Visiting Hobbiton

If you're going to make the hike all the way to New Zealand you HAVE to visit Hobbiton. You might recognize that word from the Lord of The Rings (LOTR) series. It's the town where the hobbits live. I've read the books and seen the movies, but I'm not the biggest LOTR fan in the world, but I have to admit it was SO COOL. Admittedly, the whole thing is a bit touristy, but that's to be expected.

A Brief Backstory:
The farm where Hobbiton is built was found by a location scout flying a helicopter over New Zealand. He was looking for a hilly place near a tree and a lake when he stumbled across the perfect farm. They then negotiated with the owners to come and build a temporary set for the movies. After the movies were filmed, they tore down the set. However, when it came time to film the hobbit, they re-negotiated with the land owners for another filming stint. This time, it was agreed to build Hobbiton using permanent materials. This way, when filming concluded, the land owners could keep Hobbiton alive as a tourist attraction. I believe the guide mentioned it is the second-most visited tourist attraction in New Zealand, so clearly this was clearly a good business move. Today, thousands of tourists come through and get to experience the magic of Hobbiton!

How the Tour Works:
We decided to take the bus option to get to Hobbiton. It was about an hour drive I think from Rotorua. We arrived at a little gift shop at a certain time, boarded the bus and off we went! They played a cool behind the scenes video of filming the movie on the way there and back, so that was neat. The bus was pretty small and cramped, but it's a bus, so what can you expect?

When we arrived, they gave us the chance to use the restroom at a little check in area. I think if you drive out here, you can check in here. Next we got back on the bus and drove on to the property. It was a pretty long drive! We then followed our guide (named Luke) on a tour through Hobbiton, ending with a drink at the Green Dragon.

After the tour, you get like 5 minutes in the gift shop ( no joke!) and then it's back on the bus and back to Rotorua.

The Highlights:
Of course, seeing the Hobbit holes was amazing! Many don't really open, but this one we were allowed to take a picture inside of. It's really just a few feet deep and is very much unfinished inside - wood beams, etc.

The Green Dragon was really neat as well. You get the choice of 4 drinks at the pub, which was so fun!

We even got to see Bilbo's house! Bag End was pretty epic. 

And of course, the whole place had props everywhere. We got to see the party tree and the May pole and much more. It was honestly a really cool feeling and I'm so glad we went!

Australia/ New Zealand Planning Begins

I am SO excited for our next really big trip - Australia and New Zealand! We are aiming to go next February or March and stay for two whole weeks. Heck yes. But right now, I'm at the most overwhelming part of the trip - the planning phase! Everything looks so beautiful, and I want to see everything!

Here are some of my favorites based on reading reviews and doing some research:

Nevis Swing in Queenstown, NZ

This is essentially the world's biggest swing and is similar to a bungee jump. I had the opportunity to jump off the world's largest bridge bungee jump in South Africa, and now I'm hooked! It just looks jaw-droppingly gorgeous. I'm not sure if we will end up having time for this activity, but I will be thrilled if we can squeeze it in!

Sydney Bridge Climb

This is a classic! It looks so fun and adventurous! Right up my alley for sure!

Hikes in New Zealand

We are big hiking enthusiasts, so of course we will be doing some hiking while abroad! Though likely this will just be day hikes this time around. Some of my favorites (again, based on pictures) will be Fox Glacier, Midford Sound and the classic Volcano hike. I think we will probably pick our favorite and build that into our itinerary. We'll just have to see! But how cool is it that you can see a volcano and glacier in the same country??

Hobbiton

Finally, my husband is a big Lord of the Rings fan, so I can almost guarantee we will do something related to the movies. Whether that's a full-fledged visit to Hobbiton or just stopping to see some places where scenes were filmed, we will just have to see! 

Great Barrier Reefs

I think this one we will definitely end up doing! You see so many pictures of the Great Barrier Reef, and I just want to experience that in person! Whether that be just seeing it from a boat, snorkeling or even going up in a plane has yet to be determined. Either way, I'm excited!!

Planning a trip is a big undertaking, but I absolutely love it! If you would like some help getting your trip organized, check out my website MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com! 

Hobbiton (North Island, Nearish to Auckland)