You may have heard about hobbits through the movie series “Lord Of The Rings, or by reading about our ancient little friends on Wikipedia, especially after 2003. It was then that the bones of a species nick-named “the hobbit” was discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores. “Flores Man” hobbits are not direct relatives of modern humans. Scientists confirm that they were an entirely different species The ancient hobbits would have stood at 3.5 foot tall and their brains were roughly one-third the size of our own and lived between 100,000 and 50,000 years ago. It may be a while before we see these diminutive characters on the big screen, but you can take a tour of one of their communities such as the “Hobbiton Movie Set Tour” in New Zealand.

The website for this tour (www.hobbitontours.com) invites you to discover this once-in-a-life-time vacation in the following: “Join us and experience the real Middle-earth™ at the Hobbiton™ Movie Set, where, in the heart of the Waikato region, you can step into the lush pastures of the Shire™, as seen in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. You will be fully guided around the 12 acre set; past Hobbit Holes™, the Mill and into the world-famous Green Dragon™ Inn, where you will be presented with a complimentary, exclusive Hobbit™ Southfarthing™ beverage to conclude your own Middle-earth™ adventure.” Additional things to see and do are described here as well including tour fees.