WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 2 2016 issue

farm family tending 13,500 sheep and around
400 cattle, suddenly thrust into a storybook that
dramatically changed their lives and fortunes.
The story began on normal Saturday afternoon
in 1998 on the Alexander family farm
near Matamata, New Zealand, when there was
a knock on the door by a “fairy godfather.” The
stranger happened to be a film location scout for
Sir Peter Jackson who would be directing The
Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Jackson had spotted
the farm during and aerial search of film sites.
The Alexander sheep and beef farm in the
bucolic rolling hills of the Waikato region fit
perfectly with Jackson’s vision for the “Shire.”
There was a large established pine tree, later renamed
“the party tree,” ideally placed in front of
the lake. The surrounding farmland was free of
highways, modern buildings and power lines
making it perfect for Hobbit homes.
The Alexanders’ and Jackson came to an
agreement and set construction began in
16 Wine Dine & Travel 2016