Hobbiton

Today was a fantastic day! We headed west inland to Makamaka for the long awaited Hobbiton Movie Set tour in the afternoon with a stop off on the way to a beautiful lookout at the top of Minden. Today, the rain has stopped and the day is perfect. The views over the Bay of Plenty are spectacular and you can see many of the islands in the distance (which is not always the case on an overcast day). Stopped on the way for a morning tea break at Omokoroa, a sleeping little town with absolutely beautiful water views and crystal clear waters. We then headed to the north islands highest waterfall, Wairere Falls with a 153m drop! Again, it was an hour and a half trek with steep rocks and stairs, but we are getting good at this type of climbing now and were determined! Time was ticking away and I was not going to be late for the amazing Hobbiton experience, so we headed off for Makamaka and the girls and I (Michael and Hamish not so interested in Hobbits!) boarded the bus for the Lord of the Rings experience! It was fantastic. Peter Jackson, the director, had location scots find this farm in the middle of nowhere with rolling hills and approached the lucky farmer, Alexander, and soon a business deal was struck. For the Lord of the Rings films, all the sets were temporary, but when Jackson asked if The Hobbits could be filmed there again years later, this smart Alexander farmer said yes, but only if the sets were permanent and now he is reaping the benefits of tours every 15 mins every day of the year, paying through the roof, to see little hobbit holes on his farm!!! It was fantastic though and we had a great time!Read more