Here you will find the latest news and happenings from the Hobbiton Movie Set.
You can also catch up with us on Twitter and Facebook!
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17th December 2012
The Green Dragon Inn is now open for business and is a feature of our
tours. All tours groups have the opportunity to visit the inn and
receive a complimentary refreshment.
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29th November 2012
Hobbiton Movie Set is pleased to announce The Green Dragon Inn was
officially opened today by The Prime Minister of New Zealand, The Rt Hon
John Key. There to help was the CEO of Tourism New Zealand (Kevin
Bowler) and the General Manager of Shire Tours (Russell Alexander). A
few dwarves also turned up to sample the ale!
From 01 December 2012 all tour groups will now visit the Inn as part of
their tour and have the opportunity to walk inside and partake of a
liquid refreshment.
More details to follow very shortly, including information about our ales, meals and opportunities for groups.
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Hobbiton Movie Set & Farm Tours is operating as normal. The set has been completely rebuilt and will remain as it was seen in the Lord of the Rings movies for all tourists to visit.
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16th December 2011
Our New Store is Officially Open
We are pleased to announce the opening of our new store and ticketing centre situated below The Shires Rest Cafe. Our shop is chock full of goodies to tempt both the enthusiast and casual shopper.
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18th April 2011
Targa Rally on Sunday 5th June 2011
The Targa Rally will be taking place on Buckland Rd on Sunday 5th June 2011 with some disruption to our tours occurring. Our live tour booking information has been updated accordingly.
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10th February 2011
HOBBITON MOVIE LOCATION TO BECOME JOINT VENTURE WITH SHIRE TOURS
Sir Peter Jackson’s Wingnut Films Productions Limited and Rings Scenic Tours Limited are pleased to announce that they have entered into a joint venture arrangement to allow movie fans to visit the newly reconstructed film set which is located near Matamata. The new venture will be known as Shire Tours. The companies have been working towards this agreement for some time, and the joint venture came into effect on January 24th, 2011.
The set, originally designed by the Art Department of THE LORD OF THE RINGS films, has recently been rebuilt at the original location on the Alexander Farm on Buckland Road, Matamata. It will be used again for the filming of the two films based on THE HOBBIT late in 2011, during which time the location will be closed to the public.
Since the first tour in 2002, an estimated 200,000 visitors have been to visit the location. The site also has The Shires Rest Cafe and a Function Centre which was opened in December 2004 by former Prime Minister, Helen Clark.
Sir Peter Jackson said, “We are really excited to be able to offer fans of the films the chance to walk around and explore this beautifully crafted set, which is a centerpiece of both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.”
Russell Alexander, General Manager of Shire Tours said “I’m delighted to be involved. This is a wonderful movie location and I look forward to introducing visitors to a truly unique experience.”
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24 November 2010
We are pleased to announce our revamped website. The main differences are a new "booking engine" that will allow for a speedier service whilst you make reservations with us.
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26 January 2010
Come to the Movies at Hobbiton Movie Set
It's over twenty years since Matamata residents have had the opportunity to "go to the flicks" in their home town.
In a first for Matamata this week an outdoor cinema will be featuring two of the latest blockbuster films on the largest outdoor screen in the country. Auckland based Openair Cinema and The Shires Rest Cafe have joined forces to present the Golden-Globe winning Avatar this Friday followed by the family hit Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on Saturday night.
Utilising the natural amphitheatre-like paddock next door to The Shires Rest Cafe on Buckland Road, the 18 metre wide, 11 metre high screen will provide a unique venue to watch the films.
"I am very excited to bring the magic of outdoor film to Matamata and I urge everybody to come and see Avatar under the light of the stars of Pandora", said the owner of Openair Cinema, Urs Bauer. It is a social event and a great opportunity for Waikato locals to see two great films. Just bring along a bean-bag, chair or rug and relax in the warm summer air, Urs said.
We started operating in Summer 2003/4 at the Viaduct Harbour in Auckland City and since then our mobile unit has travelled up and down the country with screenings from the Bay of Islands to Queenstown. We have hosted many New Zealand premieres of international films at different locations. Our biggest event was a viewing of King Kong in 2006 to over 1200 people.
The Openair cinema is very popular in Auckland and we are running the 'Movies in Parks' for Auckland City and 'Movies by Moonlight' for North Shore City.
The quality of the film is excellent, it is true 35mm. We have yet, however, to develop our system for 3-D.
As part of the event, The Shires Rest Cafe will be open for meals before the films start at 8-30pm. A special cinema buffet dinner will be available along with favourites from the blackboard menu.
No visit to the movies would be complete without jaffas, ice-cream and popcorn, so the Shires Rest team will be operating a special booth at the venue offering these items along with smoothies, beer, wine, soft-drink and many other confectionary items.
The event is sure to be popular so it is recommended that movie-goers plan to arrive well before the films commence. Tickets are purchased at the gate and are cash only (no Eftpos available).
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15 December 2009
Website Changes
Over the last weeks we have been adding some images and changing a few things on our website. This is work in progress and we hope you enjoy it!