matamata – eXtravaganzi

Hobbit Themed Green Dragon Pub Opened in Hobbiton, near Matamata, New Zealand

All fans of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies should to spend some time in the Middle Earth and discover the most picturesque private farmland in Hobbiton, near Matamata in the North Island of New Zealand, where can visit the Hobbiton Movie Set from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogy. ‘Green Dragon’ pub, featured in the famous movie is the centre piece of Matamata’s Hobbiton Tour.

Green Dragon Pub

Art director and project manager Brian Massey led the construction of the Green Dragon Pub, and a team of 80 tradespeople and landscapers have worked around the clock to get the interior of the large Green Dragon Pub completed in time for the world premiere of Sir Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The Green Dragon at Hobbiton was officially opened by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key late last month. Carefully decorated with accurate details to offer visitors a “true hobbit experience”, the Green Dragon Pub is a place where you can enjoy in either a warm Hobbit-style English beer, cold amber ale, cider and ginger ale from ceramic beer steins. Here are some interesting statistics:

100,000 visitors to Hobbiton Movie Set Tour, up from 11,000 visitors in 2002
90 per cent of people doing the tour are overseas tourists
$200,000 Matamata’s iSite transformation into a Gatehouse
$100 million Warner Bros have spent promoting the Hobbit movie

Soon, we’ll see how many people will go through the Green Dragon Pub!

The Hobbit pub is located in Hobbiton, near Matamata, New Zealand — the same location where the movies were filmed by Peter Jackson