Day 15: Nasty little things, Hobbitses!

Waking this morning was like our family holidays to Devon when I was very young.  It took two days then and dad would pitch a tent for us kids wherever we got to at night when he was too tired to drive further.  Once it was on the edge of a railway cutting!  This morning we awoke to find we were parked in front of the town's water supply close to what looked like a builder's yard, but thanks to Tanya for giving us several hours of sleep!

We packed up the van and headed south for an easier driving day today to Matamata, and Hobbiton.  As we drew closer to Matamata, we could see why Peter Jackson chose this landscape for the Shire.  It was very reminiscent of the rolling hills of Dorset, green and peaceful looking with lots of places for hobbit holes.

We arrived early at the Shire Cafe/Reception but were told we could go out on an earlier tour at 10am and so had a welcome cuppa in the cafe and a quick look around the shop before boarding our coach to drive the ten minutes to the set in the company of driver Craig.

Craig was great fun and also had lots of info about the making of the movies.  For example when Peter Jackson went to the NZ Government to ask for financial help to make Lord of the Rings they told him they couldn't spare any cash so they would give him the New Zealand Army who built an access road in to the location and also several other sets  Originally the hobbit holes were fabrications of polystyrene and plywood but were made more substantial for the Hobbit, and when the site was handed over as a tourist attraction the Green Dragon Pub became a real building.  Our guide Paul gave an excellent introduction and told us what to expect and not expect - it was a movie set after all!  He did promise us a cold drink in the Green Dragon Pub at the end of the tour!

The tour took 2.5 hours and lived up to all expectations.  (NZD79 per adult.  Tours also leave from Matamata - NZD79 or Rotorua - NZD114). The attention to detail on the set was incredible.  PJ had let it 'grow in to itself' over a year so that it would look lived in when they started shooting the film.

One person's job was to climb the hillside each day to hang out the washing so that a track was created in the grass as would happen in a real village.

The gardens contained real fruit and vegetables, as well as some fake ones, and were smothered in butterflies, a whole new eco system had been created.

Paul told us of details which the viewer would surely have missed completely but that PJ insisted had to be right because his thinking when choosing locations was that, first and foremost, they had to reflect Tolkien's descriptions in the books and if that meant access problems etc, ways would be found around those problems. In Hobbiton apple and pear trees were planted but in the books they are plum trees, so before shooting all the fruits and leaves were stripped off and artificial plums/leaves added - did you spot that when you were watching?

Likewise, the large oak above Bilbo's BagEnd was created and individual leaves added - it also had to go back in time for the Hobbit.  PJ thought the leaves too green when it was assembled so they had to be individually resprayed.

As we toured the Hobbit Holes, Paul set the scenes in context:  Gandalf's arrival in the village; the Party; Sam's return home and his stories brought the action of the books and films alive, but it is such a magical place that it is easy to imagine hobbits living out their lives there.  A good thing was that, despite the numbers of tourists, it was organised so that groups were spread out over the site and so we were able to take photos without any 'humans' spoiling the views.

As our most excellent tour drew to a close we arrived at the Green Dragon Pub, which was beautifully recreated both inside and out, and given the choice of drinks from two ales, an apple cider and a ginger beer.  I went for the apple cider which was deliciously cold and very welcome on a hot, humid day.

After the drive back to the Shire Cafe we decided to tarry and have lunch (roast vegetable frittata and salad for me, yum) then we spent lots of money in the shop before climbing happily back into Oscar the Van, resolved to re-watch all the movies when we get home!

The drive to Rotorua through Kaimai-Mamaku Forest Park was short and uneventful.  As we neared the city there was much evidence of the Maori influence and the geo-thermal activity (a right old pong!)  Our holiday park for the coming two nights is in Holdens Bay on the south east side of Lake Rotorua, so after setting up, a cuppa and the laundry we got out the bikes and found a route in to town to visit the I-Site (these are equivalent to our tourist information offices and very useful, sometimes with cafe attached, usually with free wi-fi).

Unexpectedly, the off road part of our bike route took us though Sulphur Bay so we had our first sights and smells of the mud pools and steaming vents.  There were also signs warning of 'hot wheels' so we didn't hang about long on those stretches for fear of melting rubber!  Patrick on reception at Holdens Bay (excellent facilities) was very helpful and suggested we book a cultural evening at a Maori community.

The site is very comfortable and quiet, this is certainly a good time to visit although some folks we have met have had difficulty booking B&B accommodation so that must still be very busy.  I booked both Holdens Bay and Hobbiton online the day before with no problems.  Being on a commercial site every couple of days means access to power, laundry facilities, dump facilities and proper showers.  Average price of a night's stay for a powered site is NZD40 (about £20 at time of writing).