2026 March New Zealand Day 6 or 12 - Fly to Queenstown - Skyline - rest

Meta Selfie overlooking Queenstown

Today was a travel day, flying from Wellington at the South end of the North Island to Queenstown which is very close to the South end of the South island, or about 500 miles.

We were up and out of the hotel by 6:45 and had the car returned and in the terminal shortly after 7:00.  A tour around the food court resulted in bagels for breakfast.  I got eggs, bacon, and bbq sauce.  Mike got cream cheese and jam.  My big surprise was the eggs were over easy rather than scrambled.  So I was taking extra care not to have drips of egg yolk down my shirt.  I am proud to say that I was yolk free.  The second surprise was the massive pile of salt that was put in the middle of the egg and I couldn't see.  It really caught me on the first egg but I found it and scraped it off of the 2nd egg.

The waiting area in Wellington Airport

Our "All Black" jet to take us to Queenstown

We headed into security about an hour before the flight.  Once again they didn't ask to see identification or a ticket.  We just walked up, put stuff into bins then walked through the metal detector.  So I guess you can go to see someone off or meet them at the gate in New Zealand.

Boarding the plane was uneventful except this flight was full so we couldn't take over window seats.  We sat across the isle.  I listened to an audio book and Mike slept till we arrived.

For the last 2 months Mike has been sending me updates to the itinerary for this trip.  One of the first things he said was "The only hotel I can book in Queenstown is a LaQuinta".  I've travelled with Mike on many many trips over the years and I know his preferences for Hotels.  FIRST CLASS ALL THE WAY.

So him saying "LaQuinta" is akin to saying "we might as well not go".  I keep assuring him that LaQuinta is way up on the scale of what Nan and I are willing to put up with when we travel.  We've stooped to Motel 6 or Rhodeway Inn a couple times but only when there's no other choice.  But we're usually fine at the Super 8 level.  I'm a proud cheapskate.

So all the way to the airport, during breakfast, through security, waiting, boarding, and flying, Mike keeps say "Just so you know, we're staying in a LaQuinta".  and "I just want to manage your expectations".   Once in Florence Italy, I booked our hotel and managed to book one without Air Conditioning.  Not since the great heat Fiasco of Florence have I heard so much angst from Mike about a hotel.

We got our rental car, a large Diesel Mitsubishi SUV, and headed to the hotel.  It turns out they are slowly turning the hotel into apartments, so we can only park in a limited number of spaces with "Hotel" painted on them.  If we arrive too late, we have to pay for parking at a nearby lot.  That was like strike 6 to Mike.

Whatever else might be wrong with LaQuinta, the view aint one of them

Our room is ok.  There is a small kitchenette, a table with chairs and 2 twin beds.  I haven't slept in a twin bed in quite a long time but it'll do fine.  The one thing this room has that none of our others haven't had is a washer and dryer.  I am completely out of clean clothes.  I put on my last clean stuff this morning so arriving here is well planned and perfect.  I started a load of whites within minutes of arrival and as I write this, we've run 3 loads with only one more to go.  I might run another load or two the night before we leave just because I can.

Once everything was settled, we got back in the car and headed for Queenstown.  We had to do a couple laps around while we looked for parking.  We found a lot close to downtown costing $6 for 30 minutes and bought 90 minutes worth.  The downtown area isn't very big.  We only walked about half of it but that only took about 10 minutes till we found a restaurant with roof top seating and views of the people walking by.

Roottop dining in Queenstown

Another rooftop but this time the Skyline Gondola behind me

We climbed up and scanned the QR code on the table to order.  Some japanese cruchy chicken, squid, lamb sliders, fries, and french rice balls with pumpkin.  That last was Mike's addition.  It took quite a while to arrive, as it turns out, there were only 2 people working.  The cook/bartender and the waitress/hostess/dishwasher.  Given how many people came through the place, it was impressive work.

Map of the Queenstown area and places we visited

The sun kept coming out from behind clouds to bake us, then hide back away for a few minutes.  The people watching was fun due to the volume and variety.  Everything from backpacking hippies to swimmers, mountain bikers, and elegantly dressed people walked by.  Families are the most fun because you can tell what's going on at a glance.  Younger sibling poking older sibling they they turn around and him, only to be yelled at for being a bully.  Teenagers dragging behind the rest of the family because they can't stand being here.  First dates where the woman over-laughs at the dumb jokes her date tells.  It's all great.

Our food was good, but yet again, we over ordered and had to leave allot behind.  We made our way downstairs where Mike talked to the bartender and found out it was just him and the girl.

