We decided to do a last minute road trip to Mt. Ruapehu on my wife’s birthday last week. Our plan was to visit the hobbiton movie set and spend a night in Rotorua then to Mt. Ruapehu the next day.
Our first stop was at the Matamata i-site which was a 2-hour or so drive from Auckland. We arrived at the place early and managed to make a few snaps while we waited for our tour bus. The tickets can be pre-booked online and there are parking spaces provided if you opt to leave your car at the visitor site. Alternatively, you can drive straight through to the shire’s rest which is closer to the movie set. But for that full magical Hobbiton experience, I’d recommend you start off from the Matamata i-site.
Movie clips and the soundtrack from Lord of the rings were played on the small screen, which set the mood inside the bus. Warming you up for the real treat.
Sheep road block! The middle-earth hobbiton movie set was built inside the Alexander family sheep farm. Passing through the entrance, you’ll get a fantastic view of the vivid green meadows and rolling countryside.
We were accompanied by Jake, our friendly tour guide. Before the walking tour began, he gave us a brief introduction of the shire and also some warning/reminders about the restriction on the hobbit houses
Taking photos was highly advised so you’ll see everyone clicking away, almost ignoring what the tour guide was saying. I won’t deny it, guilty as charged! With the enchanting view right in front of us, who wouldn’t?
While going through the hobbit houses one by one, it felt like I was in a pilgrimage. Even in seeing the village from afar. Another tip though, if you’re going with your young kids be ready to carry them or bring their stroller as it gets tiring going uphill
While the hobbit houses are just facades, there’s one hobbit hole where you can open the door and go for a peek of the interior.
The bag end, the home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins!
The green dragon inn view from the other side of the lake.
Inside the green dragon inn, a complimentary beverage was served and snacks can be purchased from the counter too. The beautiful structure was used in the film and eventually got turned into pub. The perfect spot to rest and relax after the long walk.
Jake, the friendly tour guide, not minding to pose for a picture. He even grabbed a small tree branch and impersonated Gandalf that made the group laugh. He got a well-deserved applause from the group before he left the bus, an affirmation that everyone had a great time.
My verdict? A must for the LOTR fan and fanatics. You’ll get awe by seeing the actual hobbit houses that were used in the film and lots of fun facts and interesting details that’ll be fed to you by the tour guide. On the other hand, if you want to go there out of curiosity to see what the hobbit holes look like in person, I guess it might still be interesting for you. It’s like going to a museum or to an event you’re not invited to but still had a great time because the place was so awesome and the host was very accommodating.
Next on our itinerary was Hamurana spring which was not too far from Matamata. Unfortunately, it was closed for visitors at that time. We moved on to the last one on our list which was Lake Rotorua. I’ve seen a lot of great photos of the jetty stretched along lake Rotorua and was hoping to catch it at sunset. But our gps was pointing us to an address that was inaccessible to the lake. We drove around and chanced upon a private house which was rested by the end of the lake. The owner saw me trespassing but was kind enough to invite me to his property to have a look.
My wife spotted this cherry blossom by the park on our way to the hotel.
We met up with our friends at the hotel, who just came down from Mt. Ruapehu. We’ve had a quick catch-up before they went on to their own room.
We checked out at around 8AM the next day and headed out straight to Mt. Ruapehu. It was half past 10AM when we got there and the weather was terrible. My daughter wasn’t feeling well too. I spent some 15 minutes, roaming around the area and taking some photos while they were waiting inside the car. Growing up in a tropical country limited to only summer and rainy seasons, we’ve always dreamt of having to see and experience snow. It’s almost customary for new Filipino immigrants like us to visit this place whenever possible. We’ve been here a couple of times before but I’d still take photos every time to remind us of the memories of our adventure.
Even though the trip didn’t go as planned, missing out a few destinations and coping with a bad weather, overall we had a great time travelling, mocking each other during the trip and we had an awesome family bonding.