TRAVEL New Zealand

New Zealand has one of the most majestic landscapes in the world. With it's flowing lakes, rivers and snowy mountain peaks, it is a place that has been kept mostly pristine from the outside world.

Dr. Michael McManmon has travelled the world and recently visited the famed Shire from the "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" trilogies, directed by Peter Jackson.

There and Back Again: A Trip to Hobbiton

Set amongst the rolling, green hills of Matamata, New Zealand, lies the Hobbiton Movie Set from the award-winning "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" trilogies. "The Shire" can only be seen by booking a tour. Take a half hour ride off of the main roads and you encounter these magical hills, which are seemingly formed by giants.

When I booked the tour, I thought I would see a few burrows where these mythical creatures, the hobbits, lived, but I was surprised by the beauty of the hobbit holes.

The entire set is like a village lost in time. The landscape is out of this world and even the man made tree on the set looks authentic.