New Zealand Part 4 - Hobbiton

J & A outside Bag End

    What could I possibly say about Hobbiton that an avid moviegoer wouldn't know? As most of you probably know, Hobbiton was built on a hillside on a sheep farm near Matamata (which is incidentally where J's mum was born!). When it was constructed originally for the Lord of the Rings films, it was meant to be a temporary installation (as movie sets tend to be), and while the holes left in the hillside remained, everything else was removed upon the film's completion. The story of how it became a tourist site is a simple one. Friends of the landowners were curious to see, so the owners gladly showed them around. It didn't take long to wonder if others might be curious about it too. And so, they started running tours of the set. J went on one such tour several years ago when it looked something like this:

Pic borrowed from Wikipedia. Also... sheep!

    When it was announced that "The Hobbit" would be making its entry into the film world, of course the filmmakers came back to the farm intent on using the same location to recreate Hobbiton. But, this time around, a deal was to be struck. You can use the farm once more, they said, but only if you build it as a permanent structure and leave it in tact upon leaving. So, the set was completely rebuilt, this time made to withstand the test of time, and left to be shared with anyone determined enough to make the journey there (with some money in their pockets).
    The tour began at the Shire's Rest Cafe, where buses wait to shuttle tour groups to and from the set. These buses range from new and squeaky clean to the equivalent of an old school bus, so it's the luck of the draw which you'll be blessed with. Unfortunately, we ended up on a much older bus, where the windows were scratched and didn't allow for great views, and the speakers installed for the guide/driver were crackling and unreliable. Despite all of this, the surroundings were gorgeous and pristine, with spots of storm clouds casting shadows over the hills, creating the most beautiful shades of greens and blues. The set is perfectly hidden, with only tiny bits and pieces visible along the drive - so as not to spoil the surprise.
    Upon arriving at the turnaround, the guide provided us with umbrellas (which, fortunately, proved unnecessary) and led us towards the entrance to the set. The path we followed cuts through a small hill, and emerges right at the spot where Bilbo exits as he sets off on his adventure (no spoilers, I promise). The first view, is that of a garden that meanders up the hillside, leading your eyes up towards the hobbit holes and finally to Bag End perched at the very top.

    It is a truly beautiful location. The green rolling hills are spotted with small wooden doors and stone chimneys set amongst small fruit trees and vibrant wildflowers. From here, the tour is pretty straightforward, you simply wander along the path following your group (or in my case, trailing quite far behind). Each hobbit hole is delightfully different from the next, each having it's own style and personality. True, they all have round doors, but each has it's own hue and knob, and some even have small cut-out windows. Some have small stone paths, others had wooden fences with hand-painted mailboxes. Most are set into the hillside, but one or two have thatched roofs instead. Several small benches were set among the grass, and little tables holding tools or toys. There were so many little details to be found - birdhouses, beehives, windchimes, laundry drying on a line - one house even had a set of butterfly nets leaning against the doorframe.

    The hobbit holes are of varying sizes, some being hobbit-sized and others more human sized. This way, they could create the sense of certain characters being smaller or larger. Bag End itself is the largest, and one of the only ones that actually has a dug out interior of sorts. This was mainly used for the camera to capture the scenery and characters when the door is opened or closed. Bag End's interior is/was, of course, created in-studio at Weta Workshop in Wellington.

The bench where it all began! If confused, consult the movie ;)

J standing outside Sam and Rosie's house.

    Next, it was time to head over to the newly opened "Green Dragon" for a drink. The Green Dragon opened for business about a month before our arrival, and it was a definite perk and highlight of the tour. We traveled around the far side of Hobbiton, passed the mill and trekked over the bridge to arrive at our thirst-quenching destination. Inside, we were offered a choice of ale, cider, or ginger ale.

