The Hobbit: discovering New Zealand

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:45:24 +0000

It was perhaps the most anticipated film of the year, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, out for only a week and already breaking box-office records. Personally I had been eagerly awaiting it — I loved The Lord of the Rings intensely when it came out, and I knew that this time too Peter Jackson would not disappoint me! I will not recount the film here because I don’t want to spoil the experience for those who have not yet seen it, but I can certainly say that, in my view, it is absolutely marvellous! The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first part of the new trilogy inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien and is the prequel to The Lord of the Rings; indeed, the book The Hobbit was written chronologically first. This trilogy too was filmed almost entirely in that marvellous country that is New Zealand — capable of making anyone dream, even those who are not fans of the fantasy genre. If The Lord of the Rings already made you want to pack your bags and go in search of those vast green hills, this film will make you want to even more!

Production photo from "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

Let us look together at what a possible itinerary might be for discovering New Zealand while reliving the magic of dwarves, elves, wizards and hobbits. The easiest way to begin this tour is to fly into Auckland, New Zealand’s most populous city with over 1.4 million inhabitants, located on the North Island. From there the first stop can only be Hobbiton! The village is genuinely visitable, since the perfectionist director Peter Jackson had it built at Matamata in the Waikato region. You can stroll along the paths trodden by Gandalf the Grey, climb gradually up the hill until you reach Bilbo Baggins’s house, genuinely built in stone and wood, from where his long adventure began.

Nuova Zelanda on nhaima

The Hobbit: discovering New Zealand