We wandered the streets for a while.  We went in several stores to look for gifts and found a couple.  We also found a few hats and I tried some on, including one that looked like my daughter Klair's hat from years ago.  She got a kick out of it when I sent her a picture.

One thing we'd noticed while walking around was the gondolas going up the mountain beside the city.  It's the Skyline ride and we decided to take it up to the top.  It took a while to get to it because Google kept routing us through a closed road, but eventually we made it up, just to find out we had to pay parking on top of the ride.  It's all a scam.

Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu from the Skyline

It's hard to tell form the outside, just how steep this gondola is.  It's not quite vertical, but it's hard to see the car ahead of you because it's almost risen out of view.  We got to the top, got some water and cookies, then sat down to admire the view.  SPECTACULAR.

This has to be one of the best days to be up here as well.  Clear skies and clear air.  We probably had 100 miles visibility.  We couldn't see all that distance because we were surrounded by mountains but they were all crystal clear and beautiful.  We finished our cookies and walked out to the walkway for pictures and to just stand and admire it all.

We stayed another half hour or so.  I found some hats in the gift shop.  I've been looking for a new hat since I forgot mine on day 2.  I don't think these will replace it though.  Then we made our way back to the gondola to ride down.  It was just as impressive going down as it had going up.

   

Descending and you can't see the car ahead

Views from the Gondola

We paid off the lien on the car and headed back to the hotel - "It's a LaQuinta".  

The mystery machine parked in front of the LaQuinta

We changed the laundry and I took a 20 minute nap.  I worked on the blog until 6:00 when it was time to head to Arrowtown for dinner.   We ate at Aosta.  Mike hand picked it because it's named after an Italian town on the 45th parallel North and this is on the 45th parallel South.  It was a very elegant restaurant with very non-elegant clientele.  Guys in hiking boots, t-shrit, and Jeans. Women in elegant attire, everyone was welcome.

The other night we were reminiscing about dipping bread in olive oil and vinegar and this place had it, so we started with that.  It was really good bread and tasted great dipped in the olive oil, vinegar, and spices. I ordered a fish with a lobster sauce and mussels, mostly I saw lobster and muscles, the fish was a surprise. Mike got an Italian dish.  Mine was delicious and I heard no complaints from Mike.  

Main street in Arrowtown

Aosta Restaurant for dinner

For desert we each ordered gelato, but it was fusioned.  Salted caramel gelato, with lemon and covered with olive oil and salt.  The salt was fine, the lemon was fine, but the olive oil was really odd.  My brain thought pizza should be coming soon.  It sure wasn't terrible but I still can't decide if I'd order it again.

After dinner we walked around the town.  Everything other than restaurants were closed but it was a pretty little town.  We also walked down to an 1880s chinese village that used to be here.  When gold was found, they came to make their fortune like everyone else.  There was bias and discrimination, but they seemed to hold their own.  We saw a couple stores and some home, then the sun started to drop and we headed back to the hotel - "It's a LaQuinta".

We did a couple more loads of laundry and I worked on the blog.  I'm actually in real time finally.  It's almost 10:00 and I'm ready to sleep.  I can't decide if I'll go to sleep or start putting pictures into the first blog.  Probably I'll keep working since we're going to sleep in tomorrow and make it an easy day.

Todays Steps was 10,700 or 4.9 miles

2026 March New Zealand Day 5 of 12 - Weta Workshop and movie locations

Lurtz trying to intimidate me

Today is another Geek day.  We are going to the Weta Workshop.  Weta is the company that did all of the special effects for Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movie.  It started was already doing special effects before then but that's what really blew them up to industry leaders

Mike drove us to the workshop but it turns out it in the middle of a neighborhood with very little parking.  We spent 10 minutes driving around until we finally found an open spot on a super narrow road right in front of someone's house.  I'm sure they hate having Weta near them.

Chatting with Gollum

We were early so we walked around the Weta Cave (gift shop) looking for things I could buy and take home.  We also found plenty of photo opportunities, a Cave Troll, Armor, Gollum, Elegant Chairs, etc.  There were many things that I would love buy but it just doesn't make sense with the tariffs and shipping fees I'd have to pay, it nearly doubles the price.

There was an elderly man that kept sharing stories about the various items, especially the swords.  He said that he had 7 of them and was saving up for one of the really expensive ones.  Then he kept telling us how there was limited availability on some of them.  There as also a set of first edition LOTR books (10th release), but first edition of that release.  In other words he was guiding us to some of the most expensive things.  One thing that really tempted me was an exact replica of Gandalf's hat.  Made by the same company with the same pattern and materials.  It was $400 but it was just so cool.  That would be my Halloween costume for the rest of forever.  But I doubt I could get it home safely in my bags.  It would be crushed or torn.  Shipping, again, nearly doubles the cost.....   I'll think about it while we're on the tour.