J got the ale, of course

 
    I really loved the look and feel of this place (dunno what it is, but taverns are cool), and I definitely would have stayed longer if that had been possible. Unfortunately, we had to stay with our tour group or risk being left behind, so when our guide came to collect us, it was time to go...
    Didn't stop me from taking pictures on the way out though!

Beautiful, isn't it? And despite all those stormy clouds overhead, we didn't get more than a drop!

    As a final note, I want to share my only disappointment.. and it honestly has nothing to do with Hobbiton and everything to do with my love of food. One of my favorite things about the brochure for this place (which I'd been staring at for days, btw), is the contrast. Since it is a sheep farm, they have sheep farming attractions as well! On the brochure is a photo of a kid feeding a lamb advertising their sheep farm experience. And right below this image of a kid feeding a lamb, is a photo of a juicy burger and a blurb telling you to try their famous lamb burgers! My first response was just to laugh hysterically at this concept of feeding and playing with baby sheep, and then heading over to the cafe to eat one! But hey, they had me sold. I wanted a lamb burger. I reeeeeeally wanted a lamb burger. I mean, seriously, where else to get the best lamb burger of your life but on a sheep farm in New Zealand, right?
    Well.. I was out-voted. No one else seemed excited to partake in the lamby deliciousness, so we went home for leftovers instead. I was a bit depressed about it. Still am, actually. Because, not only did I not get to have a lamb burger on sheep farm (seriously, how much more fresh could ya get?), I was lost in the land of sheep, and I didn't get to eat a single one! No really, there's lamb everywhere. You can get a lamb burger at freakin' McDonalds for goodness sake! But no, the closest I got, was eating a bite of J's lamb sandwich from Subway - and the way I figure it, Subway doesn't count. Next time... next time that lamb is mine... mwahaha! J/K... maybe...

New Zealand Part 3 - Rotorua

    Rotorua was one of the more interesting places we visited. Now, that is simply my opinion, and it  probably has a lot to do with my odd love of geology. You see, Rotorua sits in the center of a huge caldera, which is to say it's sitting in the center of a collapsed volcano. Because of this, there is geothermal activity all over the place - hot springs, boiling mud pools, and geysers too!
    We visited several tourist type attractions, which I will get to later, but I think my favorite thing about the place was just the nature of the city itself. Imagine a place that smells (quite strongly) of sulfur. Imagine walking through a cute little grassy park, but being surrounded by signs warning you to stay on the paths because otherwise you may fall prey to injury from a steam vent or some other such thing. It's crazy! I dug it.
    Anyways, on to the more specific destinations (all arranged by J's family). First was a visit to Te Puia NZ Maori Arts & Crafts Institute. While places like these are very touristy (probably the equivalent to most luaus in Hawaii, if I had to guess), they still serve as an interesting peek into NZ's native culture/traditions. A ticket comes complete with a guided tour of the grounds, as well as a cultural performance. If you're lucky enough to get tickets for the Te Po before they sell out, they also provide a nighttime experience which includes cultural performances and also comes with a Maori feast called a "hangi".

Just try and pronounce that name there... I dare ya!

Whose shoes are whose?

     We arrived in the late morning and met up for a tour of the thermal valley. Following the path, we passed by several cool geothermal features. The first of these were the mud pools. You can't quite tell in photographs, but it essentially looks like a lake of boiling mud. There are dozens of lumps and mounds of mud that are essentially steam dried at the bottom, but liquid and bubbling at the peaks.

Mud pools - lots of bubbles and lots of steam.

Close up of one of the bubbling vents.

   The next feature is probably their most impressive, and that is their geysers. Unfortunately, the largest and most famous of these geysers, the Pohutu Geyser (apparently the largest in the southern hemisphere reaching up to 30 meters high!) decided not to go off while we were there. But the smaller Prince of Wales Feathers geyser, decided to put on a show and just wouldn't quit!

