Our final day in New Zealand was spent on a Bush and Beach Tour to Hobbiton. We traveled over the Bombay Hills and the rich farmland of the Waikato region. All of the green hills should remind us that we are approaching the Shire. We made a stop at a coffee shop and I purchased a few necklaces. We continued through some old coal mining towns and we saw some old Polynesian graves.
At the beginning of the tour we stopped to pick up Andy, our tour guide. We made it to the walking part of the tour and were able to see 44 hobbit holes, the mill and double arch bridge and the party tree. We also saw Bilbo’s house, “Bag End” and saw the whole set to the hills in the distance. I will be the first to admit that I have actually never seen any of these movies but this set was pretty awesome. Here are some photos from the day. I could have spent all day taking pictures of this place. Everywhere you look there is another detail to see!
Once the walking tour of Hobbiton was complete we went to the Green Dragon to have a taste of their ale, cider,or ginger beer and a light lunch. On our way back home we stopped at another little stop and I purchased another necklace and some ice cream. I loved all of the details inside the Green Dragon. It was hard to pick my favorite photos from Hobbiton.
When we arrived back to Auckland we went to Brew on Quay and did a little shopping. We ate at Jack Tar and had Salt and Pepper Squid and a Salad and Ryan had some of the best lamb he has ever had. We went back to our hotel to have dessert. I may have spent too much money on dessert, but it was so good. I had a cheesecake with berries and topped with Oreos, a few glasses of wine and some beer. It was a great ending to New Zealand. The next blog post will be the start of the finish – Rarotonga.
