Hobbiton Movie Set

One of the first things we did during our stay in and around Rotorua was to take a trip to Hobbiton - the setting for the Hobbit movies made in NZ. And it was popular - indeed absolutely crowded with people. Again, have a look at these picture and you'll see why. We stopped first at the tourist office in Matamata, the nearest town, to catch one of the many buses ferrying passengers to the rural film-set. Even the tourist office got into the swing of things, looking like a hobbit hole.

Buses the size of this one left every few minutes for Hobbiton.

And the site was stuffed full of elegant hobbit-holes like these set among bucolic rural scenery

And here I am sitting atop one of the more underground homes that populated the site.

The set designers did a wonderful job of creating, in effect, the perfect English country village of perhaps a couple of centuries ago.

Fish drying in the sun.

Max in front of a wood pile.

Bucolic landscape.

Fake tree. Since trees grow slowly, the set designers had to improvise. This tree looks real, but is wholly manufactured!

A water-wheel astride a little lake, which is next to the village pub - The Green Dragon, which features in both Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. Visitors can get a drink there as we did.

One more glimpse of hobbit holes and a fake tree! Au revoir Middle Earth. By the way, one of my colleagues at my university was private secretary to J R Tolkien at Oxford.

AS

Home at Lake Okareka

For our stay in Rotorua we rented for a few days a lovely residence close to Lake Okareka, which is located well out of that town - again in lovely scenery. Here's Dot having a cup of coffee. amidst our lovely surroundings.

Bec and Max loved the Lake, and I even went for a swim there. The waters were crystal clear and beaches had white sand. In the second of these three pictures you can just make out a floating platform which Max really enjoyed. The game was to load as many people as possible on top without the platform tilting and throwing most participants into the water. Max was mostly successful at standing his ground.

AS

Scenic Industrial Archaeology

What can be more sublime than chasing ghosts of the past through gorgeous scenery? While you're working that one out, I'll just say that after leaving the Coromandel Peninsula we headed to Rotorua for our next extravaganza. But, en route, we came to the Karangahake Gorge. Captivated by the scenery we decided to stay a while, and then discovered the long discarded remains of a massive gold mining operation dating back to the 19th century. Mines and aesthetics don't often merge well, but on this occasion the parks authority lovingly guided tourists like us through the remains and explained in detail the past operations and what we were looking at. . Have a look at this blending of scenery and industry. It was, by the way, exciting for young Max to clamber over walls and snake through trenches or along discarded railway tracks. And it was easy walking for we oldies.

I think the pictures speak for themselves, xcep for the last one where Bec and I went for a stroll through a long and no longer used railway tunnel that once connected the mine to the outside world. That little walk was over 2 km in semi-darkness, though we were always guided by the distant light beckoning us at the far end.

A Glimpse of Heaven?

Our visit to the Coromandel Peninsula had three main targets, the subject of this post. They were all gorgeous beaches. Just drool. The first target was Cathedral Cove, involving a lovely cliff-top walk followed by sharp descent to a pristine beach. The first four pictures show the views from the walk. The white cliffs are not chalk, but rather ash.

Max very much enjoyed this stroll.

And guess what was at the bottom of the cliffs. Well, there was a lovely secluded beach, but most eye-catching was the cathedral window - a window to a stunning sea-scape.

Like Atlas before him, Max uses his great strength to support an over-hanging cliff.

After Cathedral Cove, we headed as fast as possible for Hot Water Beach. Why so fast? Simple. The events on that beach take place two hours either side of low tide and we were running late. As you can see below, the beach was pandemonium! It was literally crawling with people many carrying spades. So what's going on. Well, at low tide one can dig a hole in the sand, which fills with hot water flowing from a 'volcanic' spring. This allows the owner of the hole to enjoy a form of Sauna - interspersed with quick sprints to cool off in the South Pacific. The water was, by the way, very hot as I discovered when I inadvertently trod in the stream. That's me in the picture by the way, suitably attired in palm fronds.

And Max is busy here shaping his hole in the sand.

The rocks below are yellowed with sulfur deposited by the hot water.

Max in his hole.

And so on to the lovely beach at Heihei.

It was to some extend sullied by the dead sea snake washed up the beach, although it was surrounded by excited kids - including Max. None seemed afraid of touching it!

And lastly, one of easier ways of reaching Cathedral Cove is by, of all things, a water taxi boarded at Heihei.

AS