Is Hobbiton for you? Well, do you identify as a hobbit? Or at least identify with the scene with Merry and Pippin where Pippin asks about second breakfast, elevensies, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and supper? I certainly do. Although a little too tall, in terms of dietary requirements, I’m a hobbit and like Bilbo, I don’t really like to share my food. 

For this reason, when we knew we would be visiting New Zealand and of course the Hobbiton Movie Set, we knew we had to do the Evening Banquet Tour. I was praying to the Dark Lord himself that the tour would not be a disappointment and oh Sauron did it pull through.

The Tour

We started off as any other tour at the gift shop. You must purchase anything you’d like before the start of the tour as the shop will be closed once the tour is finished. I have to say, I feel that the shop was the one disappointing thing about the site. There is so much amazing fan art and items you can buy online, I thought the shop would have a bit more variety on what it sold. 

However… the shop aside, everything else met every expectation I had. 

We drove round to the set which took around ten minutes. Our tour guides Sonny and Fluffy were an absolute comedy duo and from the start had us laughing and amazed with their extensive knowledge of the site and films – feel free to ask them about their LOTR tattoos. They must have taken hundreds of photos during our tour and were super patient with everyone. They were the Sam Wise Gamgees of the tour operator world. 

On Set

You start off at the crossroads where in the film the Hobbit, you see Bilbo hop over a fence and shout “I’M GOING ON AN ADVENTURE”. You’ll already be taking a hundred photos of all the tiny hobbit houses but don’t panic if you don’t get the perfect one, you’ll have so many opportunities to take more pictures.

Moving up the hill, we walked around the set learning more about how Hobbiton is run. They actually grow the vegetables on site which is used in the dinners.

You’ll make it to Bilbo’s hobbit hole before heading down and seeing Samwise’s home too. You’ll be able to dance around the maypole in the party field where Merry and Pippin set off the infamous dragon firework. 

The Green Dragon Pub

By the time our dusk tour had finished, we were all chomping to get over the bridge and into the Green Dragon Pub. Thinking it would be more of a movie set, I was so surprised to see a fully functioning pub with barrels of beer and cider and a fully functioning fireplace. 

As part of the tour, you get one free drink at the pub and then you’re free to buy as many as you’d like. We were pleased that the cost of drinks weren’t outrageous. I feel like if this had been in another country (cough USA cough), the cost would have been extortionate. Here it was $8 (NZ dollar) for an ale-half. Pretty reasonable.

Whilst we had our drinks and explored the pub, we couldn’t see into the room with the food. Once the velvet curtains were pulled back, we were amazed to see mountains of food laid out for us. A true Hobbits banquet. 

After Dinner

After eating our body weight in food, we headed out for a lantern tour of the lower part of the grounds. All the hobbit holes were lit up and just looked incredible. There is no use in taking photos (unless you have a professional night camera), just enjoy the atmosphere. 

We ended up back on the party field and all stood in a large circle. I won’t say what was discussed but that it was such a great way to end the evening. A very, almost romantic, speech that left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. As you should after a trip to the Shire and a full belly. 

Would I recommend Hobbiton?

If you haven’t got the vibe of this post yet. Yes. I would 100% recommend Hobbiton. We had a few people on our tour that had come with partners who weren’t particularly bothered about the films and still enjoyed themselves. The enthusiasm of the guides, the setting, the beautiful countryside was just all-encompassing. 

So do it. Grab your cloaks and big hairy feet shoes and head to Hobbiton for some incredible photos and memories. 

Our trip to Hobbiton was part of a trip to North Island New Zealand. Check out the itinerary here and the review of the whole trip here.