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New Zealand 6: Hobbiton!
In a hole in a ground, there lived a hobbit.
This was one glorious happy morning and noon. Incidentally, if you visited Hobbiton before the "Hobbit" movies were made, you could not see what I did. This is because the original contract between farmer Russell Alexander and the movie people stated they had to take down all sets after LotR shooting was done. This duly happened, only for masses of pilgrims to arrive anyway, so Alexander had second thoughts, put up posters where the key points had been, and wished for a second chance. Which he got when Jackson and Co. got back to film "The Hobbit", and NOW the new contract declared that not only did they have to leave the sets, but they had to build them with permanent material in the first place. Which they did. And that's why we have the entire village of Hobbiton, some 35 or so Hobbitholes, none identical to the other, all made with amazing love and detail, and I got to wonder around them. Well, me and thousands of other people, obviously. First, have an overview. Bag End is at the top. As a visitor, you work your way up there.
This is the first Hobbithole you see as you enter Hobbiton the way Gandalf does at the start of "Fellowship", and it's adorable.
As I said, they're all different, and in the movies, we only got to see them in the background. Have a closer look at some:
The cat isn't a prop, it's a real cat, and its name is Tollers. Which I love.
More Hobbitholes:
Those wood pieces are hobbit-sized, too, btw. As is the axe.
Hobbiton also has a suburb, i.e these were additional hobbitholes added when "The Hobbit" was filmed:
Back to the main town, though. Check out the bread!
And now we get to the most famous Hobbit dwelling of them all. This is the road Bilbo left on, and I was getting misty eyed.
And here we have it, with me doing my best to avoid depicting all the other tourists also shooting photos of Bag End.
Bilbo and Gandalf sat on this bank smoking:
And enjoying this view of Hobbiton below them:
That's the Green Dragon, btw, down at the lake:
Bag End's front door still carries a certain note:
One more look at the place:
Bilbo's subletter, unmentioned by Tolkien, had a gorgeous dwelling, i.e this is the Hobbithole right below Bilbo's, and no, it's not the Gamgee residence, that comes later.
Meanwhile, one of the more stoically minded Hobbits appearanlly lives here:
This is where Bilbo's birthday party was filmed. In three nights, with the kids involved being fed sweets and coke at infinitum to keep them on a sugar high and alert<.
Moving on now to Sam's. Now in the novel Sam and Rosie move into Bag End, but in "Return of the King" the movie, this is the place he returns to when saying "Well', I'm back". Check out whether you can see the gigantic butterflies which at this point where dancing around the place. I got them in more detail in my photos from Sam's neighbour's place, but they were already there chez Gamgee, which I found utterly charming. They seem to like all the flowers.
So, next door to the Gamgees:
Near Sam's, you also have this great view over the lake:
My AP loved the mill especially. He has a thing for mills and was very complimentary of how the wheel of this one worked. More mill to come later.
But first, beer:
Now, about that mill:
The Green Dragon. Note the pup's signature sign in front:
And now three more overviews of Hobbiton from below, across the lake first. I love the fishing equipment in the second, but really, I could hardly bear to tear myself away from this place. It's magical.
Long live the Shire!
This was one glorious happy morning and noon. Incidentally, if you visited Hobbiton before the "Hobbit" movies were made, you could not see what I did. This is because the original contract between farmer Russell Alexander and the movie people stated they had to take down all sets after LotR shooting was done. This duly happened, only for masses of pilgrims to arrive anyway, so Alexander had second thoughts, put up posters where the key points had been, and wished for a second chance. Which he got when Jackson and Co. got back to film "The Hobbit", and NOW the new contract declared that not only did they have to leave the sets, but they had to build them with permanent material in the first place. Which they did. And that's why we have the entire village of Hobbiton, some 35 or so Hobbitholes, none identical to the other, all made with amazing love and detail, and I got to wonder around them. Well, me and thousands of other people, obviously. First, have an overview. Bag End is at the top. As a visitor, you work your way up there.
This is the first Hobbithole you see as you enter Hobbiton the way Gandalf does at the start of "Fellowship", and it's adorable.
As I said, they're all different, and in the movies, we only got to see them in the background. Have a closer look at some:
The cat isn't a prop, it's a real cat, and its name is Tollers. Which I love.
More Hobbitholes:
Those wood pieces are hobbit-sized, too, btw. As is the axe.
Hobbiton also has a suburb, i.e these were additional hobbitholes added when "The Hobbit" was filmed:
Back to the main town, though. Check out the bread!
And now we get to the most famous Hobbit dwelling of them all. This is the road Bilbo left on, and I was getting misty eyed.
And here we have it, with me doing my best to avoid depicting all the other tourists also shooting photos of Bag End.
Bilbo and Gandalf sat on this bank smoking:
And enjoying this view of Hobbiton below them:
That's the Green Dragon, btw, down at the lake:
Bag End's front door still carries a certain note:
One more look at the place:
Bilbo's subletter, unmentioned by Tolkien, had a gorgeous dwelling, i.e this is the Hobbithole right below Bilbo's, and no, it's not the Gamgee residence, that comes later.
Meanwhile, one of the more stoically minded Hobbits appearanlly lives here:
This is where Bilbo's birthday party was filmed. In three nights, with the kids involved being fed sweets and coke at infinitum to keep them on a sugar high and alert<.
Moving on now to Sam's. Now in the novel Sam and Rosie move into Bag End, but in "Return of the King" the movie, this is the place he returns to when saying "Well', I'm back". Check out whether you can see the gigantic butterflies which at this point where dancing around the place. I got them in more detail in my photos from Sam's neighbour's place, but they were already there chez Gamgee, which I found utterly charming. They seem to like all the flowers.
So, next door to the Gamgees:
Near Sam's, you also have this great view over the lake:
My AP loved the mill especially. He has a thing for mills and was very complimentary of how the wheel of this one worked. More mill to come later.
But first, beer:
Now, about that mill:
The Green Dragon. Note the pup's signature sign in front:
And now three more overviews of Hobbiton from below, across the lake first. I love the fishing equipment in the second, but really, I could hardly bear to tear myself away from this place. It's magical.
Long live the Shire!
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