Matamata is a rural Waikato town in New Zealand with a total population of around 12,000 (6,000 in rural areas, 6,000 in the township). It is located near the base of the Kaimai Ranges, and is a thriving farming area known for bloodstock. It is part of the Matamata Piako district Matamata-Piako District Council, taking in the surrounding rural areas as well as Morrinsville and Te Aroha. Image File history File links Location map of Matamata, New Zealand File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 2304 KB) Summary Description: The Welcome to Hobbiton sign was placed in Matamata, NZ after the filming of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy as Peter Jackson chose this site for the Shire. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 2304 KB) Summary Description: The Welcome to Hobbiton sign was placed in Matamata, NZ after the filming of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy as Peter Jackson chose this site for the Shire. ... Waikato is the name of a region in the North Island of New Zealand. ... The Kaimai Range is a mountain range located in the North Island of New Zealand. ... Categories: New Zealand geography stubs | Waikato | Territorial Authorities of New Zealand ... Morrinsville is a town in the Waikato region of New Zealands North Island. ... Te Aroha is a rural town in the Thames Valley region of New Zealand with a population of around 3,700 (2001 census). ...

A nearby farm was the location for the Hobbiton set in Peter Jackson's film trilogy of The Lord of the Rings. A "Welcome to Hobbiton" sign has been placed on the main road. By a weird coincidence, the world's only other Matamata - Matamata, Tunisia - was a site used during filming of George Lucas's Star Wars trilogy. In J.R.R. Tolkiens Middle-earth legendarium, the Shire is subdivided into several regions. ... Peter Jackson CNZM (born October 31, 1961) is a three-time Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA winning New Zealand filmmaker best known as the director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which he, along with his long time partner, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens adapted from the novels... This article is about the novel by J. R. R. Tolkien. ... George Lucas filmed part of Star Wars (1977) near here ... George Walton Lucas, Jr. ... This article is about the series. ...

Matamata is also the home of various media outlets, including studios for *Geyser TV *FamilyTV Waikato.BOP, *FamilyTV Rotorua and *UGM 88.2fm Matamata // unusual for a town of such size.

New Zealand Representatives

• Anne Taylor - Silver Fern
• Casey Williams - Silver Fern
• Lance O'Sullivan - Jockey
• Leslie Harris - Silver Fern

Media

• Matamata Chronicle
• FamilyTV
• UnderGround Music (UGM 88.2fm Matamata)

Schools

Secondary Schools/Colleges

• Matamata College

Intermediate Schools

• Matamata Intermediate

Primary Schools

• Firth Primary School
• Matamata Primary School

Pre School & Kindergarten

• Mill Crescent Kindergarten
• Rawhiti Kindergarten

Religion Based Schools

• Matamata Christian School
• St Joseph Catholic School

External links

• Firth Tower Historical Museum
• Hobbiton Movie Set Tours
• Matamata Information Website
• Another Matamata Information Website
• Tourism Waikato

See also

• List of towns in New Zealand

This is a list of towns in New Zealand. ...

Other villages in Matamata area

• Hinuera
• Peria
• Turanga-moana
• Te Poi
• Waharoa
• Walton
• Wardville

Coordinates: 37°49′S 175°46′E Te Poi is a small village in rural Waikato, New Zealand, nestled at the base of the scenic Kaimai Ranges. ... Waharoa // Schools External links Local Businesses See also List of towns in New Zealand Other villages in Waharoa area Hinuera Matamata Peria Turanga-moana Te Poi Waharoa Walton Wardville Categories: New Zealand geography stubs | Waikato | Cities and towns in New Zealand ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...