Hobbiton and a Maori Village

The thing we were most excited about in our trip to New Zealand was going to the Hobbiton movie set. We had a bit of a scare that we wouldn't be able to go, because the cruise line cancelled our tour, but luckily I found a local provider who we could book through directly, so we got a full day outing with Hobbiton in the morning and a Maori village in the afternoon.

We got on a little bus to take us to the entrance to the actual Hobbiton, and, I'm not going to lie, when they cued up the Lord of the Rings music and we came over the hill to this idyllic spot, I teared up a little. The bus dropped us off at the sign, and we walked down the path, between the two parts of the hill, just like Gandalf.

There were little hobbit holes and gardens everywhere. It was incredible!

We weren't sure how Elena would react, since she's never read the books or seen the movies, but the place was so beautiful, and it was totally to her scale, so she fell completely in love and declared that she wanted nothing more in life than to be a hobbit.

The amount of work and care that goes into this place is just incredible. The gardens are actually growing fruits and vegetables, and they kept everything running during the pandemic, even though there were no visitors to help fund it.  We were extra happy to be able to come and do our part.

They even had a partial hobbit hole that you could get into and pose.

There was a little side window too, that Elena rushed over to.

She didn't want to get out, but we had to let other families have their turn, which she was a bit miffed about. She was planning to move in permanently. The view from the hobbit village was stunning.

After wandering around for a while, we found Bilbo's house, but we respected his wishes and didn't go past the gate.

The gardens were absolutely stunning.

Our guide told us they're working on building a full hobbit home that you can walk right on through, now that things are up and running again. She said the goal is to have it ready for 2024, along with places that you can stay in around the area. We would definitely come back for that! 

We finished our tour down by the mill and the tavern.

We got cider and scones and just basked in the fabulous atmosphere. We all agreed with Elena that we didn't want to leave, but the tour must go on!

Our next stop was a little ways down the road. The Maori village has a mouthful of a name, but most of the people who lived there just called it Whaka.

It's a fascinating place. It was originally a winter home, because of the natural heat, but they eventually set up a permanent home. We started with a show sharing some of the Maori songs, dances, stories, and games.

It was a hot day, so we weren't super excited about getting closer to the steaming thermal pools, but our guide explained that there was a special treat in store for us if we did.

The Maori put corn cobs in mesh bags and then put them in the water to cook. The water is naturally salted, so the corn gets salted too. It was delicious!

The girls were especially impressed by the Maori open mouth, tongue out war cry. They kept practicing throughout the tour.

It was a long day, but totally worth it. We absolutely loved Hobbiton, and we learned a lot at the Maori village. I didn't want the girls to come all the way to New Zealand and not learn about the local culture. On the way back, our guide took us along the coast. New Zealand is an absolutely beautiful country.