February, 2023

Jeff has always been a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien books so the only excursion option in Tauranga was a visit to the Hobbit movie set.

We booked The Hobbiton Tour with Cruise Tours Tauranga and had a fantastic day with a tremendous guide. The Hobbiton filming location is built on a farm about an hour from the port through some beautiful countryside and the town of Tauranga.

Of course, when you arrive at the farm you get to check in at the gift shop first (they copied a page out of the Disney playbook). Here, you can buy just about anything you can imagine that is Hobbit related and the sandwich shoppe has some really tasty treats. Then, it’s back onto the bus for your trip to The Shire.

Once you arrive at The Shire, you will do a bit of walking during the next 1 – 1 ½ hour as you are guided through the homes and local area. The guides are excellent and seem to know every single detail about this area from farm ground to Hobbit movie setup to the current tourist attraction.

Let’s just say it was amazing and we hope you enjoy your visit through our pics.