Hobbiton

 We left Auckland this morning and began our trip to Lake Taupo. The outskirts of Auckland were unremarkable but as soon as we got clear of the city, the green landscape began to take over. We could tell we were getting close to Hobbiton because the hills and valleys became so much more dramatic.

Hobbiton is on a family farm in Waikato. It is where The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies were filmed. After they finished making The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the set was dismantled and the area went back to being a farm. 10 years later, the set of Hobbiton was again built on the farm in preparation for the filming of the The Hobbit, but this time they built a permanent structure with the plan to open it up as a tourist attraction. As we followed our guide around the village, he pointed out spots where memorable scenes from the movies were filmed. We finished the tour in The Green Dragon having an ale or cider. It was great fun and we all loved it.

The only downside of the day was that it started raining and it is forecast to continue for a few days. We will do our best to stick to our schedule and make the best of things even if the weather isn't perfect.

After we finished our Hobbiton tour, we got back on the road to Lake Taupo. We passed lots of dairy farms and pine forests before arriving at Lake Taupo late in the day. It was too late in the day to see much but it seems like a fair sized holiday town. We are booked to take a boat tour of the lake tomorrow, weather permitting. Fingers crossed.