Troll

Weta Cave (giftshop)

Our tour started and 9:20 and was led by Max.  That was if we liked her, otherwise her name was Ben.

She told us that we could not take pictures during the first half of the tour because there were real props that were used in the movies.  They were still copyrighted and trademarked, so no photos were allowed.

The first room did have a bunch of cool things, like Peter's Sword and Shield from the Narnia movies, a full elvish costume from the 2nd movie, a real Oscar award and a real Bafta award.  There were several other important pieces from other projects but I can't refer to my pictures.  She told us about all the other movies that Weta has worked on and showed a video of the founders telling their life stories.

The second room was a demonstration room about prosthetics.  There were some cool videos of an actor getting a full head casting made, then designing a dracula face and imposing it on his face, and finally creating the prosthetic pieces to glue onto him.  We got to see the facial cast, the dracula face model, and finally the prosthetics.  We saw them close up to see how much detail was actually transferred onto the silicon.  But they missed out by never showing us the actor with the full prosthetics and makeup.

I was smiling too much so Mike said "Make a mean face"  This is it.

The next room had more movie props like the first, but big props from Lord of the Rings.  There was a Balrog head,  Sauron's helmet, Mother, Chappy, and a bunch of other robot costumes.  She also showed us the full range of chainmail including full steel chainmail down to knitted wool chainmail.

Orc armor

Hard to see, but orc armor is open at the back so no retreating.

Elf Armor

She said that Vego wanted to do everything fully real because he was a method actor.  He was insisting on wearing full chainmail and carrying a full steel sword.  They eventually convinced him that he couldn't do the moves he needed with the steel sword.  And they lied to him about the chainmail.  They had plastic chainmail that was nickel plated.  It looked real and was heavier than the plastic most others were wearing, so the convinced him it was real steel chainmail.  He performed the whole movie wearing that chainmail and they never told him it was fake.  She didnt  know if he ever found out but he probably did.

She also showed us the difference between the hero sword and the every day aluminum swords.  The weight difference was incredible.  The hero swords were only used for specific scenes that needed the pristine detail, but the every day swords had cuts and scrapes from being smashed together.

We also saw the 3d cad system they use to build models.  They had a 3d printer producing a dragon's head. It's the same printer I have, a Bambu Labs H1C, so I use the same stuff as Weta.

The next room was the first room we could take pictures.  There was a lady in the room that makes "Fuzzy Monsters".  She demonstrated some of her techniques and told the story of how she came to work at Weta.  In the room were a bunch of props that we could touch and take pictures of.  Mike and I each got pictures with Gimli's dwarf helmet and Elrond's Elvish helmet.  Mike said it would look better if I quit smiling so much so I tried to look stern and that's the picture Mike took and I've been using as my facebook profile picture.

There was a radio controlled troll head that we could play with.  We all had allot of fun with everything in the room

Next was the modelling room.  The lady here was VERY bubbly.  She talked about the easiest modelling substance in the world.  It's aluminum foil.  She said Rule 1 is dull side out otherwise you can't see any depth of detail.  Rule 2 is dont crush it, leave the air and volume if you can.  Rule 3 is glue things together to build more volume and details.  Rule 4 is add cardboard if you need strength and rigidity.  Rule 5 was use a spoon.  Use outside of the bowl to burnish and smoth the tinfoil, use the other end to draw lines and indentations.  Rule 5 is coat it with modelling sand to make it last.  It something like plaster but dries much harder.

Presentation by the Tinfoil Lady

She showed us her first personal/professional project.  She made a giant tree man entirely formed from tin foil then coated in sand.  She sold it for  $30k to a Las Vegas casino.  They bring it out for a few weeks each year.

Tree Troll made mostly from tinfoil

We were all allowed to try a bit but I have so little artistic ability I couldn't even get started.

The last room was the photo room.  We were allowed to choose from a group of weapons and to pose in front of a black wall.  A picture was taken then super imposed in front of a series of backdrops.  It cost $20 to buy them if we wanted, or get 2 uninteresting ones for free.  I went ahead and bought them.

Steam punk wall - it will make an excellent meeting backtrop

Ready to defend the Hobbits  (they're doomed)

Back in the cave I started gathering the gifts I was going to buy.  I agonized again over Gandalf's hat.  It had a geek factor of 10 but a common sense factor of 2.  The common sense won out and I left without it.  

