About this site

Middle Earth Journey is an independent, fan-made guide to the most famous filming location on Earth — the green hills of Matamata, New Zealand.

What this is

This is a story site. It tells the history of one piece of land, in seven short chapters, from sheep farm to scouting flight to permanent set. We don’t sell tours. We don’t take bookings. We don’t speak for any production company or rights holder.

What this isn’t

We are not affiliated with the official tour operator, the Alexander family, Wingnut Films, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros., Middle-earth Enterprises, the Tolkien Estate, or any other rights holder. The names “Hobbiton,” “Bag End,” “Bilbo,” “Frodo,” “The Shire,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Hobbit,” and “Middle-earth” are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. They are referenced here for descriptive, editorial purposes only.

If you want to visit the actual location, the only company authorised to run tours is Hobbiton Movie Set Tours. Our locations page includes the address; bookings go through them, not us.

Sources

The factual claims on this site come from publicly available materials: location operator press kits, New Zealand Film Commission archives, regional Waikato records, published interviews with the production team, and on-location reporting. Where a number is given (acres, dates, distances) we’ve used the figures cited by the location operator unless an older record contradicts them.

Contact

Corrections, sources, and reasonable requests welcome. Email hello@middleearthjourney.com.

© 2026 Middle Earth Journey. Independent editorial site. All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.