The Hobbit

The Hobbit holes have been given a spruce-up and filming for the LOTR prequel The Hobbit has now started. The two Hobbit movies are shot in digital 3D using the latest stereo and camera technology and are the world’s most expensive movies currently in the making!

Details of the filming of The Hobbit are top secret. It’s unknown which scenes are being shot first and which Hobbit stars are involved, but the destination-nz.com team has gathered some special LOTR and The Hobbit insider info for you. If you want a glimpse of Hobbiton, head to the now world-famous sheep and beef Alexander Farm just outside Matamata in the Waikato region. Sir Peter Jackson discovered this rolling countryside more than a decade ago and it has come a long way since. The Alexander family opened the café The Shires Rest and their Hobbiton Movie Set & Farm Tour has become a must-see attraction for LOTR fans. As filming proceeds they will work around the Hobbit production timelines and continuously offer tours of the Hobbiton movie set. Imagine walking in the footsteps of the likes of Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins), and Kiwi actors Jeffrey Thomas (Thror) and Mike Mizrahi (Thrain) just days after they have been filming!

If you want to go star spotting, Wellington (especially movie suburb Miramar) is a hot-spot. Stars like Martin Freeman, James Nesbitt and Sir Ian McKellen have been bowling at local alley The Lanes, dressed up as a chicken for the NZI Sevens rugby tournament and supporting local actors at Downstage Theatre respectively. And with Andy Serkis (Gollum), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Orlando Bloom (Legolas) and Elijah Wood (Frodo) lined up as cast for The Hobbit you might just meet that superstar on your New Zealand travels!

Of course LOTR and Hobbit experiences aren’t just limited to the Waikato region and Wellington. While other film locations for The Hobbit are yet to be revealed, there are various tours of LOTR sites all over New Zealand and you can, of course, discover them independently on a New Zealand backpacking trip. Click here for some of the most famous LOTR film location sites. Or why not get a feel for a Hobbit’s farming life out in the country by booking an authentic New Zealand farm stay? At Woodlyn Park in Waitomo you can step it up a notch and even stay in a Hobbit hole in the world’s first Hobbit Motel!

Finally, The Hobbit movies are planned for release in late 2012 and late 2013. But till then there are many other famous Kiwi movies you can watch and there are great boutique cinemas all over New Zealand which offer you much more than your regular popcorn big screen experience. And with regards to updates on The Hobbit, you can follow Peter Jackson’s brand-new Facebook page or keep an eye on the official Hobbit Blog.