Page 18 - RCI-FlipBook-pacific

HOME OF THE HOBBITS
Originally a quiet country town, Matamata was just another pleasant landscape to drive by in the Hamilton-Waikato region of New Zealand. But magic happened. During an aerial search for a location to film Sir Peter Jackson’s multi-award winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Matamata was discovered.
Here, Alexander Farm owns 1,250-acre of green pastures, huge trees and a small darling lake, drawing the attention of location scout Dave Comer. That afternoon in the year of 1998, Dave negotiated with the farmer and his family, won over their hearts and began his legacy of building the Hobbiton Movie Set.
Stone buildings with quaint doors were tucked into rolling green hills, overgrown with native grasses and wildflowers. There are now 44 Hobbit holes since The Shire’s rebuilding in 2010. Hobbiton resembles an idyllic 17th century English country of barberry hedges, trees with hanging apples
and pears, lichen-covered fences and rugged paths.
Step into the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, with a fascinating narration by the Movie Set Tour. The popular tour operates every half hour in the summer season. Set off from The Shires Rest Cafe, meandering through The Shire and its Hobbit holes, vegetable gardens, before going round the lake to the Party Tree and The Mill. After, enjoy a local custom-brewed beer at The Green Dragon Inn.
Opened in December 2012, The Green Dragon Inn is Hobbiton’s newest addition. There are little pockets of bar areas where you can kick back with a beer in hand. Sample traditional Hobbit fare on The Green Dragon Menu – the beer and ale pie is highly recommended.
For a magical evening of revelry, explore Hobbiton at dusk and dig into a banquet dinner fit for a Hobbit. The Evening Dinner
Tour includes a stroll through Hobbiton Movie Set, with one complimentary beverage from the Hobbit Southfarthing range to be had in front of open fires. Next, be led into The Green Dragon Inn dining room for a table full of traditional Hobbit fare. The evening ends surrealistically with a moonlit walk back into the wandering paths of The Shire, illuminated along the way by pathlights and authentic handheld lanterns.
CONQUER THE FALLS
While fans of Tolkien and Sir Jackson flock to Matamata for Hobbiton, the Hamilton- Waikato region around Matamata has more to offer than meets the eye. Take a 10-minute drive from Matamata to Wairere Falls, the highest waterfall of North Island.
The Wairere Falls Track paves the way to the lower viewing platform located at the base of the falls. Leave your vehicle behind at the carpark on Goodwin Road (off Old Te Aroha Road) and begin your
16 MAY 2016