Friday - Auckland

Hurstmere Street, Takapuna's main shopping district.

After a leisurely breakfast of toasted multigrain bread with absolutely fantastic Manuka honey, DeEtte directed Michael to a store on nearby Hurstmere Street where he could purchase a SIM card for our mobile phone that would allow us to make calls within New Zealand. And then ...

Our adventures begin with a bang.

With DeEtte as our chauffeur (good thing, since they drive on the wrong side of the road down here), we were headed out of Auckland when we heard a loud bang from the back of the car. We couldn't see anything in the road behind us that we might have hit, but a couple minutes later a man in the car next to us started honking and pointing to the rear passenger side (that would be the left side) tire. We pulled over and discovered that the tire (or tyre  in New Zealand) was flat. Michael impressed the ladies (and actually himself) with his tire-changing abilities. Nancy remarked that this was not unlike the beginning of Frodo's journey, full of mishaps along the way.  

And what an appropriate observation, since our journey today was taking us to Hobbiton. (This one is for you, Brendan and Kyle.) We were told that when Peter Jackson was flying around in his helicopter scouting locations for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, he found the perfect spot for the Shire here in the center of the North Island. After convincing the owner to let him use his sheep farm, he convinced the NZ equivalent of the Army Corps of Engineers to build the necessary access roads. Bag End and the other hobbit holes were made of temporary materials (like polystyrene) because the owner--in true Kiwi environmentally responsible fashion--wanted the land returned to its original condition after filming. Of course, the Green Dragon Inn was literally burned to the ground so the hobbits could envision the destruction of the Shire, and eventually all other traces of Hobbiton were obliterated to fulfill the terms of the contract.

But after the success of the LOTR movies, and when numerous tourists kept showing up at his farm asking to visit the set before it got torn down, the owner regretted his decision to destroy it. So when Jackson approached him again about rebuilding Hobbiton for The Hobbit, this time the owner asked that they use more durable construction materials and leave the set intact so the area could reap the economic benefits of LOTR tourism. Jackson agreed; and since they built it, we have come.

Fortunately for the neighbors, Google Maps now will take you directly to the visitors center. (After probably hundreds of tourists knocked on his door, a farmer down the road posted a large sign on his mailbox stating "This is NOT Hobbiton!") Like most tourist attractions, it has a receiving and ticket center, a cafe and the requisite souvenir shop. You are assigned a time to meet your guide, and then a fifteen-minute bus ride takes you to Hobbiton. On the way, your young guide enthusiastically welcomes you and relates the history of Hobbiton (as we just did above).

The tour consists of a two-hour walk through the Shire, with the guide nearby mostly to answer questions and take photos of you and your significant other at strategic locations. The most interesting feature of the town is that everything comes in two sizes: the larger structures made the hobbits look small and the smaller ones made Gandalf  look large. They even planted extra-large varieties of vegetables in hobbit gardens so the actors would look smaller in relation to them. Another thing that you notice, which we don't remember so much from the films, is that there are significant changes in elevation. Bag End--the most elaborately detailed hobbit home--is high on a hill overlooking the pond in front of the Green Dragon Inn.

Safe home at Bag End

After meandering along the trails, with each tour group carefully timed so that other tourists don't clutter the background in your photos, you cross the bridge and end up at the Green Dragon Inn. There you can enjoy a spiked apple cider or a couple of beers on draught. The nonalcoholic ginger beer was very heavy on the ginger and quite tasty.

Nancy imbibing her ginger beer at the Green Dragon

The drive home took longer than we had planned because we stopped to get the tire fixed at a repair shop in the little town of Matamata. When Art (who did not come with us) asked what the town was like, Nancy replied, "It's the New Zealand equivalent of Blackfoot, Idaho" (where Michael and DeEtte grew up).  All agreed with her more than accurate assessment.

The rain storm that showered Auckland tonight provided a little entertainment as we watched Art try to keep dry while grilling our steaks on the balcony. DeEtte made some delicious roasted potatoes and cucumber-avocado salad, and Art continued entertaining us with his inimitable stories while we dined overlooking Rangitoto, the volcano across the bay.