In need of a chiropractor, we unfurled ourselves and greeted the new day. There were sufficient wet wipes, deodorant and dry shampoo to feel ‘clean’ but it took Maccas hotcakes and a hot chocolate to feel human.
We then found our way to the Hobbiton shopfront in Rotorua and prepared for our morning tour. As mentioned in the blog post, “Hey, Wanna go to New Zealand?” it had been tricky to secure tickets to a Hobbiton tour but not impossible. As I stress to people the importance of getting in early for tickets to the crown of the Statue of Liberty in the New York! blog post, I too stress the importance of being organised at securing tickets to Hobbiton before you get there!
Hobbiton was about an hour bus ride from the Rotorua shopfront. This was a lovely drive, and the driver Craig was very knowledgeable about the area. He should be, cos he is a local of Matamata. There are a few videos that play to tell you the story of Hobbiton and how it went from just the location in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, to being a tourist attraction. As they would say in New Zealand, “cool story Bruh, ey.” We arrived at The Shires Rest, which is a cafe and gift shop, but also the bus stop where tour goers who have driven to the site then have to board the bus to undertake the actual tour. Ol Hobbiton is quite tightly guarded. None of this just rock up and meander around yourself. No one enters Hobbiton unless by a big, green, Hobbiton branded bus. But with this, you get a fantastic tour guide. Our guide, Jenna (Jenna on her name badge, but everyone in NZ says it as Jinna) was so sweet, knowledgeable and well spoken. It was only at the end of the tour that she was telling others in the group that she only works there on weekends because she is actually a student at a local high school. Jenna and Craig are an absolute credit to Hobbiton, consider yourself lucky if you get them on your tour.
The tour includes lots of fun facts, including the fact that all but one tree on the site is real. Can you pick which one? The walking tour is pretty tightly controlled and you are kept in small walking groups of the same people you shared the bus with from The Shire’s Rest. The beauty of the small groups is that you can hear your guide and you have plenty of opportunities either at the start or end of your little group to get some photographs without other people in your shot. If there were a self guided thing, people would wander like cattle and the importance and magic of the set would somewhat be lost. A bonus is also that you can actually go into one of the Hobbit houses for a photo. The tour guide and another Hobbiton staff member will take your photo with your phone or camera.
At the end of the winding Hobbiton paths, you reach the Green Dragon Inn, where you are given a complimentary beverage. The non-alcoholic ginger beer was particularly tasty and it was a fun experience to stand in the Inn and drink from a pottery mug. I had to check out the loos, and they are also in keeping with the Hobbiton experience. Lots of timber and wrought iron and it is this kind of attention to detail that really scored well with me. Even the detail of all of the little Hobbit clothes lines with their little Hobbit clothes on them. Depending which side of the fence you sit, you will either be nauseated by the commercialism of this beloved cult movie or you will completely enamored by the attention to detail and magic that is Hobbiton. I fall into the latter.
The trip back to Rotorua was a bit like coming home from camp. Gone is the hype and excitement of the trip there, replaced with a dozy, contemplative trip home. Craig played some more Hobbiton movies. My favourite was showing all of the people who starred as Hobbits, especially the old men who went along to auditions with their kids or partners, just to lend support, but who ended up in the movie while their loved ones missed out. Upon our return to Hobbiton, there was an overwhelming sense of disappointment as we returned to the world of large, rectangular doors and small, hair-free feet.
But this disappointment was soothed by a burger at the ‘Fat Dog‘. Given that this was an insult hurled in my Catholic high school in the 1990’s, I felt uncomfortable saying it by name. But they sure know how to make a gigantic burger. With quirky, mismatched furniture and hilarious table numbers including decoupage teddy bears, cow statues and abstract artwork, this cafe certainly has character!
With full bellies and a fading memories of Hobbiton, it was time to check into our accommodation. Yes, with the hoards leaving Rotorua, it was again possible to find somewhere to stay that had real beds and a bathroom. We opted for the Millennium Hotel which was not entirely thrilling. While it was definitely a step up from the car, the shower head that changed it’s direction of spray depending on how much you had turned on the tap provided a nasty surprise as did the experience of searching for a lost earring under a cabinet only to find someone elses used, discarded band aid (I am still washing my hands due to having touched this and I think my squeal was only audible by dogs). At this point I abandoned the search for said lost earring, figuring a new pair of earrings would cheaper than antibiotics or a tetanus shot. As a positive, the hotel was central to the food district and had comfy beds.
Settled into our digs, we headed back to Hell’s Gate for a walk around followed by a mud bath and sulphur spa. When we arrived, we paid for entry into the park and for our muddy, spa’y extras. The young girl at reception asked how we heard of Hell’s Gate. I told her it was after watching Billy Connolly’s tour of New Zealand, that we put this place on the agenda. She kind of looked at me funny and asked, how we actually found out about the park. It seems that Google is a more appropriate response to the question, than Billy Connolly. The shame!
The landscape at Hell’s Gate is really like the end of the world. Hot, smelly, baron. The sound of bubbling, sizzling and popping drown out any other sounds of nature that may be nearby. It was like a post apocalyptic landscape from a movie set. Absolutely surreal.
After we walked the loop of the park we entered the spa area to have our mud baths. The mud baths are hot. The first one was too hot, so we spoke to the girls working there and asked if we could go in a different mud bath. They checked the temperature on the bath we had originally been told to go into, and it was 39 degrees. The fix for this is just running the hose with cold water into it. So if you feel that the bath is too hot, just say so! The mud baths themselves have mud in boxes at each end. You just scoop it out of the box and lather it onto your skin. It was lovely and I want to believe that the mud bath has taken years off my appearance! After soaking in the mud for a bit, we had to shower to wash off all the mud and we could then enter the sulfur spa. There are two, large, warm, public baths that overlook the beginning of the path to the park. I absolutely love baths but Mr Harrigan, not so much. The look of disgust at bathing in a pool that was shared by others was not really his cup of tea but I was grateful to be able to share this experience with him. I would say that if you are going to make the effort to go to Hells Gate, kick in the extra dollars and set aside the extra time to be able to visit the spa. With the smell of sulfur well and truly embedded in our skin and nostrils, it was time to leave.
On the way back to our accommodation, we took a quick detour via the redwoods at Whakarewarewa Forest. There is a fantastic walking tour where you get to walk on elevated walk ways between large redwoods. It is like being a big kid and having an epic tree house! I am not a fan of heights, nor really nature for that fact, but I loved it here! I would have loved to have returned at night time, as there are a number of large lanterns that hang among the trees. This would be magical at night.
Showered and with glad-rags on, we hit the town. There are so many options for food in Rotorua, you really are spoilt for choice. A great range of cuisine, from bars, pizza, pubs, Italian, and quite a few Indian restaurants. Our criteria for picking a good Indian food is, ‘can we smell it as we walk past?’ This is based on our experiences with Raj’s Corner in Hamilton, which always smells (and tastes) amazing. So after a walk past on a couple of Indian restaurants in Rotorua, we settled on Lovely India. Really sweet staff, and amazing Indian food. If our travels ever find us back in Rotorua, Lovely India, we are coming back for you.
And so, day 3 of our New Zealand adventure comes to an end. Two back to back large days and a log like nights sleep in an actual bed.
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