Hairy Feet Scenic Film Location Tour Waitomo, New Zealand. One of the things we wanted to make sure and include on our trip to New Zealand was a tour at Hairy Feet Piopio, Hobbit Film location! This was one of our favorite New Zealand tours! We were absolutely interested in seeing amazing rock formations, the beautiful New Zealand native forest and a working farm in the picturesque Mangaotaki Valley and you get all of this and MORE at Hairy Feet.
Our 90 minute tour began around 10:00am. When you show up to sign in, the owners Warrick and Suzie Denize, take out Hobbit hats and swords and allow a little play and photo op, a great way to excite you about whats to come! The introduction video showing how the farm was transformed and then used during filming really helps put it all together for you showing how they made it all work! This third generation farm runs sheep and cattle and is dominated by Denize Bluffs, massive limestone cliffs running along the front edge of the property. The towering limestone cliffs, a primeval native forest and massive rock formations on this Piopio farm, near Waitomo became the location for Trollshaws Forest and the home of Sting.
This was such a great tour, beautiful green lands, farm lands and rolling hills to walk around, movie filming details and more! The stories and memories they share are fantastic! Can you imagine receiving the knock on the door, the visit from a location scout for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey?! How awesome for them!
In just minutes on the property you can see exactly why this location was selected and why the location and its owners are so special! Sarek was able to have his photo taken standing in the exact spot where Bilbo received his magical sword, Sting, from Gandalf. How cool?! There were a lot of photo opportunities on this tour including markers that allowed for standing where Bilbo stood, etc, it was just awesome!
We absolutely recommend this TO DO in New Zealand. It's worth the drive, worth the view, the diverse landscape you get to see and experience is just fantastic! We hope you will enjoy some of our photo tour below.
Hairy Feet Scenic Film Location Tour Waitomo, New Zealand.
Location: 1411 Mangaotaki Road, Piopio, New Zealand