Wednesday marks a special milestone for New Zealand’s Hobbiton™ Movie Set.
The famous movie set, near Matamata in New Zealand’s Waikato region, has welcomed its one millionth visitor in a celebration that coincides with the very reason for its existence. As the movie set milestone was reached in the lush hills of the real Middle-earth- New Zealand, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – the final film in Sir Peter Jackson’s epic Trilogies adapting the timeless novels of J.R.R. Tolkien – was being released to the world on DVD/Blu-Ray.
Don McCormack, the Hobbiton Movie Set’s one millionth visitor, was ecstatic with his prize and couldn’t wait to send pictures to his grandson back home in America.
“It was really unexpected. We were coming just to enjoy the set, and we are excited about being the one millionth visitor. We’re die-hard fans; when the latest movie came out we had to wait in line to get tickets to go see it.”
Don McCormack
McCormack and his wife have been enjoying a trip around the North Island of New Zealand, and say Hobbiton was “unbelievably beautiful.”
“I can’t believe how much detail there is, it’s unbelievable. I’m amazed that everything around it is all real. This little piece of Middle-earth is amazing, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the rest of it.”
Hobbiton Movie Set is now one of New Zealand’s most visited tourist attractions and has become an international bucket-list travel destination.
Hobbiton Movie Set’s General Manager Russell Alexander was on-hand to welcome the one millionth visitor—Don McCormack, from Southern California—who was given an exact replica of the Trilogies’ emblematic “The One Ring,” made in Nelson, New Zealand, along with a bottle of the Green Dragon’s finest ale.
“It is a very exciting and humbling achievement to have hosted one million guests over the past thirteen years, it’s an incredible milestone. We are extremely proud of our enduring role in the real Middle-earth and we look forward to hosting many more visitors in the years to come.”
Russell Alexander
International visitor arrivals data for year ending February 2015 show holiday arrivals into New Zealand are up 7.8 per cent year on year.
For the period January to December 2014, just over 100,000 international visitors said that The Hobbit Trilogy was a factor in influencing their initial interest in New Zealand.
“The Trilogies have put New Zealand and its stunning landscapes centre stage for movie lovers world-wide, and Tourism New Zealand’s work has been to connect the landscapes of Middle-earth with the experiences of a real life New Zealand holiday.”
Kevin Bowler, Tourism New Zealand’s Chief Executive
It has been a long journey since a location scout first came knocking on the Alexander farm door in 1998. Back then, the fertile green paddocks on a quiet back country road were home to the Alexander family, and their grazing livestock – 13,500 sheep and around 400 cattle.
Hobbiton was then created by director Sir Peter Jackson to depict the home of the Hobbits for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
