An unexpected journey

Welcome guests brimming with new ideas near the Green Dragon inn.

Matamata Intermediate School’s Envirogroup had a big adventure at Hobbiton, absorbing the local movie magic and learning lots about sustainability.

Hobbits are well known for their hairy feet and short stature, but also for their shared love of things that grow.

In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, hobbit Bilbo Baggins reflects on this, saying: “Where our hearts truly lie is in peace and quiet, and good tilled earth.”

So, there are few places more fitting to absorb the wisdom of caring for nature and nourishing the soil than the rolling green hills of The Shire at the Hobbiton Movie Set in Matamata.

The Envirogroup from Matamata Intermediate school recently visited the set as part of the Enviroschools programme, which encourages students to explore, learn and take action towards creating a sustainable community.

Composting tips and other learnings shared at the Hobbiton conference centre.

Hosted by the team at Hobbiton, the students first got the grand tour before learning from staff how they keep the land looking so green and lush.

“They did a lot of gardening,” observed Envirogroup student Arianna Cox. “The pumpkins were really big.”

According to Hobbiton sustainability coordinator Lianne and gardener Allie, it is all about the soil.

They shared composting tips that would have made Samwise Gamgee and his old Gaffer proud, and had no shortage of wisdom about good waste management.

This inspired the students to commit to creating their own a waste reduction plan and cultivating their own garden-growing ideas back at school.

After all, as student Tilly Hopkins said, “hobbits all work together to grow food and make a better community”.

And small changes made by small folk can add up to something much greater.