the background

As we neared Matamata, Vic began telling us a little of the background of the filming location. Located on a sheep and cattle farm owned by the Alexander family, the Hobbiton site, as it appears today, is a bit of an accident – or, perhaps to us fans, a bit of really good luck.

It all began, Vic explained, back in 1998 when helicopter scouts started combing New Zealand for possible filming locations for Peter Jackson’s massive cinematic project. The particular scout that discovered the Alexander farm had been given the task of finding a suitable location for the hobbits’ party scene, meaning he needed to find a lake or pond with a field and large tree on its shore. Fran Walsh, co-writer of the script, suggested Matamata because she remembered visiting the area as a child.

The story goes that the scout spotted the perfect site from the air, landed on the farm, and then made his way to the Alexander house to discuss filming possibilities with the owners. Ian Alexander, however, was in the middle of watching a rugby match on TV, and told the scout to “come back later.”

“Typical Kiwi,” Vic said. “A lot of us are like that though: put rugby before most things – everything if we’re playing the Aussies.” He simply shrugged his shoulders as we laughed.

“But luckily,” Vic continued, “the scout listened.”

The Alexander farm ended up being used for the whole of Hobbiton, and not just the party scene as originally intended. The fronts of the hobbit homes (in the form of hole-like dwellings) were built into the hillsides above the pond. A mill was erected on the edge of the water, gardens were planted, and an artificial tree – complete with hundreds of thousands of fake, sewn-on leaves – was placed on top of the Baggins’ home, Bag End, in accordance with the description of Bilbo’s abode from Tolkien’s books.

Perhaps inevitably, once filming began, life as usual on the Alexander farm took a turn toward the unusual. First there was the road the New Zealand Army built to make it possible for trucks and trailers to get to the site. Then came the trailers, tents, animals, props, actors, and extras. Most of it was taken care of by New Line Cinema, the production and distribution company for the films, though, and the Alexanders were able to continue operating their farm. New Line was in charge of all the building, and was also supposed to be responsible for demolition of the site after filming ended.

“But here’s where things get really interesting,” Vic said.

New Line sent a bulldozer to tear down the hobbit holes, but a particularly wet season made it impossible to reach the seventeen holes built higher in the hillsides. The driver said he would come back once the ground firmed up. Six months passed, however, and the now-bare hobbit holes remained. Ian Alexander finally rescheduled the demolition, but, less than twenty-four hours before another bulldozer was set to arrive, a rather hobbit-like man showed up on the farm: Vic James.

“Back then, no one knew that any of the holes were still standing. We all assumed they’d been destroyed,” Vic explained. “So, imagine my surprise when I took a walk down to the site to find seventeen in-tact hobbit holes!”

Vic had visited the farm in early 2001, when plans for his tour company were newly under way. He had expected to simply approach the Alexander family about bringing tour groups to the farm, but, instead, ended up playing an integral role in saving the hobbit holes from destruction, which included getting the okay from New Line itself.

“Like a lot of the private land owners we deal with, we also have a good relationship with the Alexanders,” Vic said. “We’re the only private tour company allowed to operate on the farm. Everyone else has to go through the farm tours that leave from town.”

“What about filming for ‘The Hobbit?’” Jen interjected, referring to the “Lord of the Rings” prequel film that is currently in pre-production in Wellington. “If they use this same farm again, will they still run tours?”

“Well.” Vic paused, allowing a small smile to creep into his features. “Don’t go spreading this around yet, but rumor has it they will be using the Alexander farm again for ‘The Hobbit.’ And Red Carpet Tours has been given exclusive access to the site during the rebuilding process.”

“Wow. What I wouldn’t give to be here during that!”