I also thought about buying Sting but left it for the same reason along with a bunch of figurines and other trinkets I had no way to get home.

I did get about $400 worth of valuable treasures to give to grandkids and kids but it all fits in my carry on bag.  I will be ok, even if I have to toss some clothes to fit more goodies before heading home.

Once we extracted our Mitsubishi SUV POS from the tiny road we'd parked it on, we headed up Mount Victoria to the park where the filmed the hobbits hiding from the ring wraith.  It wasn't far.  Much of the area was clear of growth and even the leaves were clear, probably from people re-enacting the scene.

Nearby was supposed to be the place where Frodo senses the wraith but we couldn't tell where it was.  It was a nice park.  Many people were biking and hiking the area.

The place where the hobbits hid.  It's been scoured by tourists

Another scene but I can't remember which

We were already near the top of the mountain so we drove on up to check out the views.  They were beautiful.  The wind was really whipping around us and there were white caps throughout the bay.

Wellington from the top of Mt Victoria

Wellington and it's empty bay

There are obvious differences between this bay and Aukland.  We've seen zero casual boating down her.  No sailboats, no day or night cruises.  Not even any ferries.  Only big cargo vessels.

We continued over the top and down the far side, then followed signs back toward downtown.  It took us through a tunnel that went through Mount Victoria.  It took us about 20 minutes of driving to go over and only about 1 minute of tunnel to go back through.

The first group of restaurants we saw and pulled over to park, then wandered down the street until something looked good.  It turned out to be a Japanese Conveyor Belt Sushi.  I'd never eaten at a conveyor belt sushi before.  We started grabbing Salmon and Tuna Sashimi, pork pot stickers, beef plates, fried tofu, and Inari.  Lots and Lots of Inari.  We both like it.  I guess it's actually a children's dish and the ladies giggled as we kept asking for more.  We had a pretty good stack by the end.

Conveyor belt sushi in Wellington

After lunch we headed North toward the park where they shot the scenes for Rivendell.  It was 30 km away through some beautiful landscape, then down a 1 lane road.  We stopped in a parking lot beside a large stream that turned out to be the Fords of Bruinen when they shot the scene of Arwen fighting the Ring Wraiths.  Kinda cool.

We walked across a bridge and a few yards to a marker pointing to the Rivendell Location.  Several signs showed the layout and where various scenes were shot.  A tour company helped pay to rebuild a small replica of the Rivendell gates where Frodo asked Gandalf "Which way is Mordor"

The arched entrance (exit) to Rivendell

Looking down from Rivendell to the Fords of Bruinen

You could kind of see the trees and some of the locations, but it's been 25 years and allot has changed.  It was still cool because the feeling was right with the surrounding hills and trees.  The ford especially felt right for the Arwen scenes.  We spent a good while walking around and reading the signs before we headed back to the car.

The fords of Bruinen where Arwen fights the Wraiths

The last stop was a city park where the filmed Gandalf meeting Saruman outside of Orthank.  It was very hard to picture the scene because it was mostly grass, trees, and a rock pathway that was removed after filming.  The book we have did talk about how they bright in a couple of massive trees from another part of the country, pieced them together and hinged them to the ground.  They could fell the trees over and over to get just the right shots, then hauled them away and filled in the holes.

Orthanc where Galndalf walks and talks with Saruman

A tree that must have inspired the cutting of Orthanc

For dinner we kind of did the same thing as lunch.  We took an Uber to a section of the city with something like a food truck gathering.  Nothing there sounded good so we wandered roads until we found something that seemed good.  This time it was Thai food with Pad Thai noodles, stir fry and sticky rice.  We got medium heat which was about right.

Back at the hotel I wrote the blog for a while, then put on my swim suit and headed down to the hot tub.  There was a woman watching a couple kids when I arrived.  The hot tub was a stainless steel rectangle with a bench molded right in.  It felt like a giant's cooking pot.  I turned on the jets and climbed in.  The 2 kids (older girl and younger boy) were in the hot tub.  Over the next few minutes the mom discreetly got the kids attention and and had them get out and go into the pool near her.  I soaked for about 10 minutes.  Then since there was only another 10 minutes left till the pool closed, I got out, toweled off and left so they could get back in for the last bit.

The cooking pot hot tub

I wrote a bit more in the blog then went to sleep.

