Thor: Love & Thunder Director Taika Waititi’s ‘Hobbit Hole’ Tours Are Incredible

Thor: Love & Thunder director Taika Waititi has both box office success and award-worthy acclaim as a director – not to mention some serious street cred as a geek culture icon. Well, if this whole directing/acting/producing thing doesn’t work out, Waititi may have another career path: tour guide! Fans are currently getting a kick out of seeing Taika take a tour of The Hobbit shire that was used in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit & Lord of the Rings movie franchises – and with good reason. No one has quite the same level of spirit and enthusiasm as Taika Waititi when it comes to showing off these “Hobbit Holes.” 

The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films made New Zealand famous across the world, as Peter Jackson and co. seemed to turn the entire region into one massive set (and tourist video) for Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit’s massive, multi-year shoots. LotR and The Hobbit Trilogies were such big successes that they left behind a lucrative legacy of tourism attraction for New Zealand, with the Hobbiton movie set as a shining centerpiece.

 Taika Waititi is a very proud New Zealander, and his ruminations on native people, colonization, and identity have in fact defined some of his most popular recent works, whether it was the popcorn blockbuster of Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok, or the Oscar-winning WWII dramedy Jojo Rabbit. Waititi’s work with Marvel (Thor 3 and Thor 4) and Star Wars (The Mandalorian and his own upcoming film project) has also made him a major geek culture fan-favorite – so really, having him do these Hobbit Tours is awesome on multiple levels. He brings the unabashed geek joy to the experience and gets to be a son of New Zealand proudly showing off his country and its achievements. 

Here’s more about Hobbiton, if you’d like to plan a tour of the set: 

In 1998, Sir Peter Jackson’s team of location scouts were searching for the iconic rolling hills and lush green pastures of Hobbiton™. An aerial search led them to the Alexander farm, a stunning 1,250 acre sheep farm in the heart of the Waikato. They noted the area’s striking similarity to The Shire™, as described by JRR Tolkien, and quickly realised that the Hobbits™ had found a home.

In one particular part of the farm, a magnificent pine tree towered over a nearby lake, adjacent to a rising hill. Bag End now sits atop that hill, overlooking the Party Tree, as that pine would later be known. The surrounding areas were untouched; no power lines, no buildings and no roads in sight. This meant that Sir Peter Jackson could leave the 20th century behind, and fully submerge himself in the fantasy world of Middle-earth™.

In March 1999 the crew began the nine month quest to bring the ideas for Hobbiton to fruition; help was provided by the New Zealand Army, and soon 39 temporary Hobbit Holes™ were scattered across the 12 acre plot used for the set. Secrecy was key, and strict security measures were put in place by the production company throughout construction and filming. Filming commenced in December 1999, and it took around three months to get a wrap on The Shire.

After an initial attempt at demolition, 17 bare plywood facades remained. These shells would serve as the catalyst that propelled Hobbiton forward into the public eye, with guided tours commencing in 2002.

In 2009, Sir Peter Jackson returned to film The Hobbit trilogy, and he left behind the beautiful movie set you’ll see today; 44 permanently reconstructed Hobbit Holes, in the same fantastic detail seen in the movies. In 2012 The Green Dragon™ Inn was opened as the finale to the journey. Guests now finish their Hobbiton Movie Set experience with a refreshing beverage from the Hobbit™ Southfarthing™ Range. There’s an abundance of movie magic nestled inside the fully operational farm.

Taika Waititi will be back with Thor: Love and Thunder in theaters on July 8th.