This is our third visit to New Zealand, and we decided that we really shouldn’t put off a visit to Hobbiton any longer. It is, after all, one of the things that many people associate with New Zealand.

Only one of us is a fan of The Lord of The Rings, so there was a bit of hesitancy as we boarded the bus taking us to the set. But there is so much detail that it is hard not to become enthusiastic … at least a little. Here is a small sampling of the hobbit holes on the site. Most of these are just facades, but still very impressive.

The next picture is the centerpiece of the set – Bag End, the grandest hobbit holes, with a giant oak tree on the ground above the house.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t an oak tree in this spot, so what you see now is an artificial tree. For the original Lord of The Rings movies, it had thousands of silk leaves, individually wired to the tree. In many ways, it is more impressive than a live oak tree … and the leaves don’t fall off in the winter.

Throughout the site, we were continually impressed by the attention to detail, even with the hobbit holes that were little more than a facade. This is the cheese shop. Note the cheese hanging in the window, and the oak beams of the building.

The oak tree may be artificial, but all the plants and flowers are real, and constantly maintained by the staff. The flowers attract real butterflies.

After touring all the hobbit holes facades, we had a chance to actually go inside some of them. Not very far inside, but a little.

Two years ago they added a complete hobbit hole, and we were free to go through and touch things. Suddenly we went from “impressed” to “fascinated”.

Jan finally found a table and chairs that were made for her. She could sit on the chairs with her feet flat on the floor.

Growing up, Jan played with doll houses and they had one set up on the sideboard. The guide said she was free to open it and look inside. This keeps getting better and better.

They also had a fully stocked pantry, with all of the essentials.

Near the end of the tour, we crossed the bridge to the Green Dragon Inn, for a beer or cider. It was included in the price. And the beer was definitely real, and very tasty.

The Millhouse is beside the bridge, with a working water wheel.

It had been cloudy all afternoon, but after our free beer, our guide was wrapping things up before heading for the bus. Just then, the sun came out and highlighted Bag End, showing the majesty of the setting.

It was the perfect end to the tour. We are both very pleased that we visited Hobbiton this trip.