Tuesday 25 August 2015

Hobbiton | NZ 02

As we drove out of Auckland in our hire car we suddenly felt this sense of freedom. We had a full tank of petrol and an open road before us. The GPS was leading us to our new destination and we had more than enough time to get there, giving us the option to stop whenever and wherever we wanted.

We were going on an adventure!

The hills rolled by us creating all different and unusual shapes and we made up stories of how giants lived under the soil, the grass acting as their blanket, their sleeping bodies creating the hills, mountains and valleys before us. A story to tell our children one day perhaps?

On we went, travelling up and up and as we turned around the bend there it was - Hobbiton. Tiny little hobbit holes lay in the hills, dirt paths joining them all together. Their doors were painted in vibrants reds, blues and yellows and their windows were adorned with flowers. It was a movie set but it wasn't fake. The trees were real, the vegetables were real. I was half expecting Gandalf to come trotting along on his horse and buggy, lighting fireworks as he passed.

We walked around in our tour group and stopped at every little door as we learnt about the making of the Lord of the Rings films and tested our own knowledge on the subject. We joked that this little town was made for me - a small village for a small person. I didn't mind the joke at all. I would live here in a heartbeat.

Our tour ended at the Green Dragon Pub, where we indulged ourselves to apple cider in front of the warm and crackling fire. We felt like we were in a different time, a different world. Everything was at peace and peace was within us and we were sad at the idea that we had to leave.

But leave we did, and we continued to quote Bilbo, Legolas and Aragorn as we made our way to the beautiful (yet smelly!) Rotorua.

18 comments:

  1. I just found your blog and I'm so happy I did! :) Your pictures always look so dreamy... ❤

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  2. Oh wow, visiting this place looks better than I imagined! How great that everything is real there. Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to go to NZ.

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  3. oh how cute is it! I've only ever seen a few photos before but it was extra cool to be able to see it on a wider scale :) Love the sleepy kitty by the fire too!

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  4. I wanna go here someday but I really really need to read the books before I do because oh my gosh I cannot imagine how surreal it feels to be standing in a fictional place--IT'S REAL. Gorgeous photos; I'm glad you guys got to have such a wonderful adventure!

    carlyandmoth.blogspot.com

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  5. oh my gosh, yes!!!! i hope that one day i can surprise my fiance with a trip here! he would seriously die!

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  6. You are so lucky! It looks like you had an amazing time.xx

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  7. Oh how exciting! This is going on the must do list when we visit NZ! Beautiful photos. x

    http://foxesinthespring.blogspot.com.au

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  8. Beautiful photos - Hobbiton just looks so damn adorable! The Green Dragon looks like the perfect pub to curl up in on a chilly day.

    Jaina | time-wellspent.com

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  9. AHHH I LOVE THIS!
    i must go!

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  10. This is flippin' amazing!! I would love to visit this place and have a little roll around as well while I'm at it. And I feel reading this post of yours today is nice way to the day I spotted Ian McKellen in town (for Manchester's Pride parade). It took a lot for me not to yell out Gandalf haha. Love your photos and words as always!
    M x

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  11. omg that is so cool.. we should all have round doors!

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