NEW Zealand is famous for a number of things, mainly its sheep – although the lack of sheep in the Northland is surprising!
However, there is no denying that Hobbiton, the film set used in director, Peter Jackson’s movie franchise, The Lord of the Rings and then The Hobbit, is proving to be just as famous, particularly with tourists coming to the country.
I am in New Zealand as part of the SAYFC’s international exchange programme, and I plan to send back a few articles to keep everyone up to date on what I am doing as I travel around the country.
Whether you are a fan of the films or not, it’s hard to ignore the fact the set is in New Zealand, and it really is a worthwhile place to visit.
What makes this part of New Zealand particularly interesting is the landscape and the fact the set was built on a living, working farm in Matamata. 
The unit is owned by the Alexander family and is located just south of the city of Hamilton by 45 minutes.
It is hard to believe that this farm was found simply by chance, as many of the surrounding areas are also so fitting for the movies. 
When Peter Jackson began to look for suitable locations for film series, he first saw the Alexanders’ farm during an aerial search, in 1998, and concluded that the area was “like a slice of ancient England.”
Set decorator, Alan Lee, commented that the location’s hills, “looked as though Hobbits had already begun excavations,” and part of the site had a lake with a long arm, that could double up as a river.
Tour bus driver, Lois Baxter, explained: “Location scouts discovered a huge lake within the farm grounds – an important feature in the movies, and it was this that really sealed the deal for Peter Jackson and his crew.”
Work to transform the farm into the set began in March 1999, with filming starting in December 1999.
It’s easy to assume that due to the success of Hobbiton, the farmer simply retired following his good fortune, but nothing could be further from the truth. true. To this day, the farm surrounding the set is still very much in working order.
The Alexander family moved to the 500-hectare (1200-acre) property of rolling grassland, where the set is located, in 1978. 
Since then, it has been a livestock unit with no fewer than 13,000 New Zealand Romney sheep, and 300 Aberdeen Angus beef cattle. 
The main sources of income from the farm hence, are mutton, wool and beef.
Tour guide, Sam, who promised his name was not made up in honour of one of the movie franchise’s characters, explained how the farm was maintained during filming.
“It may come as a surprise that the farmer kept up the running of the farm and management of his livestock, even after the set was installed and put into action, but he was very passionate about his animals and wanted to keep his farm running as normal as possible.
“During filming, we made sure to leave enough ground for the livestock to graze on, and the farm was able to run as normal.
“We then set up a paddock which then housed a great number of farm animals, including a very special pig, all of which featured in the films.
“So although this became a film set, it was retained and maintained as a farm as much as possible.”