Hobbit mania – A hobbit pub for hard-core fans in Hobbiton

With The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey released in Ireland today, we thought you might enjoy this hard-core fan haven, a hobbit style pub in New Zealand.

by Genna Patterson

Built in Hobbiton, the tourist village near Matamata in New Zealand, The Green Dragon features the characteristic circular doors made famous in the films and books.

The Green Dragon was named after Frodo and his friends' favourite drinking spot in the shire. In the movie The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took sing "The Green Dragon Song", such is their fondness for their watering hole.

The Green Dragon pub is sure to be a tourist draw, in the tourist village which allows access to parts of the sets used in The Lord of The Rings. The town of Hobbiton was built in 1998 and has been open to the public since 2002. The pub was constructed by an 80 man crew and was opened by NZ Prime Minister John Key at the end of November.

The manager of the Hobbiton village, Russell Alexander said he estimated the release of the new Hobbit film would help bring in 100,000 visitors over the next 12 months. It comes as good news for the tourist industry in New Zealand, which has taken a knock since dangerous earthquakes have become more frequent.

Meanwhile, it seems that The Green Dragon is not the first pub to go hobbit crazy. In 1973, a college professor, Jim Turner opened a pub in Manila, The Philippines called Hobbit House, below.

While that isn’t strange in itself, the fact that is staffed entirely by 'little people', is a tad bizarre. Apparently it is such a successful business that they have opened a second one in Boracay.

It boasts candlelit interiors and round doors too, but Hobbit House doesn’t seem as dedicated to the interiors. But hey, they have little people, just like in the Shire.