This post is part of my New Zealand trip series. To learn more about the trip as a whole, check out my previous post: How we Planned a Three Week Trip to New Zealand with a Five Month Old.
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When we went, it was the same day that we had landed in New Zealand. The because the flight is overnight, we slept on the plane. So when we landed, the first thing that we did was rent a car and drive to Hobbiton. We chose to do the Movie Set Tour + Lunch Combo (I highly recommend purchasing your tickets to these tours well in advance). This ended up being an excellent choice for multiple reasons. First, because our last meal was breakfast on the airplane. By the time, we had driven to Hobbiton and taken the tour, we were ready to eat. The second reason, the food served at Hobbiton was the best food we had in the entire country or New Zealand. That is right, we could not find another establishment in the entire country that had better food.
Truth be told, neither Matt nor I are Lord of the Ring fans. In fact, no one in our families are even remotely Lord of the Ring Fans. With that said, when I say that we really enjoyed our visit to Hobbiton, you can trust our review. Before our visit, Matt and I were worried that the tour would be rather gimmicky or kind of like a tourist trap. This tour was anything but. We quickly found that all of our presumptions were wildly incorrect.
First, we were very impressed with how well the property is maintained. We enjoyed the staging and unique character of every Hobbit home. At the time we visited Hobbiton, Bagshot Row was under construction. Sadly, we did not get a chance to see it. Bagshot Row is about 2-3 hobbit holes that originally had no interior. At the time of our visit, they creating an interior for these buildings. These interiors are now open to tours and include everything, even running water. This is certainly something that we would love to go back to see.
All in all, whether you are a hard core Lord of the Rings fan, foodie, or just someone looking for a unique experience, be sure to stop at Hobbiton during your trip to New Zealand. Your experience in Hobbiton, is truly and experience that you will never forget.
Vacation Like a Local 
[…] 3: land in Auckland, visit Hobbiton, spend night in […]
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