I’m not a huge Lord of the Rings fan. I read the Hobbit back in junior high, and saw the movies when they came out. I don’t particularly remember any of it that well. Still, I thought it would be fun to visit the movie set where all the scenes for The Shire were filmed, and where scenes from the Hobbit will be filmed. The set is totally prepared for filming on The Hobbit to start, but it was pushed back for a few months so they opened it up for tourists.
It was interesting, but a little bit pricey. The family that owns that farm where they built the set really hit the jackpot when the area was selected for filming. Originally the set was going to be completely dug up and destroyed after the first 3 movies were filmed, and the demolition had started. It got held up for some reason, and during that time people starting stopping by asking to see it. So from there the family negotiated with the studio to keep the set be able to provide tours. After something like 6 months of negotiations they reached an agreement. Voila! Instant money maker. They currently charge upwards of $66NZD for about a 3hr tour.
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| The only photo we're allowed to post online. |
They took us around all the little hobbit holes, and pointed out where different scenes were filmed. We got to see Bilbo Baggins place, and 5 brand new hobbit holes that haven’t been filmed yet. The Hobbit house fronts are just a facade, and behind the doors just a small storage area. We weren’t allowed to touch anything since it’s still going to be used for filming.
We also had to sign a confidentially agreement to not put any pictures up on the internet (since filming isn’t completed). So sadly I can’t pots any pictures on the blog or on facebook. Apparently the studio has already gone after a few families for posting pictures online and they’ve been issued huge fines. I definitely don’t want that happening.
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| The confidentiality agreement. |
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