by: -RoG-

...CONTINUED

[Auckland] [Hobbiton Tour] [OGO Rotorua/ Zorbing] [Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Wonderland]
[Glow Worm Caves] [The Tongariro Alpine Crossing] [Wellington, Weta Cave, & Airport]

The rain went away after only 10 minutes, so we continued exploring.

Hanging out in front of a tiny blue Hobbit holes.

They're stocked up on firewood for the winter at this hole.

Yes, even our tour guide kinda looked like a Hobbit.

This is the fence that Bilbo jumps over to go on his big adventure.

Hobbit seesaws.

Yep, another Hobbit hole.

Now here's something that I thought was pretty cool:
To make the fences look naturally aged, they painted them with this special mixture that included yogurt in the blend.
Why? Because the yogurt would eventually cause plant life to naturally grow on the fences.

One last picturesque view of that perfect setting before heading into the little town area.

Over the bridge we go.

I really can't get enough of this stuff.

A nice stream runs alongside the town area.

A little shop.

It was still under construction at the time, but this would eventually become the pub you could go in and buy a pint at.

Lookin' good so far.

If you forget to look up, you'll miss this nifty Green Dragon iron sculpture.

They really did create their own little paradise here.

Balls o' hay.

Decisions, decisions...

They don't even get junk mail here. This place really is heaven!

Mmm... yogurt.

Oh sure... just as we're leaving they make the umbrellas available. A bit late there.

Aboard the bus, we head back to the farm.

Out in front of the farm, I noticed this nice sculpted stone with Lord of the Rings / Hobbit designs carved into each side.

Another view of the stone.

And another.

And one last one, with Gollum himself.

Of course, if you're hungry, you can stop in at The Shire's Rest cafe.

Anybody in the mood for a Second Breakfast? Funny, but far too pricey if you ask me.

Had to check out the gift shop while we were there.

SoberRing Thought - the official brew of the Lord of the Rings.

Some bottles of the brew along with a miniature sculpture of the Hobbiton set.

Is it wrong that this scarf was my favorite thing in the gift shop? Gotta love 8-bit sheep.

Next up, we head to Rotorua for some OGO zorbing action!

There's still plenty more from the
New Zealand Road Trip to see!
Click here to continue onward to page 4!