Hobbits

Hobbiton, New Zealand

No kidding. It is a real place. The Anderson farm about an hour out of Rotarua was scouted out by Peter Jackson, filmmaker, as the perfect location for the Hobbit films. No wonder, the dramatic green rolling hills, walkable hollows, and expansive horizons are nature's ready made movie set. When the filming ended and so many fans made pilgrimages to the hallowed ground, the family knew they had an opportunity. Today there are Hobbiton buses from surrounding population centers , along with car travelers which contribute to 1800 a day arriving for tours. The only reason we decided to spend a half day in this endeavor was because we wanted to report our findings to David and to our young Polish friends as well.

The charming young tour guide entertained us with details of building the sets, gossip about the actors, logistics for the hundreds of crew members, what scene in the films occurred at each spot, and mishaps on the set. The most interesting information was fanatic attention to details insisted on by Jackson . The large, well placed trees were built with man made materials, and the thousands of leaves were painted and wired on individually . If he didn't like the hue, they would be taken down and repainted. The many Hobbit homes were in one word, adorable. At the end of the trail we were offered a drink in the Dragon Pub.

Wanaka and Wine

A charming town not far from the wine country. We pulled in to the rest stop to find out there had been a 4.8 earthquake yesterday. Just missed it, as we missed another 4.8 which occurred in Milford Sound the day after we left! Watch out Hawaii.

Near Cromwell, a fruit growing area , grape vineyards grace the slopes. We visited the Aurum Vineyard, one of the few organic enterprises. It is run by a family who does most of the work themselves with the help of 10 backpackers at harvest time. This is the vineyard Prince William and Kate visited a few years ago. After a tasting we came away with a few bottles.

Dart river jets

Not boaters or speed enthusiasts, we nevertheless signed up for the touristy Dart River jet boat experience. These buzzing demon motor boats carry 15 people, each decked out in rain cloaks and life jackets, which when stacked body to body in the boat felt more like strait jackets. The hour long drive thorough several pristine rivers, carved out by volcanic events required two hands on a grab bar and feet braced on the floor at 60 mph. The scenery was spectacular, but might have been more calmly viewed in a slow boat without noise and fancy swirl tricks.