Cinema, began giving tours. Alas, as with most movie sets, con-
struction was temporary and removed at the end of the shoot.
Based on storyboards and insight gathered from filming, the
tours consisted of vacant hobbit holes connected by scenic
pathways with a visit to the party tree. When production came
calling to shoot The Hobbit trilogy, the Alexanders were ready.
This time, builders took two years to create the permanent con-
struction of their idyllic 17th-century English country vision.
And, in partnership with Peter Jackson, Hobbiton was born.
33,000 visitors were recorded in 2011, 232,000 in the same
time period in 2014 and 360,000 in 2016. When the operation
began, there was one staff member with Russell Alexander
helping out while still working the farm. In the first three
months of 2016, 92 staff were hired and a total of 180 people
Hobbiton, New Zealand, LOTR
&
The Hobbit Trilogies
Let's start with the granddaddy of movie production that had
an explosive impact on tourism, New Zealand's Lord of the Rings
trilogy. In 1998, director Peter Jackson spotted the Alexander
beef and sheep farm during an aerial scout in New Zealand's
Waikato region. A location scout was dispatched and a deal was
struck to use the property. The Alexanders had no idea at the
time what impact this would have on their lives. Fast-forward
20 years and, although still a working farm, it has become one
of the most visited tourist attractions in New Zealand. The nine-
month site construction built in 1999 hosted 400 workers dur-
ing production. The first film was released in 2001 and by the
end of 2002, Russell Alexander, with the permission of New Line
Hobbiton™
movie
set
photos
by
Shaun
Jeffers
