Public Art In Matamata

Tourists would be forgiven for thinking they have arrived at Hobbiton when entering the rural town of Matamata, in New Zealand, as everywhere you look there are little reminders that it was once the filming location for the Hobbit village in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Matamata, meaning ‘headland”, was established in 1830 by Te Waharoa, the famous Ngatihaua chief. Of course, there is a statue of Gollum here.