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Wow, last night was windier than a field of cows...and I am referring to the weather! Speaking of which, today was another day that started with showers but brightened up by the time I reached my first destination, the Hobbiton film set.
It being Waitingi Day, and the last holiday weekend of the summer, it was very busy, but they are well set up for dealing with high numbers.
The 2 hour tour started with a 10 minute coach ride to the set, with commentary provided by our driver, Craig. He told us how the road we were on was built for the set but as both the film company and New Zealand government were short of money, the army was employed with the cover story that they were retraining in road construction. The set is in the middle of a cattle and sheep farm. Although sheep featured in the films, the locals were considered unsuitable so Suffolk sheep were drafted in from England.
Around the set Yvonne was our guide. She told us there are 144 hobbit holes, but the original set was built from polystyrene etc and they had started to dismantle it when adverse weather halted the process. Then the first Lord of The Rings film came out, was a huge success and locals who recognised the area started knocking on the farmers door, so the remaining set was left in tact. When it came to filming The Hobbit, the farmer asked that the set be made permanent, and so here it is.
Yvonne took us all the way around the set, giving us plenty of opportunity to take photos. At the end we got to spend 20 minutes in The Green Dragon and sample a choice of beverages that are only available there - a stout, ale, cider or ginger beer.
After the tour, it was lunch time so I had to try out the 2nd Breakfast in the cafe, and very nice it was too.
Unfortunately, due to the ongoing wind issues, my plan to go sailing on Lake Taupo to see Maori rock carvings was thwarted. The weather should be better tomorrow, so fingers crossed.
Instead I went to the Huka Falls on the Waikato River, which drains Lake Taupo. A few hundred metres upstream from the falls the river narrows from around 100 metres across to just 15, creating a spectacular flow rate of about 220,000 litres of water per second, and quite a din.
Then it was back to the motel with a sandwich for a relaxing evening.
Total distance covered today: 333km
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