Today's steps were 11,000 or 5 miles

2026 March New Zealand Day 4 of 12 - Wellington, Te Papa Museum

School kids learning to paddle kayaks

Today we are flying to Wellington at 9:30 so we got up early and got an Uber at 6:45.  It took us about 45 minutes to get to the airport so we had over an hour to kill.  We hadn't eaten breakfast and I said I was fine with McD's.  Mike went off to find something else but wound up joining me for a McMuffin.  That's twice now I've gotten Mike to eat McD's in a foreign country surrounded by good food.  The last time was Florence when we missed our train.  This time was just lazyness.

There were 2 things we found really odd today.  First, all of the food vendors were outside of security.  If we'd gone in first, we'd have found nothing to eat but a few vending machines.  Second, no one asked to see any ID.  They didn't even ask for our tickets.  Just straight to putting our things in bins and walking through metal detectors.

Maybe this is what it's like to live in a country that isn't hated around the world.

When we got back to our gate, it was empty.  Not a soul around so we browsed the internet and I worked a bit on the blog.

When it came time to board, there were still just a few people around so we boarded early.  We had across the isle seating but since the plane was so empty we each took a window seat.   There wasn't much to watch since we flew mostly a few miles off shore and there were constant clouds over the land.

After we deplaned we rented another car and headed into Wellington.  Mike picked a rout that kept him mostly out of the city and few turns.  We checked into the hotel then headed off for lunch at Pravda.  Yes, like the russian news paper.

I got chipotle fried chicken pieces (chicken nuggets) and Mike got a burger.

Afterward we headed for a short walk to Te Papa Museum.  We passed a small bay where kids were learning to paddle kayaks.  I loved the one kid that kept sticking his paddle in the water then quickly lifting it to let the water splash down on himself.  The instructor was trying real hard to keep them on task but it wasn't working.

Te Papa museum is supposed to be the best museum in the country.  I'm not really going to cover everything since it's a museum and photography was forbidden in much of it and I'd never get the details right anyway.

Te Papa museum

The top 2 floors were less appealing to me.  Top was just an overlook of the harbor, the second was modern art displays, the kind where a massive room has just one or two small exhibits to let you fully contemplate a few inches of art.  It really wasn't my thing.

Selfie from the roof of Te Papa

Floor 4 started to be much more interesting.   New Zealand was formed when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840.  There was a version in English and a version in Maori but the 2 version had some variations.  The English version gave the Queen sovereignty where the Maori left the chiefs as sovereign.  Many arguments and oppressions resulted from those differences.  The museum had displays showing those differences and how they effected the Maori people.

In 1940, 100 years after the signing there was a Waka gathering to commemorate the signing.  Waka means canoe and many hundred canoes paddled together to celebrate New Zealand.  

The huge 120ft Ngātokimatawhaorua waka was built and paddled as part of that celebration.  Then in 1990, a second massive waka was held and the Ngātokimatawhaorua  was restored and paddled.  That waka now sits in the museum and will probably be taken out in 14 years for the next.  There were allot of pictures of the 2nd waka.

120 foot Waka

The museum had displays about all the species that have gone extinct since the arrival of men on the island.  The most prominent is the Moa.  It was a huge flightless bird, much like an ostridge but looked even bigger and tougher.  It was hunted to extinction by the Maori about a thousand years ago.  The skeletons were huge and much more dinosaur like than I'd seen before.

There were allot of displays about the animals, bugs, birds, and plants that have come into New Zealand either intentionally or accidentally over the years.  Some have become real problems, like the Stoat.  It's kind of like a mongoose only smaller.  It was brought in for hunting and to control rabbits.  But most birds in New Zealand nest on the ground and the Stoat has decimated the bird populations, especially the kiwi bird.

Deer is another species brought intentionally and has become a major pest destroying crops and forests because they have no natural predator.

One really cool display was  video about early population of the island.  It used a disneyland like effect to place a young girl on the deck of a "Moana like" raft and she told the story of the crossing with various cousins coming in and out of the hut on deck.  It was pretty cool and seemed like it would entertain kids very well.

Taking a Diet Coke break

I was a little surprised and disappointed at how few Maori artifacts we saw in the museum.  Most things were from neighboring lands like the Cooke Islands.  A quick google search showed that the lack of artifacts come from cultural practices and colonization.  The Maori didn't build homes, tools, and utensils for centuries of use.  They were short term things.  And what things they had were often taken by colonists or destroyed as new cities and farms were built.

Cool display, don't remember what it was

We looked around until we'd seen everything on the last 2 floors, including an earthquake simulator.

