“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
Today was a charming one! Other than a last-minute decision to visit the Weta cave in Wellington, my only planned LOTR/Hobbit activity while in NZ was to visit Hobbiton, outside of Matamata. I had read that it was expensive, and very touristy and crowded, but still…how can one pass on THE SHIRE??? So, I purchased a ticket for the 9:00 tour, hoping to beat the crowds I had been warned about, but due to my B&B host’s miscalculation of how long it would take to get there, and my, ahem…meandering about the dells…I didn’t actually arrive to The Shire’s Rest until a quarter to 10. Fortunately, I was able to get a standby ticket and waited with a little trepidation, along with a nice couple from Phoenix, and we all made it on to the 10:00 tour. Each tour boards a bus (I think about 40 people) and then we are driven into the movie set. It is actually the Alexander farm, and is a working sheep and cattle station. The first time that the set was used for the LOTR movies, it was torn down after filming. However, for the Hobbit movies, Mr. Alexander agreed to let them build the set again, but struck a deal that it be permanent so they could turn it into a tourist area for ever after…and boy have they ever! It was true, what I read, about the number of people that funnel through there, about 2500 a day. However, it felt very organized and not rushed and we were furnished with a great tour guide; because of that it was all very charming and civilized and WAY BETTER than I had expected it to be. I mean, really, who wouldn’t love a setting of lush green, rolling hills with cute little hobbit holes complete with laundry lines, fishing pond, party tree, double-arched bridge and a local pub? I truly was enchanting…as you can see by all the pictures I am posting to this entry. I can’t help it…it was so cute! Just be glad that I am not posting all the pictures…I may have gone a little overboard with the camera today. But to be fair, so was everyone in my group, and in every group that goes through there. I included a few pics of all the people just to show the scope of the crowds. Funny though, as many people as they have, it still didn’t feel crowded. My good weather patch was out and in full cooperation today, so the weather was absolutely awesome as well.
At the end of the tour, they gave us all a mug of ale at the Green Dragon, mine was ginger, and then we piled back on to the bus for a return to the starting point/souvenir shop. I did succumb a bit and purchased a photo book with commentary on all the shooting locations for the Hobbit movies, and it is beautiful and interesting.
River, our tour guide
This is what happened at every well-known spot, and Bag end was the most popular stop
But I got my turn too :)
Inside the Green Dragon, filling up with ale
I have noticed here in NZ that while everyone owns a washer, very few own a dryer, and even if they do, they don’t use it unless it is absolutely necessary (it is raining or snowing for days). I think it is that way for a number of reasons, electricity is expensive, they find it more natural, and using electricity when the sun can do the same job is just a better use of resources. That is one thing I have noticed about the folks here in NZ, they are very green-minded. They all recycle, NOTHING is EVER thrown on the ground, not even an apple core into the bush…at least as I have observed it. As I talk with the locals about it, they agree, and say that they still have a way to go, and that they are trying to find balance in both legislation and personal habits.
Following church tomorrow, I will continue to circle my way around the peninsula, it is once again, a very scenic and unique part of the country.
Drive on the Coromandel Peninsula, east side
a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ah. Just ah
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