Journey to Shire of Hobbiton

Lord of the Rings Filming Location

Journey with us from Tauranga and experience the real Middle-earth™ at the Hobbiton™ Movie Set, where, in the heart of the Waikato region, you can step into the lush pastures of the Shire™, as seen in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.

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As we mentioned in our last post, we had pre-booked a six hour tour with Zealandier Tours to the Hobbiton™ Movie Set.  After departing McLaren Falls Park, we then climbed up to over 1000 feet to cross the Kaimai Mountain Range, which divides the Bay of Plenty coastal region from the Waikato district, the main dairy farming area of New Zealand.

We soon arrived at Hobbiton™; the movie set location for Lord of The Rings and associated films, near the town of Matamata.

Upon arriving at our destination, our guide told us that we had time for some lunch and a restroom break before meeting him at the ticket entrance before 2 PM. 

He went to purchase our tickets and we decided to eat at The Shire's Rest™ Cafe .  The lamb wrap was very good. You can eat inside or in the picnic area nearby.  There is also a gift shop and restroom facilities, which we highly recommend you visit before your two hour tour begins.

Movie Set Tour

The tour is very organized.  You line up by time and check in with the guides.  They then escort you to a waiting motor coach which will take you to the entrance of the Shire.  During the bus ride to the entrance, several short videos are played, the first of which is a welcome from Sir Peter Jackson, whose team discovered the Alexander farm in 1998 while scouting for a filming location.  They were looking for iconic rolling hills of New Zealand.  If you watch our short video above, approaching the movie set, you'll soon understand why he fell in love with this location.

Wonders of the Shire

For the next two hours, we wandered around the set, escorted by our guide, who showed us the intricate detailing, pointing out the most famous locations and explained how the movie magic was made.

We had a once in a lifetime opportunity to see this iconic movie set in its full glory; from wandering the rambling paths of The Shire, to seeing the submerged Hobbit Holes™ that litter the rolling hillsides.

Green Dragon Inn Refreshments

After being taken around the 12 acre set, past Hobbit Holes and the Mill, the tour continues inside the world-famous Green Dragon™ Inn, where where we could sample their exclusive, specially brewed beverages (a local shire ale, cider or ginger beer) to conclude our own Middle-earth adventure.

These images are just a sampling from our visit to Hobbiton.  Be sure to view our entire album and bring back memories from your favorite Hobbit movie.  No visit to New Zealand would be complete without touring the movie set.  It is fun for young and old. 

Note: While the Movie Set is not very wheelchair friendly, they do have options available for those who may not be able to complete the walking tour. For more information visit the Hobbiton Movie Set website.

Additional photos can be found on our Australia & New Zealand Shutterfly page

Tauranga
Hobbiton



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McLaren Falls Park Tauranga

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Our sixth day of the cruise began with a leisurely breakfast, as we wouldn't be arriving in our next port of call, Tauranga, New Zealand, until approximately 10 AM.   We had pre-booked a six hour tour with Zealandier Tours to the Hobbiton™ Movie Set.

Once the ship was cleared, we made our way to the gangway and exited the ship.  The tour company had provided detailed instructions on where to meet them.  They were waiting under the flag pole just beyond the gates to the port area.  As they had promised, our names were listed on a sign there, and after showing our confirmation, we were directed to our tour guide. 




After a short wait for the rest of our group's arrival, we boarded a mini-bus and our tour was
underway. Departing Tauranga; we first crossed the harbour bridge, which offers great views of the Mount, 232m high and marking the entrance to the harbour of Tauranga.

Just ten minutes from the port we arrived at our first stop of our tour, McLaren Falls Park, which abounds with a diverse range of tree species & bird-life. One of the highlights of the park is the waterfall track where you can see glow worms after dusk. We enjoyed a short, easy stroll to the picturesque waterfall. It would be awesome to see the glow worms on either side of the track, but during daylight, they weren't visible.

Additional photos can be found on our Australia & New Zealand Shutterfly page

Tauranga
McLaren Falls Park
Hobbiton



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Worldwide Web Meets Cruise Industry

#WWW_2019

How the WWW has Impacted Cruise Industry

Today marks the 30th anniversary 
of the World Wide Web

You are fast asleep and all of a sudden you decide to see what cruise ships are sailing to Aruba next month. OK, so you weren't fast asleep after-all. Nevertheless, you get out of bed and grab your cell phone or turn on your PC.

Picking from your browser favorites you pull up your favorite search engine and fill in a few options and there you have it a list of several cruises to choose from. You narrow your selection to several on one of the cruise lines. Next, you want to learn more about the ship so you select their brochure from the website's brochure rack and begin navigating the pages.

Next you put together a request for a price quote to your travel agent, via their website, or through your email client. Now, finally, you can go back to bed dreaming about sunny days laying by the pool or beach with a drink in your hand. All this without human intervention. Of course, you have several questions for your professional travel planner, but that can wait until morning.

Life Before WWW

Prior to the days of the WorldWideWeb, this same desire for information would have had to wait until morning, unless you already had hard-copy brochures for the various cruise lines. You would have then made a phone call or visited your local travel planner who would probably have had to take some time to do some research. 

You may have been able to fall asleep dreaming about Aruba, but you wouldn't have known whether you could be going there next month. 

Nowadays, you can enjoy instant (as fast as your internet speed) information, tailored to your specific needs. Even if you are mobile, as long as you have an internet connection, there isn't any waiting for information.

This is only one way that the WorldWideWeb has impacted the Cruise Industry.  With technology advancements, it's possible to stay connected even while sitting by the pool sailing in the middle of the ocean.   This need for connectivity has spurred upgrades on most of the cruise ships afloat today.

We've covered that topic in past articles on our blog.

Onboard Ships

Passengers want to stay connected to friends, family, and possibly work while on their cruise. The cruise lines have responded, with improvements to their networks. Most lines offer a variety of options so that every passenger can be accommodated based on their requirements. Not all passengers need streaming video for example, so those that do, pay a premium price to get that option.

Network speeds have improved, but there is still a ways to go in most cases. Even so, with unlimited packages, at least passengers now have a fixed cost option should they wish to access the internet onboard the ship.  Whether you used your personal PC, tablet, phone, or ship's devices, you can stay connected to the internet throughout your voyage if you desire.

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Remembering the War

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Pou Maumahara 

Memorial Discovery Centre

Visitors can explore the stories behind photos, diaries and military collections and contribute further knowledge and information to create a legacy for future generations.

Hundreds of unique New Zealand war medals are on display, each one connected to an individual story. Explore the stories of these medals and their recipients through digital interactives.

The Discovery Centre is staffed by their very knowledgeable volunteers and space is provided for people to plug in laptops, sit down with books and soak up the rich history around them.

War Memorial

The top floor of the Museum is dedicated to the memory of fallen soldiers and included within the war memorial galleries is the spectacular World War One Hall of Memories. Nearly all the 5,325 New Zealand soldiers killed were buried overseas. Almost a third of all those killed have no known grave.

The Roll of Honour is engraved in white Sicilian marble slabs on the wall encircling the top floor. The letters have been cut into the face of the marble and inset with bronze leaf.  The spectacular stained glass lead light ceiling directly above the entrance foyer shows the Coat of Arms of all British Dominions and Colonies during the First World War.

Additional photos can be found on our Australia & New Zealand Shutterfly page


Auckland Museum



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