Tourists are binge-watching Sir Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies on smartphones and tablets as they take in the sights of Middle-earth.
British backpacker Hannah Flowers, 19, fell in love with Middle-earth when she arrived in New Zealand for a whistle stop North Island tour in April.
Hairy Feet Waitomo’s Suzie Denize, seen with husband Warrick, says media streaming has benefited tourists.
“I wasn’t a fan, but a lot of people who are close to me are massive fans,’” said Flowers.
“A flight to New Zealand sounded like a perfect time. As they were readily available on Netflix, I downloaded them and began watching The Lord of The Rings trilogy on my flight.”
She completed The Hobbit Trilogy while backpacking.
A visit to Hobbiton was inevitable. Half of the hundreds of thousands of visitors have not read the books or seen the films.
“Hobbiton was really interesting, and the attention to detail was the selling point, especially in the Hobbit holes that you can enter. The atmosphere and the tour guides brought the place to life, and it did feel like stepping into another world. “
She paid $120 to enter.
Inside a Hobbit hole
“It was well worth the entry price, even more so compared to the UK, where novelty attractions such as this are priced around the same, if not more. I would recommend it to anyone visiting NZ, and if I come back, I will be visiting Hobbiton again.”
“The ability to access films on-the-go has been a benefit to movie locations,” said Hairy Feet Waitomo Scenic Film Location Tour owner Suzie Denize.
The King Country location near Piopio was used in The Hobbit films, and film crews returned for three episodes of the first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
“Visitors love to ‘be in the scenes’ that they see on their device,” she said. Our tours are longer than before, as we have more film locations to share with guests, since The Rings of Power filmed here. We’re always tweaking and adding to our experience; whether it’s a new pathway, prop, or story.”
Denize said most Hairy Feet Waitomo guests booked well in advance from Europe, North America, and Australasia.
“When they land in New Zealand, they tend to have an itinerary as to where they are going, what activities they will do and where they will be staying.”
Middle-earth location guidebook sales have increased, says author Ian Brodie.
Middle-earth location guidebook author Ian Brodie said easy access to the films and television series via streaming services allowed visitors to look at particular scenes and identify those they wish to visit.
“New Zealand is now indelibly stamped as Middle-earth and the countries continued star role in other films and television series just furthers the country and its landscape.”
He was seeing more sales per annum than there had been for quite a while.
“The interest is still just as poignant. We are dealing with beautiful parts of the country, so they are always at the forefront of people’s location choices.”
Hobbiton “well worth the entry price” says backpacker Hannah Flowers.
