New Zealand Photo Journal #4 Visiting Hobbiton Shire By Scott David Plumlee

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1 New Zealand Photo Journal #4 Visiting Hobbiton Shire By Scott David Plumlee

2 New Zealand Photo Journal #4, Visiting Hobbiton Shire Copyright 2015 Scott David Plumlee. All text and photography by the author. Map image from Wikimedia Commons. The Hobbiton is from JRR Tolkien s 1937 novel The Hobbit, and was built by Peter Jackson for the Lord of Rings movies, all rights reserved. Table of Contents: Cycling to Matamata 4 Hobbiton Shire 9 Home of Bilbo Baggins 24 Green Dragon Tavern 38 About the Author 50 Discover more adventures at: And at:

3 Previously on NZ Photo Journal: After sailing from Auckland to the Coromandel Peninsula to cycle its amazing coastline, I turned inland and rode the Hauraki Rail Trail. I then biked through the famous Karangahake Gorge and camped at the stunning Weirere Falls. Today, I am super excited that I will be visiting the must see Hobbiton Shire just outside of Matamata. Next, I ll be pedaling southbound to the volcanically active region of Lake Rotorua where there are lots of hot springs. Wow, so much to see - let s go!

4 December 13th: Woke up at 6am with strange bird calls as I camped next to a river. I had to run down to the carpark to use the public toilet, and then back to camp for coffee and protein shake. I packed my camping gear and carried my panniers down to the carpark where I had locked my bike to a tree. I did a quick yoga session and then got on the road at 8am. It s only 16km to Matamata, where I can take a bus to visit the Hobbiton Shire - grin.

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6 New Zealand is known as The Peddler s Paradise and you can see why in this image.

7 I arrived in Matamata and found the isite center, which looks right out of the Lord of the Rings movie set, where I bought a very expensive ($75) ticket for the Hobbiton Shire tour.

8 With 20 minutes to spare, I locked up my bike, changed clothes, left my panniers at the isite storage, and jumped on the bus in the nick of time to be whisked away to the Shire.

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11 The custom woodwork and stained glass inlay on these hobbit hole windows is incredible.

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13 The detail work on these hobbit homes is amazing and all the subtle movie props are great.

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18 It must take an army of gardeners to maintain all the flowers and landscaping features.

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22 The tour guide said Peter Jackson had this tree moved here by cutting it down, numbering all the limbs, reassembling it on the hill, and then painting each leaf by hand for the movie.

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24 If you have watched the Lord of the Rings movies, than you should recognize this as the home of the lead character -- a courageous little hobbit known as Bilbo Baggins. If by chance you have not seen the movie series, I would invite you to first read The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien, the amazing novel that started it all.

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26 Joke: Why did Bilbo Baggins live for so long? Because old Hobbits die hard -- ha, ha, ha.

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38 Finally, we have arrived at the fabled Green Dragon Tavern - lets have a pint of beer.

39 You actually get a free pint of beer with the tour and the stout was absolutely fantastic.

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44 The craftsmanship and attention to detail at every turn was just amazing to experience.

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46 Taking a quite moment from my rowdy tour group, I remembered: Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you, and listen in such a way that others love to speak to you.

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48 The SobeRing Thought brand is a 1% alcohol beer that was especially drafted for filming the movie, so the Hobbiton birthday party scene could be filmed over and over without the actors getting so drunk they would forgot their lines -- ha, ha -- gotta love a drunk hobbit.

49 Back at Matamata I got my panniers out of storage and started pedaling on to Lake Rotorua.

50 Thanks for joining me to visit the Hobbiton Shire from Matamata; hope you liked the photos. Won t you join me for my next adventure to cycle the volcanically active region of Rotorua? If you LOVE this photo journal ebook, please leave a review on Amazon -- Thank You. The author, Scott David Plumlee, seen with a monkey on his head below, is an avid world traveler, photographer, and writer. He has traveled to over 40 countries, taken millions of photos, and is always willing to share his jokes, stories, and philosophies. Plumlee is also the author of the five book Chain and Bead Jewelry series, and currently loving life in Guatemala. Discover more adventures at: Visit my Amazon author page at: /e/b001js5hk0 Friend me on Facebook at: View my jewelry designs at: