year.