Hobbiton

     About an hour northwest of Rotorua is the movie set of the Hobbit and Lord of the Ring trilogies based on the books by J. R. Tolkien. In 1998, when director Sir Peter Jackson began looking for a location for The Shire, he and his scouts did an aerial search by helicopter. When Jackson spotted the beautiful 1,250 acre sheep and cattle farm of Russell Alexander near Matamata, he knew he had found the perfect bucolic setting for his story.
     A total of 39 hobbit holes were built and a complete set constructed that included The Green Dragon Inn, Bag End, and The Mill. After the Lord of the Rings trilogy was completed in 1999, the set was torn down and the farm returned to its original state.
     But everything was rebuilt in 2009 for the filming of second series of films, The Hobbit trilogy. This time permanent materials were used and the reconstruction process took two years. Filming for The Hobbit movies was completed in 2011 and since then Hobbiton has remained a permanent and very popular tourist attraction.
     To be honest, I am not a Lord of the Rings fan, I haven't seen any of the movies, and I only read the first hobbit book back in college, and I can't remember anything about it. Nonetheless, I absolutely loved Hobbiton. It's pure magic and fantasy. Just take a little look.

Come on in!

 

Birthday in Rotorua

     Our next stop was Rotorua. It was a long day of driving from Wellington, but along the way we enjoyed some beautiful scenery.

Lake Taupo

 

     And Steve relaxed...

Geothermal
     Rotorua is a hub of activity in a variety of ways. For one thing, it's New Zealand's Yellowstone in that it is filled with geothermal activity, including geysers and mud pools. The whole city radiates a strong sulfur smell. We visited the Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley and took a tour of the region known as Te Puia.

Silica Terraces

Erupting geyser

Bubbling mud pools.

 

Nearby Huka Falls 

A Taste of Maori Culture
     Rotorua was the part of our tour where we learned a bit about Maori culture -- including eating a traditional prepared Hangi meal which included lamb, chicken, and sweet potatoes slow cooked beneath the earth using hot stones. We enjoyed a traditional concert, watching the Haka dance (the one with the pop-out eyes and wagging tongues), and a tribal canoe battle re-enactment.

Hangi

 

Sheep!
     Our tour also included a visit to the Rotorua Agrodome to learn about New Zealand's sheep industry. Although this was a very touristy stop, it was still impressive to see 19 different varieties of sheep on stage and watch sheep-shearing and border collie herding demos.

Merino -- the gold standard in NZ sheep!

Lincoln sheep

Doesn't look too comfy.
 

Birthday Boy

     But most important of all in Rotorua was celebrating Steve's birthday!!! Wednesday, November 7th started out nicely with Steve taking a few swings over Lake Rotorua. While he didn't get a hole-in-one, his form was impressive. At 74, he's still got it!

     Later at dinner he was happily surprised.

 

Happy Birthday Stevie!!!

 

 

 

Ferry to Wellington

     On Tuesday, November 6th we left the sunny skies of Nelson to head north to Picton where we boarded the Interislander Ferry across Queen Charlotte Sound to Cook Strait to Wellington on the North Island. We had calm seas, so the crossing only took about 3 hours. It felt pretty much like being on a Washington State or British Columbia ferry.

Wellington coming into view.



      (A bit of history... The Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman, was the first European to discover New Zealand. In 1642 he arrived in Cook Strait, but incorrectly thought it was only an inlet. He did not realize that New Zealand was composed of two separate islands. He also never set foot on New Zealand soil. The first European to do that was Captain James Cook in 1770 on his first voyage aboard The Endeavor, in which he circumnavigated the North Island. In all, Captain Cook made three trips to New Zealand.)
     Wellington is the current capital of New Zealand, and I wish we could have had a bit more time to explore it. While Nelson is known for its sunshine, Wellington is known for its wind, being nicknamed "Windy Wellington." Our tour guide, David, told us the sad tale of a young man who in the late 1800s was strolling down the street one day when the wind suddenly picked up. A gust so powerful lifted a ship out of the water and the poor man was struck and killed by a flying boat! Windy Wellington lived up to its name while we were there and dampened our spirits for doing too much walking about town. But we did enjoy a bus tour and could get a taste of what a lovely city it is.


View from Mount Victoria

Famed "Beehive" federal office building.

     We also drove by Wellington's beautiful Botanical Gardens and its charming Cable Car. And we were sorry we didn't have time to visit the Te Papa museum, which looked terrific. But this is our introductory, survey trip, so we are scouting out places to return to next time!



Sunny Nelson



     Our last stop on the South Island of New Zealand was sweet city of Nelson, also known to be the sunniest place in the whole country. And Nelson did not disappoint! It had relaxed, happy, and safe feel that reminded Steve and me of simpler times. I felt like I was back in the 1980s, and I can't explain why. Perhaps because the downtown district had an old-fashion feel and I didn't see people walking around with cell phones. There was just a special calm and tranquility in the air that made both Steve and me feel happy and good.

     We also loved having two nights in the same hotel. The difficulty with a two-week bus tour that crosses an entire country is that you are always on the go, always having to pack up your suitcase early each morning.
     Our second day in Nelson included a catamaran ride to Abel Tasman National Park.

Split Apple Rock

     We loved having the chance to stretch our legs and take a hike up to a suspension bridge.

     Afterwards, it was nice to relax in a beanbag chair!

     On the outskirts of Nelson we visited a most unusual museum known as World Of Wearable Art and Classic Cars Museum or WOW (www.wowcars.nz). The name says it all -- half of the museum features amazing fashion statements and half is a car collector's dream. I focused on the fashion side. Take a look...



Dress made entirely of zippers!

Close up...

Dress made largely of pill capsules.

Close up. 

     Apparently, each year in Wellington, NZ there is a worldwide wearable art competition. Since 2001, the WOW Museum in Nelson has been displaying the fashions from the previous year's show, allowing the public to see the extraordinary, wild creations up close.
     Now it's time to head up to the North Island!