As we walked back to the hotel, the wind was really whipping around us.  Mike googled wind and Wellington.  According to google, Wellington is one of if not the windiest cities on earth.  It sits at 40 degrees south which is often called the Roaring 40s.  It is a band around the earth with particularly high winds that constantly blow.  Couple that with the wind being squeezed between the North and South islands and the hills causing turbulence and you get a place with the average wind speed of 27 kilometers per hour.  That's pretty fast and it's the norm.

For dinner we chose Boulcott Street Bistro for dinner.  Another modern fusion place.  It was near the hotel but up a very steep set of steps so we opted to call an Uber rather than build a sweat climbing the whole way.  It turned out to be in a converted house.  Lots of people in a couple of small rooms.  It took 45 minutes to get seated.  Mike got braised lamb and I got seared tuna.  Mike was great but mine was way over cooked.  Tuna is supposed to be nearly raw in the middle but mine was almost well done.  It tasted fine, just not what I was expecting.

Mike said I looked disgusted at my over cooked tuna steak

Steps for the day was 12,000 or 5.4 miles

2026 March New Zealand Day 3 of 12 - Hobbiton

Today is THE day.   This is probably the single most anticipated part of this whole trip.

WE  ARE  GOING  TO  HOBBITON !!!

I got up early and worked on the blog, then packed almost all of my things well before breakfast opened.  We headed down to breakfast and were in line a few minutes before 6:30 (opening time).  There was a large tour group in line already and more kept coming.  I guess they had to be at their busses at 7:00, so breakfast opening at 6:30 was pretty hard to get everything done.

Sunrise

Breakfast was mostly the same as yesterday.  I got bacon, eggs, sausage, bread, hash browns, and peaches.  This time I put quite a bit of tobasco on my eggs to give them a bit of taste.  I use allot of tobasco so I know what it should taste like.  This must be New Zealand mild tobasco because even with 10 drop, the eggs were still tasteless.  I ate them because I need the protein but yuk.

After breakfast we finished packing and headed for the car.  As we were loading I looked in the back seat where I expected to find my hat but couldn't see it.  I check a bit in the luggage then Mike asked when I last specifically remembered it.  We passed around a few ideas and then remembered the lady asking me to remove my hat at the performance last night but I could remember ever putting it back on. That HAS to be where it is.  As much as I like my outback crushable leather hat, it's not worth missing HOBBITON so we left without trying to retrieve it.

Last known picture of my hat

The drive was about 70 kilometers away.  Mike has gotten better at staying between the lines but he still wanders occasionally including mowing down a couple of construction cones.  I just have to giggle a bit and Mike jerks the wheel to the right.  At one point, google routed us down a 15 kilometer one lane road.  It was probably a shortcut that saved allot of driving but we had another car following us who kept getting really close trying to push us faster.  We were driving through some fairly hilly country so the road made lots of twists and blind turns.  We did come around a turn to find a garbage truck facing us but he was pulled way to the side to let us pass.  We were both relieved when it dumped us back out on a wide highway.

Shortcut to Hobbiton.  The whole area looks like the Shire

This must be the place

We made it to the parking lot with 30 minutes to spare.  The ticket office has a big sign behind them saying "NO OPEN TIMES AVAILABLE TODAY" which we already knew because Mike had call and beg for tickets weeks ago.  Hobbiton is sold out months in advance.

We've arrived

We wandered over to the gift shop and tried to figure out what would make good gifts.  Just as yesterday, it's about how to get them home.  I don't have a checked bag so I can't take a ton of large stuff.   There was an elven cloak with the Lothlorien broach on it for $1,200.  I like LOTR but I'm not crazy.  I'm not going to buy anything until after the tour anyway.

We got in line about 20 minutes early, maybe we're a bit over eager because we were the first to line up.  We watched groups with earlier entry times line up and load into the busses.  Groups leave every 10 minutes and every bus was fully loaded.  The staff always waited for the last person to show up and there was always 1 or 2 that showed up a few minutes late.

Since we arrived there was always a bit of LOTR background music playing and the bus was no different.  We were greeted with the theme song of the Hobbit movie and a video clip of Bilbo "Going on an adventure".  We took the two unobstructed front seats and settled in as the rest of the passengers boarded.  Our tour guide was Sebastian.  He appeared to be Maori but didn't have any telltale tattoos, unless they were covered up.

We watched an introduction video by Peter Jackson and the owner of the land.  The bus pulled up to a gate leading to a one lane road.  It wound around and across some beautiful green hills that really felt like the Shire.   The entire area was a patchwork of farms, fields, cows, and sheep.

We got our first glimpses of Hobbiton as we neared the end of the road.  We could see the party tree and a glimpse of bag end just before the bus stopped.