Prince of Wales Feathers Geyser

    We had tickets for a specific time slot for the cultural performance, so we didn't get to see the rest of the grounds (I'm still a little sad about this). We met outside the Maori village and waited for the guide who would take us inside. Before we could enter the village, the guide explained, we would first have to participate in a sort of welcome ceremony (similar to how a host tribe would interact with a visiting tribe to root out their intentions- peaceful or aggressive). She chose a representative who would act as our tribe leader of sorts. How this ceremony works is, the hosting leader would walk forward and place a silver fern leaf before the visitor. If the visiting leader picks up the fern, it's a sign of peace, and they will then be welcomed as guests.

    So, after playing out this tradition, we were all welcomed inside for the performance. This included a traditional stick game (passing batons in time to the song's rhythm) as well as the Haka (a warrior's challenge). To anyone who has never seen the Haka before, I highly recommend looking it up on youtube, and specifically, I'd recommend looking up the All Blacks Haka (NZ rugby team- they do the Haka before every match!).

    After the cultural performances, we took a quick look around the wood carving school, where we got to see a carver working on a huge carving that spanned the length of the room. I took a bunch of photographs of carvings around the grounds. We also got to look at their Greenstone carving display, which included a huge block of jade (one of the largest I've seen). Greenstone jewelry is one of those items that can be found in just about every shop around NZ, and there is a lot of variety to be found. It is also fairly expensive, costing somewhere around $50nz for the smaller pieces and upwards of several hundred for larger pieces and those with elaborate carvings. I had originally wanted to get one such necklace for my sister, but with the prices being fairly high, and me not knowing exactly what my sister would like, I went with a carved bone necklace instead (also very popular).

    We spent a minimal amount of time in the gift shop (J pretty much dragged me out), and then headed off to our next stop: Rainbow Springs. Now, if I had to summarize Rainbow Springs in as few words as possible, I would probably say it's a bird zoo. There is a water ride near the back of the park, and several native lizards and fish, but it is still mostly bird-centric. The first stop made was to the Kiwi Experience.

    Now, as you may or may not already know, kiwis are nocturnal birds. They are also endangered. So, when you go into a kiwi enclosure, don't think you're guaranteed to see one. These enclosures are typically large rooms that are kept dark with only minimal lighting - this is to trick the birds into thinking that it is nighttime so that they come out of their nests. Still, it is very dark, so it can be hard to spot them unless they are moving. Now, unfortunately, they don't allow cameras in these enclosures, due to the kiwi's sensitivity to light and sound, so I don't have proof... but, I did, in fact, see a kiwi! We actually saw three of them. And they are just as awkward as you'd expect. Hunched over on their beefy legs with their teensy wings folded close to their bodies and their long beaks plucking food from the ground. They almost don't look real.. more like small rugby balls with legs.

No, these aren't real live kiwis.. they are real stuffed though.

    Other birds featured here are several species of parrot, this crazy cockatoo, a kea named Jenny, a kaka, a tui, and a huge pigeon. While I took pictures of pretty much all of them, I'll be kind and only post a few of my favorites.

Apparently, giant kiwi birds play rugby in their spare time.

J made a friend! This is Jenny the Kea.

 (left: Kea - right: Tui) (fun fact: Tui's make really interesting sounds. They kind of sound like R2D2. Don't believe me? Check youtube, they're pretty crazy!)

 (left: can't remember, but some sort of parrot - right:  NZ Kingfisher)

Apparently, these little guys have been around since prehistoric times. 

J & The Moa - an extinct species - huge and flightless.
Think - ostrich, but much bigger. This one was made of concrete.

    Rainbow Springs was definitely fun for taking photos, and I probably could have stayed longer, but dinnertime was approaching and it was time to go. Back to Tauranga, dinner, drinks, and our gorgeous view of Mount Maunganui and yet another cruise ship departing at sunset. It was a fun, full day.

PS: I am not posting all of my photographs here. I will eventually be posting more photographs from NZ on my photography website (link at the top of the page)!