The shire is real, you know. On any given day, you can approach the door to Bag End, and stand poised to knock as if you might ask if you could join for dinner and an expedition.
Tucked away in the jewel-toned hills of New Zealand, Hobbiton (the Lord of the Rings movie set) is a stunningly detailed, functioning miniature village. As I left Matamata and made my way towards the grey mist hanging over the rolling slopes, I wondered if the set would be kitschy and disappointing; if it would feel cheap and plastic and hang a similar ashen pall over the books I adored so much. And yet... the chance to have a mug of ale at the Green Dragon was too delightful to pass up.
I descended on a winding road between the hummocks of emerald grass, and the edges of the shire revealed themselves slowly as I went.
The entire site is completely enveloped by the verdant landscape — if not for the endless parade of tour buses, you'd have no idea that any of the hobbit holes were there at all. As I stepped to the edge of the path that meandered towards the famous front door hidden in the shade of the massive tree, the sun began to move from behind the clouds and I was treated to — honestly — a complete fantasy. I was so incredibly excited that I'd brought a toy-camera style tiltshift lens with me, as I personally think the results are so charming and apropos. I will absolutely be sharing more traditional photos of the full grounds and close-ups of the holes, but for this weekend, I hope these convey the whimsy and childlike joy I experienced walking among the tiny fruit-bearing trees and alongside scaled down benches on the lake's edge.
When I look at these photos I feel the sun on my face and smell hints of fresh, wet grass. The tiltshift toy effect isn't always my favourite, but in this case, I love the fantasy of it all.
Sitting outside of Bag End reading a dog-eared, hard-loved, 1976 first Canadian edition copy of The Hobbit, looking up into the branches of the shade tree filtering the light onto the steps where we first saw Bilbo leave on a great adventure...was a surreal and wonderful thing. When we come back to the shire, I'll show you some more detailed photos taken with my regular rig, and lead you through the Green Dragon inn.
All of these photos are my own, taken on my travels all over this pretty blue marble of ours. I hope you like them. 🌶️