First Glimpses of Hobbiton

Sebastian told us we had a few minutes so I headed to the nearby bathrooms.  I was one of the first, but by the time I'd washed my hands and walked back, the tour was already starting the walk into Hobbiton.  So I guess several minutes meant ONE.

We followed a beautiful trail through some greenery toward the main set and Sebastian explained that this trail was part of both Gandalf's in LOTR and Bilbos departure in The Hobbit.  He told us that Gandalf's wagon ride was recorded in several different areas and really makes no sense but it looks good on film, so who cares.  But it was fun to recognize some of the scenes.

The Hobbiton map.  It's relatively accurate.

The hill with Bag End on the top.  (NOT the party tree beside it)

Hobbit holes with smoke and real gardens with real vegetables

This map actually fits the movie set.  We started towards Gandalf's Cutting, then kept to the right.  We took pictures of every hobbit hole we came by.  There was allot of vegetation, including gardens with large vegetables.  Sebastian said that almost all of the gardens we were seeing were real.  Gardeners tend the plants and have competitions to grow the biggest and best.  They are allowed to keep and eat everything they grow.  There were a few large pumpkins and they were real as well.  He said they always get huge ones, then roll them down a hill to see which lasts the longest and goes the farthest.

Many of the hobbit holes had smoke coming out the chimneys.  Usually there is a small hot plate that they sprinkle wood chips into.  They must have just re-filled them because we had lots of smoke hanging in the air as we walked through.  The fish-monger's house especially had allot of smoke pouring out and it was obviously hickory chips they stock it with because the smell is very distinct and smells really good.

One of the hobbit holes has an open door with about 3 foot of interior space.  Sebastian let us enter in small groups and used our phones to take pictures.  He took about 3 of each group.  Mike and I took the opportunity to get a picture with both of us since that's a rarity for us.

The only open door we could get pictures in

Fish Monger's house - Real hickory smoke in the smoker on the right

Finally we were climbing the hill toward Bag End.  We could see the tour ahead of us was still taking pictures so we stopped to wait.  This whole time Sebastian has been relating stories about where various scenes were shot and how this version of Hobbiton came about.  It's all common knowledge and I'm sure most everyone knows the story but it was interesting to hear anyway.

Preparing to climb the hill to Bag End

Another one of soooo many hobbit holes

Hobbit hole blended into the greenery

At last it was our turn at Bag End.  Sebastian related the story of the tree on top.  The original movie cut down a tree elsewhere, then using wires and glue, re-assembled it on the top of the hill.  Then the hand wired thousands of leaves onto the branches.  That version was torn down and discarded.  This version is fully synthetic and was built to last years with the limbs and leaves all an integral part of the tree.  Hobbiton only has about 2 feet of rough space inside the door and all interior shots were done on a sound stage.

Our tour guide Sebastian by Bag End, the tree on the roof

No Admittance except on party business

Bag End

Everyone was given a few minutes to get pictures in front of the door.  I took some of Mike and he took some of me.  I think we each took pictures for other groups so they could all be in together.

Once we had our fill, we started down the hill towards the party grounds, the may pole, and the party tree.  The party tree is real and is one of the reasons this farm was chosen for Hobbiton.  The 3 mains reasons for the selection were:

1. The party tree

2. A large pond where they could build the Green Dragon Pub

3. A good hill where they could put Bag End

Looking down from Bag End toward the lake and the Green Dragon

Hobbit sized hole to make humans look big

The Party Tree

Bagshot Row

Number 3 bagshot row - Sam's house

At the end of the party space was Bagshot Row.  That's where Sam and the Gaffer lived, number 3 Bagshot Row.  We got pictures of Sam's house, then we got what was for me, a surprise.  The last 2 houses on Bagshot Row were real hobbit holes.  Fully built out, filled with items and we were allowed to go in.

I had no idea.  So we split the group in half and entered the 2 holes.  It was really impressive.  Even the smallest details were present and they truly looked lived in.  The pantry was full of food, the bedrooms had clothes, there was a fire in the fireplace, and there was a room with a wooden toilet in it, etc etc.  It was very cool and I geeked out like the little childlike geek that I am.  I got a few videos of the place but I'm sure youtube is also filled with videos if you want to see them for yourself.

Living Room

Bed Room

Bath Room

Family Tree

Reading Nook

They encouraged people to sit in the chairs, lay on the bed (keep your feet off).  If something didn't move, leave it alone.  But otherwise feel free to pose with things or touch them. 

