A spread fit for hungry Hobbits at the Green Dragon Inn - a highlight of the Hobbiton Movie Set tour. Photo / Hamilton and Waikato Tourism
A spread fit for hungry Hobbits at the Green Dragon Inn - a highlight of the Hobbiton Movie Set tour. Photo / Hamilton and Waikato Tourism
With the full re-opening of New Zealand's borders to international visitors earlier this week, businesses in the tourism and related sectors are looking forward to a busy summer.
In between periods of Covid-related restrictions mighty locals and others from throughout the country have continued to generously support tourism businesses in the Waikato.
The return of overseas visitors is welcome sunshine, both for the sector's ongoing success and our tourism businesses' ability to continue to provide benefits for the communities they operate in, including expenditure and employment.
As part of the Waikato Herald's Mighty Local stories series, we shine a light on some of the experiences that attract locals and visitors to the Matamata-Piako District.
Hobbiton Movie Set, near Matamata, calls the region home with the rolling emerald green hills of a family sheep farm synonymous with Middle Earth. Photo / Hamilton and Waikato Tourism
Bucket list attraction, Hobbiton Movie Set, near Matamata, calls the region home with the rolling emerald green hills of the Alexander family sheep farm synonymous with Middle Earth and The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
Back in the late 1990s the farm first caught the attention of Sir Peter Jackson's team of location scouts. On the farm, they found striking similarities to The Shire, the home of the Hobbits, as described by author JRR Tolkien.
It is now two decades since Hobbiton first welcomed visitors in search of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins and their fellow Hobbits, an anniversary that will be celebrated with special events later this year. For details keep an eye on the official website hobbitontours.com Over the years, Hobbiton has developed a variety of experiences that have built a regular flow of visitors and generated benefits for the area.
Amongst them there is the guided tour of The Shire, an Evening Banquet Tour that takes place at dusk, and a Second Breakfast tour, currently available on selected weekends – so named because Hobbits, who like to eat at least seven times a day, are known to indulge in more than one breakfast.
Firth Tower was built in 1882 as a lookout and fortification. It is now a museum and well worth a visit. Photo / Hamilton and Waikato Tourism
There are also special celebrations staged regularly. Coming up is International Hobbit Day on September 22 to celebrate Bilbo and Frodo's birthdays and the Hobbiton Movie Set Beer Festival on October 28 when festival goers will be treated to the Southfarthing range of beers and ciders, crafted especially for Hobbiton by local Waikato microbrewery Good George.
Beyond Hobbiton, the surrounding areas in the Matamata-Piako district have a range of attractions and experiences for mighty locals and visitors to the Waikato to enjoy.
A stone's throw from Matamata town centre is one of several chances in the region to learn about the area's farming past.
The tower that is now the centrepiece of the iconic Firth Tower Museum was built in 1882 as a lookout and fortification. A treasure trove of machinery and other pioneering memorabilia, the museum is housed in the tower itself and in the surrounding heritage farm buildings, homestead, school, and jail. The park-like grounds are perfect for picnics, weddings and other events.
Morrinsville's Herd of Cows street art installations of life-size cow sculptures celebrate the town's dairy farming heritage. Photo / Hamilton and Waikato Tourism
About 30 minutes drive from Matamata is Morrinsville where Morrinsville Museum provides another opportunity to take a trip back in time.
Along with insights into the region's pioneering and farming past, exhibitions and displays tell of the area's connection to the legendary Māori chief Wiremu Tamihana. He was a major force in establishing the Māori King Movement (Kīngitanga) in the early 1850s to help protect against European encroachment on Māori lands at that time, as well as maintain peace amongst the different tribes.
The cycling and walking trails that thread through the district include the Hauraki Rail Trail, one of New Zealand's Great Rides.Photo / Hamilton and Waikato Tourism
For a journey into the imagination, there is the Wallace Gallery Morrinsville. Here local and national art, as well as works by international artists, is showcased. Located on the main street in the former post office the gallery also exhibits works from the influential Wallace Arts Trust collection. A special feature is the bespoke reception desk crafted by Te Aroha sculptor Adrian Worsely from recycled metal radiators that once heated the post office.
With names like Bonnie McCow, Accowntants, the Globull Cow, Peek-a-Moo, Piakcow and Ed Moocation, to name but a few, what's not to love about Morrinsville's Herd of Cows street art installations?
The life-size cow sculptures displayed around town celebrate its dairy farming heritage as well as its passion for the arts. A cow trail map from Morrinsville i-SITE information centre helps to find them all.
Image / Hamilton and Waikato Tourism
Ever popular in the Matamata-Piako district, never mind the season, are the cycling and walking trails that thread through the area.
These include the Hauraki Rail Trail, one of New Zealand's Great Rides, which is regarded by many as one of the easiest and most satisfying in the country. The 197km trail can be ridden from beginning to end in five days, or in bite-sized portions such as the Te Aroha-Matamata section that traverses the fertile Waikato plains.
A hit with mountain bikers is the Te Miro Mountain Bike Park where the varied terrain ranges from grade two to five with tracks to suit family groups as well as hard-core enthusiasts.
For those preferring to explore on their own two feet, hiking trails include the Mount Te Aroha Summit Track. Graded as medium to hard, the reward is 360-degree views out over the Waikato and Bay of Plenty – and on a clear day as far as the mountains of Ruapehu, Ngāuruhoe and Taranaki in the distance.
A hike with scenic rewards takes you to Wairere Falls; at 153m the falls are the highest in the North Island. Photo / Hamilton and Waikato Tourism
Another hike with scenic rewards is Wairere Falls, just a 10-minute drive from Matamata. At 153m, the falls are the highest in the North Island and offer hikers two options – a 45-minute walk through groves of nīkau, pūriri, and kohekohe trees to a lookout, or the more challenging climb onwards to the top of the falls.
