Maintaining Home

In The Settler’s Plot, Alex Calder uses the example of the “100% Pure” campaign to show how nature and tourism have become intricately linked in New Zealand. As he puts it, the natural environment of New Zealand has become “faintly kitsch and increasingly bound up with the promotion of tourism” (Calder 24). There is a faint undertone of discomfort with New Zealand as a place for tourists rather than for New Zealanders. This discomfort is compounded by the controversy on the South Island over land use. According to Te Ara, lobby groups on the South Island are concerned that land that was once for New Zealanders is now being taken over by high paying tourist developments. Where New Zealanders could once hike or bike or bird watch in peace, the land and the attractions have become very expensive and crowded, or, at least, that is the concern of the South Islanders. Many people on the North Island, however, seem to have a different perspective. I spoke to one woman at Hobbiton, the tourist attraction outside Rotorua where many of the Shire scenes from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were filmed. She is from the town just outside of the Alexander’s farm, where the Shire was built, and she works for the attraction. 

Hobbiton is the epitome of a tourist attraction that disrupts the daily lives of the people who live in the area. The once idyllic pastoral setting, nothing more than a few very small towns and a 1250 acre farm, has been filled with buses and screaming children. The once endless farm land, ringed by forested mountains, is now disrupted by a large, colorful, fenced off area where only people on paid, guided tours are allowed. Even the birds seem uninterested in the large trees that can be found throughout the Shire. Yet, no one seems to mind. The Alexanders still run their farm and locals didn’t seem anymore annoyed than anyone would be at the end a long shift at work. The reason is, according to the woman I spoke with, simply that they believe that tourism is good for New Zealand. She said she was thrilled to always be meeting new and different people where once there was only a small rural community

Most importantly though, Hobbiton has created a lot of jobs. When I asked if she thought it was only good for the government and the people who owned the different attractions, or if the locals benefited as well, she very enthusiastically responded that everyone gained something. Most of the people working there have grown up in the area. The tourism allows them to make money and contribute without leaving, and this isn’t just a local phenomenon. She believed that tourism was good throughout New Zealand because it created a growing number of jobs when many people are looking for work. She did mention the South Island controversy, without my prompting, but she almost seemed to think it was a bit selfish on their part. As she put it, “People [tourists] have found something they [the South Islanders] thought belonged to them.” While she was very cheerful and did admit to understanding the frustration tourism can bring, she definitely does not agree with the New Zealand for New Zealanders viewpoint and did not seem particularly thrilled with those who do. As we spoke further, it became apparent why she can hold this view even though daily life has been disrupted. 

In the course of our conversation, Harry Potter World, the Universal Studios theme park, came up in comparison to Hobbiton. While both are crowded and full of non-locals, Harry Potter World, unlike Hobbiton, was created for tourists. On the other hand, the Alexanders simply chose to share what was already there with a greater number of people. This seems to be the difference between tourist spaces in New Zealand and tourist spaces in other parts of the world. In New Zealand, the mountains, trails, reserves, and parks are what people are invited to see and enjoy. In many places, theme parks, artificial beaches, tourist targeted performance spaces are the focus. Hobbiton could easily have become that. The Alexanders could have built roller coasters and shopping areas and a giant Smaug with whom people could take pictures, but they didn’t. The woman I spoke to made it very clear that they did not want Hobbiton to become Harry Potter World. They want to keep their farm with its open pastures, sheep, and unobstructed views. They just want to share it with others, always maintaining what they call home.

Works Cited:

Calder, Alex. "Nature and the Question of Pakeha Turangawaewae." The Settler's Plot: How Stories Take Place in New Zealand. Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2011. Print. 3-30.

McAloon, Jim. "Story: Land Ownership." Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Crown, 13 July 2012. Web. 7 Jan. 2016. <http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/land-ownership/page-8>.

Thank you to Jennifer Weinstein for the use of her photo of Hobbiton.