Day 29: Hobbiton
When we got up in the morning, we were glad we had taken the ski lift to see the mountains the day before – the clouds were so thick, we couldn’t see any of the three peaks. We still had the morning free, so we walked the Taranaki Falls Walk just for our health, before heading off at noon.
Bit of morning tramping to the Taranaki Falls
A few mossy steps to a great view
Both hubby & New Zealand look amazing AF
After a very light lunch, Lindsay took the driver’s seat because she was just that excited and couldn’t wait to arrive at our next destination – for years she had been dreaming about visiting a magical place that once only existed in the imagination: Hobbiton!
Fangirl squeal of excitement!
We were booked for the Dinner Tour which left the Visitor’s Center at 4:45pm. About 50 fellow tourists climb onto a big green bus with us, we drive through the locked gates of the Alexander Farm, down about 5km into the sheep fields of the working farm, along a road built by the New Zealand Army to accommodate the film crew for The Lord of the Rings (max capacity 130+ vehicles per day).
On the bus to The Shire! Lindsay is swooning over her tickets while Igor is checking his emails via mobile phone
We get off the bus and follow our guide, Andy, into the heart of the Shire…guys, it’s every bit as wonderful as I hoped it would be. Andy took us along the pathways, telling us little behind-the-scenes stories about the construction of the sets, pointing out which hobbit holes were full scale, and which were “hobbit-scale”, what was real, and what was fake, as well as a few jokes (“Why are hobbits no good at boxing? Because they destroyed the ring!”). We had plenty of time to take photos as the sun slowly went down, and we made our way to the Green Dragon Inn.
Welcome to the world of hobbits!
Uncontainable excitement over hobbit-holes!
BAG END.
Night falling on Hobbiton – time for supper & some ale!
At the Green Dragon, we got a complimentary beer – specialty brews from Good George made exclusively for Hobbiton and enjoyed the pub atmosphere. While sipping our ale, we met a couple from Brighton (England, not New York) who were visiting the wife’s sister New Zealand who later became our tablemates for dinner.
The calm before the storm – getting some ale at the Green Dragon
Cheers! Any surprise Igor is seated near the exit?
Speaking of dinner – what a hobbit feast! It was like a Tolkien Thanksgiving – the tables were literally full of food (Andy told us that when they are setting the table, their supervisors check to verify that there is not a single bare spot on the table). And the food is GOOD: roast chicken, beef & sausage dumpling stew, roast bacon, stuffed butternut squash, roast vegetables, ratatouille. After “filling in all the corners”, we still had dessert!
Tucking in for a hobbit-feast!
Dessert plate! I would expect nothing less from the Green Dragon
After the delicious dinner, each couple gets a lantern to light our way back through a night-tour of Hobbiton. Seriously, the sight of the Party Tree & Bag End lit-up in the dark is just magical – words can’t describe the wonder of being physically transported inside a novel.
Exploring hobbit-holes and considering moving here…
Pickles the cat, following the tour through a lamp-lit Hobbiton
Word of advice to any friend considering a trip to New Zealand: if you decide to visit Hobbiton, spring of the Dinner Tour – it’s worth every penny.