The town of Rotorua was on our list the next morning, a short drive and we were in this cute touristy spot, famous for its spas and thermal pools with healing properties, a natural wonder that we got to see up close. Unfortunately this also makes everything in the vicinity smell like egg, so we had to endure that, as well. I had the morning to explore as my tour of the movie set didn’t start till the afternoon. I may have gone into EVERY touristy souvenir store that the town had to offer – and bought quite a few little trinkets – I can’t help it!! Cant buy too much though – I’m literally out of room in my backpack. Oops.
Next stop was the Shire!! I got to visit the movie set for Lord of the Rings Trilogy – specifically the area where the Hobbits live, the Shire. It is now a permanent tourist attraction after being torn down after the first three movies. I was rebuilt for the Hobbit movie, and obviously there is a huge draw for fans to come and see where the film was made. It was so cute! The tour was expensive but definitely worth it for any movie geek – the guides were extremely informative, telling us about where the scenes were filmed and how they pulled off all the movie magic, including how they made the hobbits look so small compared to regular humans. We saw the whole village, the party tree, and even got to have a beer at the Green Dragon Pub, which was authentic down to the last little detail – even the postings on the wall were perfectly in tune with the theme. We drove home, tired but excited after our sunny day in the Shire. Our dinner was at the local Irish pub, and some of us went out dancing and partying that night, it was a fun way to get to know the “other” side of my tripmates, the drunk and disorderly side!
Our next stop was the Tongariro National Park, but before then we had one more stop in Rotorua, the Whakarewarewa Thermal Village, a Maori site where families have lived for hundreds of years, taking advantage of the geothermal heat and the energy it provides them. We learned more about the Maori culture and customs of the local trip while taking a tour around the village, where many tribe members actually still live. There was also a cultural presentation, where we got to experience firsthand some traditional songs and dances, and another Haka (War Dance) as well. Fierce! We drove onwards after that, visiting some waterfalls (horizontal Huka falls – forced through a channel and out the other side with incredible force, a natural wonder) and stopping for lunch in Tuapo, on the shores of Lake Tuapo which is the biggest lake in New Zealand. It’s another super touristy town, I got to see some of the members of my group bungy jump off a cliff into a river. I didn’t do it, I had other activities planned and have to watch my money cause four months of travel is sapping my bank account a wee bit! It was cool to see everyone jump off and bungy down the cliff side, even touching the river below, making a splash!
We drove onwards that afternoon to Tongariro, the set of Mount Doom in the LOTR movie and site of our epic hike that we would tackle tomorrow. It was a super busy day and I was happy to crash after dinner with a few glasses of wine in my belly. 🙂
The Hobbtion movie set
culture show
more hukafalls
steamy pools in the village
The Hobbtion movie set
say that 3x fast
Party tree!
Green Dragon @ Hobbiton
The Hobbtion movie set – Mill by the lake
Green Dragon @ Hobbiton
Rotorua
cheers!
lil house
Me @ Huka Falls
The Hobbtion movie set
Green Dragon @ Hobbiton
The Hobbtion movie set
Rotorua
communal baths, anyone?
Green Dragon @ Hobbiton
Green Dragon @ Hobbiton
oven!
preparing for bungy!
Green Dragon @ Hobbiton
Maori!
The Hobbtion movie set
The Hobbtion movie set
geyser!
Related articles
- 1,2,3 Bungy!!! (raewootton.wordpress.com)
- Top 10 Cool Places to Visit in New Zealand (affordableholidaysblog.wordpress.com)
- Hobbiton. (travelsofleahmaria.wordpress.com)
Round the World Travels 2013 