Located a little more than two hours from Auckland, New Zealand - in the hills between Hamilton and Rotura, Hobbiton really does kind of exist.

Built for the original Lord of the Rings trilogy and then mostly torn down, the set was meticulously re-built for the Hobbit trilogy with the express intent of making it available to the general public for tours once principal photography was completed.

For $75 NZD (roughly $55 USD these days)...

Yep.

I ended up doing the Shire twice - with the visiting family in 2013 and then again in 2014 with a fellow traveler.

The few pictures included here definitely do not do the place justice. And no, the beers in the Pub aren't that great (they're alcohol free).