After we'd wandered through everything we were treated to yet another wonderful surprise, there was another half to this hobbit hole.  They opened a door and we made our way into the Kitchen, living room, and study.  It was a whole new section and just as intriguing and special.  Our security followed us in and then closed the door, probably so the tour behind us could come through the first part.

Kitchen

Pantry

Study

Cooking

We started poking around the kitchen and each of us got a picture with the rolling pin in hand.  Then I thought that the den would make an awesome backdrop to video meetings so I got a picture of me in the chair, then got a blank picture of the room.  I can't wait to try it out in one of the last few online meeting I'll have before I retire.

Oh, I'm retiring in 2 months, did I mention that.  Maybe I'll talk about it in the next blog.  Hobbiton needs no distractions.

Back to the hobbit hole.  There was a kids play area, kind of partitioned off with a blanket hanging over a rope.  Just like real kids do.  There were toys, games, and dolls all tucked away from sight.  I could have spent a lot more time wandering around, but our time was up and the security guy gently pushed us out the door.

Sebastian asked us how we liked that and explained that it was only added 2 years ago.  Everyone thought it was great, even those who had never seen the movies and been drug here unwillingly.

The bridge leading to the Green Dragon

The mill.  The original was burned as part of Frodo's Vision

The Green Dragon - original was also burned

Gandalf's Staff

The Barkeep - trying to look "Hobbity"

The bar room

The Green Dragon in the Green Dragon

Our next stop was the Green Dragon Pub.  We had a beautiful view of it across the water.   The path lead way around the lake and felt like it could have been the path through Myrkwood except it was very comfortably flat and easy to navigate.  There was a mill by a stream and a bridge over that stream to the pub.

In the pub, our first drink was free.  Mike and I both got ginger beer which just tastes like a mild ginger ale.  It was good but pretty sweet.  We took more lots of pictures.   To one side of the bar was Gandalf's staff and I posed for a picture with it.

There were also sandwiches and meat pies for sale so we bought and split a beef pie.  It tasted like dinty moore stew, good but not great.

Front Entrance to the Green Dragon

Looking back toward Bag End and the Party Tree

Pretty View

Last view of Hobbiton

We wandered around the pub and grounds outside until it was time to head back.  Sebastian led us down the path and around the lake, back through Hobbiton and Gandalf's cut and back to a bus.  We were allot quieter on the ride back.  There was another video message from Peter Jackson and the owner of the farm.

We went into the gift shop again and bought a few things for grandkids.  There were allot of things I'd love to buy but I don't have a way to get them home easily.  I did find several online and decided just to order them delivered instead of carrying them.  And the $1,200 cloak?  It was gone.  Someone bought it, probably to wear on their tour.

Gandalf Statue in the gift shop

Finally all my excuses were done and it was time to leave.  We were both hungry and the nearest reasonably priced food was in a town called Matamata.  It was a short drive.  Mike parked on main street and we started wandering to see what was available.   Just 3 doors down we saw a little premade sushi shop and both of us turned straight in.   It was just what we needed, something a bit lighter.

It was sold by the individual piece like bbq salmon, tempura shrimp, veggie roll, etc and we each got about 4 of those.  Mike got Pot Stickers and Inari as well.  I got salmon sashimi and Inari.  We sat at a table to eat and people watch.  It was pretty popular and they kept running out and making more.

Lunch

From Matamata, we headed toward the town of Hamilton.  The LDS temple was built there in 1958 and we wanted to stop by for a look.  Its pretty out of the way but very visible from a distance.  It was open but only a few cars were present.  There was a small building that looked like a visitor center, but only held a Christus statue and bathrooms.  There were probably offices as well but they were closed.

The Hamilton Temple

The Christus Statue

Next we headed for the Auckland airport  to return the rental car.  Mike really didn't want to drive on major city streets, so we returned it early and took an Uber to our hotel by the harbor.

By the time we checked in it was time to think about dinner.  We took a footbridge across the harbor and into the shopping district.  Once there we meandered a bit looking at stores and souvenir shops.  It was only 6:00 but almost every store was closed or closing.  There's certainly no late night shopping here.

We ate dinner in the Harbor Side Seafood and Oyster restaurant.  We were out on a terrace but it was surrounded by a plastic barrier to keep the chill winds out.  We ate dinner while watching the water fairies shuttle people back and forth from various places around the harbor.  We probably watched 8 different boats, each of which made a couple of runs.  Most of the time boats left with only a handful of people on board.

Our View from dinner, watching ferries come and go

After dinner we grabbed ice cream in a little shop on the way back.

My step count for the day was 15,000 or 6.8 miles