Composed and posted on February 9, 2015
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King was on TBS this past weekend and, being a hooked fan, I was compelled to watch it once again. This time around when the movie came to its near conclusion with the return of the Hobbits to Hobbiton, I found myself being very nostalgic about my recent trip to New Zealand and my visit to Shire. A flood of memories of the wondrous Hobbiton movie set came to mind and prompted me to see what videos might exist of the Hobbiton that I now know. Here is the best that I found:
After watching the video, you too may desire to visit the Shire and relive memories of adventures of yore. For those who are able and so inclined, I can testify that it is a journey well worth taking.
However, in my travels in New Zealand, I was actually surprised to discover another Hobbit like town on the Southern Island that was not the product of fiction but of fact. On the way to Queenstown, we rode through the quaint mining town of Arrowtown. I read about there being a Chinese mining settlement in Arrowtown and became intrigued so the next day we went back to find a history of a somewhat diminutive people who quiet literally spent a great part of their lives living in holes on the side of the mountains. You can read a bit about Arrowtown at
and see a bit more at
In my memories of New Zealand, both settlements left indelible images and both were inspiring. However, whereas today there are no Hobbits in Hobbiton, there are thousands of Chinese who managed to come out of their mountain holes and create a community and a legacy that endures to this day. They were able to do so not so much based on their mining skills but based on their culinary culture which relied upon the raising of copious amounts of fruits and vegetables which the Chinese miners soon began to sell to their Caucasian neighbors. Quite remarkable.
Peace,
Everett "Skip" Jenkins
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