Last weekend the long-anticipated words ‘Take One!’ were finally heard at a sheep and beef farm near Matamata as the filming of Peter Jackson’s two-film epic of The Hobbit began!
On Sunday 20 March dwarf kings Thor and Thrain assembled for the very first day of the world’s current most expensive film production. In the past months Hobbiton has been recreated near Matamata and rehearsals got under way for Martin Freeman (playing main character Bilbo Baggins) and his fellow actors. In The Hobbit, Bilbo has to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor which has been conquered by the dragon Smaug. The journey will take Martin Freeman and the crew all across New Zealand, with exact film locations yet to be confirmed.
If you want to follow The Hobbit news, you can check out Peter Jackson’s brand-new Facebook page or keep an eye on the official Hobbit Blog. But better even than looking at the latest production pictures and reading up on Hobbit news, is following in the footsteps of Bilbo! Whether down in Queenstown or up in Wellington, browse our list of special interest tours for Lord of the Rings tours and get to see all those world-famous film locations. Or why not go on your own epic Lord of the Rings journey? Hire a car or campervan and go on the road trip of a lifetime past Mount Doom (Mount Ruapehu), Hobbiton (Matamata) and the Eregion Hills and Pillars of Argonath (Queenstown region)!
