New Zealand Day 12 (11 April 2018)

We started out this morning COLD.  The small

House we are staying in has small space heaters and extra blankets, but we didn’t figure it out until we were chilled. The humidity messes with my body’s regulating features. Either I’m really hot, or really cold. 🤨. I’m grateful for working heaters, warm blankets, and great spaces to spend time with some of my loved ones!

We are staying in a town that is just over 10 miles from Hobbiton. So, we loaded up the car and headed over after a slower morning and a good breakfast. 

You could tell we were in Shire country!  The green hills kind of look like green ocean waves that have frozen for a picture. 

We had tickets to go on the 12:30 p.m. tour, and got there about an hour early. We were able to eat the lunch we brought on nice picnic tables while we waited. It was a little breezy, so I was glad I brought an extra layer and my coat with me!

We also walked across the street to take pictures of the sheep grazing on the green grass. Evidently Peter Jackson flew in a helicopter to make sure this place that the correct landscape. It’s part of the Alexander Farm, who have both sheep and cows. 

We went into the gift shop for a few minutes, but quickly realized the items were specially priced for tourists. So, we perused for a few minutes, then ate the lunch we brought with us. 

We bought tickets online for $84 New Zealand dollars. Evidently, you can just walk in to buy tickets. However, the summer months’ tours do tend to sell out pretty quickly. 

You had to line up in the correct line, as they had distinguished between English and Chinese speaking. It was quite an amazing orchestration of moving 30-40 people in each group through the movie set. 

There are another 40 hobbit homes in Hobbiton. When they first created the town, it wasn’t made from permanent materials. However, when they came back to film The Hobbit, the owners asked that the materials  they used be permanent. I’m grateful for the change!

The gardens were working gardens with beautiful flowers and vegetables growing!  

As we meandered through the pathways, it seemed like every new turn would bring a brilliant view or a new hobbit house!

It was a little surreal walking around the movie set. The inside of the homes only have a few feet behind the door. Only big enough for the actors to stand there for a scene. Our guid called it a ‘a great big wal of disappointing dreams,’ since they filmed the inside in a sound studio in Wellington. 

You could almost feel a little of the magic as you walked through the pathways, or ‘tracks’ as they say in Nee Zealand. It certainly had a different feel than any village I’ve ever visited. 

Let’s not forget about Bilbo Baggins’ house!  It was just like how you would imagine it to me. There is a fake tree fabricated to look real on the top of the mound of the house. It was all so fun to see!

Let’s not forget about Samwise Gemchee’s house either!  

Evidently Sean Austin’s real child is the one seen running towards him when he returns to the Shire. Everything felt like you could pluck the feeling of the characters from the air and wear them like a cloak as you walked around the movie set. 

When we had walked through most of the hill with the hobbit houses on it, we came to a pretty lake an mill house with a bridge. 

We then went inside the Green Dragon and had delicious ginger ale, which was included in the admission fee. It had more ginger in it than what I was expecting, but it was delicious!  They also had three kinds of beer you could pick too. 

We needed to meet up with our group to get back on the bus to take us to the parking lot. However, we snuck in some great last-minute pictures before we left!

It. Was. Amazing. To. Visit. The. Movie. Set!  

After we made it back to the parking lot, we went in to the gift shop. We found some items that you probably couldn’t buy on Amazon. 😊 Who knee the ‘Hokey Pokey’ was actually a crunchy toffee?  The sales lady didn’t think it was funny when I asked her if they do the ‘Holey Pokey’ in New Zealand. 

Our drive home had equally stunning views!

When we got back to our little house, there were sheep just on the other side of the fence from where we parked. They were really curious about us, until we walked towards the fence. Then, they got the heck out of dodge. So, after they were on the hill on the other side of our house, I snuck over to take a few pictures without them reacting. 

We also played the longest game of hearts card game I’ve ever experienced. I won too!  It was needed to spend some relaxed time together. 

We decided to go to dinner back in town again. The only criteria we had was to not eat at a place you can eat at in the States. We settled on the ‘K&Q Roast.’ When we walked in, we found out it was a place that roasted their meats and served them in a variety of ways. 

I decided to have the chicken roll. I had to ask what a chicken roll was, but I was not disappointed!  When the worker asked if I wanted gravy, I thought it would be for the potatoes, but I was pleased nonetheless. If I lived in New Zealand, I’d go here to eat Thanksgiving dinner. 

I also had a delicious fizzy lemonade. It kind of tasted like a more lemon flavored 7Up. It was also really good!

When we pulled in the driveway, I was surprised to be able to see the Milky Way with hundreds of stars in the sky. It wasn’t cloudy!  It has been another delightful day!   This trip has encouraged us to create a lot of great shared memories!