Feasting like a hobbit is unlike anything I've ever experienced.

A warning, vegetarians may want to stop reading now. I'm in the Green Dragon Inn, the sprawling tavern where hobbits go to feast. And in front of me is food in every direction, it feels like half a farm has turned up.

The long wooden candlelit tables are covered in elaborate dishes; from slow-cooked lamb shanks, to a bubbling pan of Cumberland sausages, freshly cooked salmon steaks, and golden roast chickens doused in glistening gravy.

I'm sitting here harbouring two big secrets. First, I don't know anything about Lord of the Rings; my sum knowledge is a Hobbit-themed Air New Zealand safety video. Surely, in this place, that's enough to get your passport taken off you and declared an Australian.

HOBBITON The hobbit feast includes dinner and dessert, and in true hobbit fashion seconds are encouraged.

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Second big secret: up until recently I was a vegetarian. Now I'm sitting at the end of the table with a ceremonial job; to stand up in front of everyone and carve perfect pieces of meat. Among 48 carnivorous hobbit fans, I'm the equivalent of the only one dressed at a naturist colony. I'm going to be found out soon.

Hobbits love food, our guide explained with so much enthusiasm that it's just like leaving a six-year old kid to believe in Santa for one more year. He went on, "they eat six meals a day, including second breakfast and elevenses."

HOBBITON While there are many meat dishes, there are also some hearty vegetable options like roast pumpkin stuffed with chargrilled succotash.

The Banquet at Hobbiton brings those meals together in what is probably the biggest feast you'll ever see. It's so extravagant, you feel like someone is going to appear with a clapperboard and call 'action'. For me, it's about to turn into a comedy, as my secrets are found out - but I'm in denial about what happened, so I'll come back to that later.

Our day started by being let into Hobbiton for sunrise, to capture photos for this article. It's the kind of opportunity the Tolkien fandom would happily amputate a limb for. And now, I can see why.

Watching the sun emerge over the little village of 44 hobbit holes was one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever witnessed. Fog rolled in over the perfectly-green countryside, as the sun slowly lit each tiny home, starting with Bag End perched at the top overlooking The Shire.

BROOK SABIN Hobbiton Bag End sits at the top of the hill overlooking The Shire.

I turned into a believer. A believer that has no actual knowledge of the book or eleven and a half hours of the movies. But we've all got to start somewhere, I'm just reverse engineering it.

The other thing I couldn't help but be amazed with is Sir Peter Jackson's attention to detail. As you find out during the tours, to stop birds flying into the back of shots he used an eagle brought in from overseas that was trained to do circles of the set just before shooting started. The tree above Bag End is man-made, with 376,000 artificial leaves wired on. The leaves faded before filming got underway, so they were painstakingly re-painted to a darker shade of green.

BROOK SABIN The 44 hobbit holes are facades, although you can enter one.

The film set also employed 'walkers'. Their job - for weeks on end - to walk pathways that the hobbits would use to do things like hang the washing out, so there would be a naturally formed path in the lush fields come filming.

Hobbiton has mastered the art of keeping interest alive, since it opened 16 years ago. It's now much more than a tour, with new experiences like the evening banquet. The dinner is so popular, it's often booked months in advance. The tour includes a sunset walk on the set, before a night of feasting, then another tour under the stars, complete with lanterns.

BROOK SABIN Hobbiton is set on a sheep and cattle farm, and lambs occasionally graze among The Shire.

Inside the Green Dragon Inn, you're treated to a specially brewed ale or ginger beer, then all gather behind a curtain for the big reveal of the feast in the main dining hall.

So fast-forward to my unexpected journey. I'm at the end of the table, standing up to carve copious amounts of meat for my hungry table. Let's just say, instead of perfectly formed cuts, it looked like it'd been through an industrial blender. I was Mordor-ing it.

BROOK SABIN Hobbiton was taken down after filming ended on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It had to be completely rebuilt for The Hobbit movies.

Someone, feeling a little sorry for me, decided to throw me some Lord of the Rings questions as a distraction. I dug myself a hobbit-sized hole playing along, then had to admit I hadn't seen or read anything.

But actually, I wasn't alone. The guide told us sometimes up to half of the people doing a tour are new to everything Hobbiton, and like me, I'm sure it'll inspire them to go back and watch the movies. Because what happens in a little corner of a farm in Matamata is pure magic, on and off the screen.

BROOK SABIN You can warm by the fire at the Green Dragon Inn while waiting for the feast to be prepared.

More information The four-hour banquet tour, including a sunset walk of the set, a huge feast of dinner and dessert, and lantern tour costs $195 per adults. The price is less for children. See: hobbitontours.com

Staying there Broadway Motel & Miro Court Villas offers excellent accommodation, including access to a spa, from $110 a night per couple. Shuttle buses to Hobbiton can also be arranged for day tours and the evening banquet. See: broadwaymatamata.co.nz

The author was hosted by Hobbiton and Broadway Motel & Miro Court Villas.