Hobbiton and Te Aroha

Last week, as the title proclaims, I visited a film set for the Lord of the Rings movie and the soon to come The Hobbit movies, and Te Aroha, a hot spring and health spa at the base of a mountain.

I can say very little about Hobbition. Only that I did go, but I am unable to post any pictures of the set due to a confidentiality agreement I signed. Therefore, to give you as much proof as I can here is a picture of the confidentiality agreement. 

For more proof, I was also in Matamata, the town near the set known as Hobbiton, where they had a Hobbiton sign, Gollum statue and a weird chair. You might be thinking why am I not on the chair? Well, I did sit on it, I just forgot to have my picture taken. Instead, Steve's partner Nanette's children, Patrisha and Eloisa posed for the photographs.

If you want to see the set pictures, our guide informed me that after The Hobbit films are released, the confidentiality agreement is void. Therefore, ask me then.

At Te Aroha, I happily hiked up the mountain. Not only was it beautiful it was also a workout, an activity that does not happen very often driving around in a small SUV to different farms. I cannot stress this enough but the native flora in New Zealand is so different and cool. It was chilly in the forest but if you just imported some macaws and boa constrictors from the Amazon you could film a pretty believable B movie. This would be impossible however, since to protect the many native flightless bird. Most reptiles are banned from entering New Zealand.

Sadly I did not make it to the top. We arrived at Te Aroha at three o'clock and the hike up to the top takes 2 hours. But I still got pretty high up.

After the hike, I went for a short swim in a swimming pool supplied by a hot spring and later had a picnic with Nanette and her girls, Patricia and Eloisa. My favorite food was a shortcake like cookie with cornflakes and finely chopped orange rinds. Afterward, we packed up and drove home.

Next week I will be touring the south island. To keep light I will be leaving my computer behind. I will be returning on the 22 of November.