Hobbiton & Back Again

    In 2022 my husband called me crazy for second-guessing the trip of a lifetime. A friend I had met when she lived in the Okanagan for a brief time, was getting married- In New Zealand, in Hobbiton. She sent me a message to put a bug in my ear about the date. 

    I immediately got nervous. I couldn't be on a plane for that long, that's 13 hours. New Zealand is an island.  That's a long way from home. What about the funds? I felt sick and my brain went a million miles a minute. My husband stopped me in my tracks and said if the bride was serious and we could swing it, he would make sure I got to New Zealand. 

    Months went by, and 2023 rolled around when I got another message from the bride. She wanted to discuss all of the wedding details and fly me out to New Zealand to capture their day. Without overthinking, I said yes immediately, knowing we would get things figured out and this would be an incredible opportunity. 

    In the next few months, we organized flights, looked at photos of the countryside, found different hotspots we wanted to visit, and invited my brother to come along with us. Both he and I are massive Lord of the Rings fans, so going to Hobbiton would be insanely fun with both of us there. We confirmed flights for Caleb and me, and Kord had a path set up to meet us in San Francisco so we could fly into Auckland together.  

    

Caleb and I landed in San Francisco on a full flight from Edmonton. We had a quick bite to eat before getting a message from Kord that he was stuck in Vancouver because something had gone wrong with his New Zealand visiting Visa. We stayed at the airport for a while trying to see if Kord could get on his flight. He resubmitted his information and was told to wait it out, which could be up to 4 days. All we could do was hope the information would come through sooner than later for him. 

    Caleb and I didn't want to sit in the airport for the entire layover, so we set out to see the Golden Gate Bridge. I've never seen traffic like this before- Yes, I know, I am from a smaller place, but I still wasn't expecting the mass amounts of people that came with this city. The drive to the bridge had me white-knuckling the "Jesus Handle". Like I said, traffic was crazy and our driver was from there, so he drove around people like they weren't there.

But, despite our Uber being slightly horrifying, we made it to the Golden Gate Bridge!

The bridge itself is pretty cool, and if you're there and have the opportunity, I highly recommend walking down the beach. I am not a sand person, so we did the paved trail, but you can see Alcatraz, and the bridge from a distance is spectacular. The people down the walk were very nice, and most of them had dogs, which made the people-watching even better.

There's a Mexican restaurant close to the Disney museum, and because the museum was closed, we stopped in for some food before heading back to the airport to see if Kord would make it there in time for our NZ flight.

We got internet at the airport and had updates that Kord's visiting visa had been approved in "record time," and he was on the next flight from Vancouver to San Francisco. Caleb and I made it through security and met up with him on our red-eye to Auckland. By the time we got onto the plane, we were all exhausted. Thankfully, Caleb and I were the only two in our row, so we could spread out a bit. I worked on some editing, did some sudokus, organized paperwork for landing and finally passed out around 2 am (MST) on Thursday (CAD). 

Woke up to breakfast (Saturday, NZ) about an hour from Auckland. We had the slightest amount of turbulence over the equator, but that was it. For someone afraid of flying, it was the best flight I had ever dealt with. We landed in Auckland and grabbed our luggage, well... Caleb and I did. Kord's luggage didn't make it from Vancouver and they weren't sure when it would be there. So my brother had no socks, no toothbrush, etc. Thank goodness it's Kord and he can make the best out of the worst situations. 

We picked up our camper van (which was smaller than we thought it was going to be, but Kord to the rescue, with his outlook on life, had us laughing about it). We stowed our bags in the bunk and sought to find some food and scenery for our first day there. We found Miko, a little cafe where we thought we could grab a coffee and muffin and carry on. WELL, if I am going to tell you anything about New Zealand, it's that they ruined Canada's cafes for me! They don't just serve muffins, we had full breakfast meals, along with the best hot chocolate I have ever had, and the freshest ingredients. Caleb had a Long Black coffee, which I still am unsure what it is, but he said they were amazing. 

After our food and a bit of a rest in the cafe, we went outside to the botanical gardens they had advertised at the airport. There were paved trails that went through various food gardens with information about all of them. Through them and into flowers like you've never seen before, full blooms in every colour imaginable and gentle fragrances that seemed to walk with you.

The trails appeared to go on forever, and there were little bridges dabbled about that took you into forested areas, and under every bridge there was an eel- or 19!

The diversity in their ecosystem is so incredible, and we went during the rainy season so everything was in bloom and SO green. We found a handful of mazes that we ran through like little kids, open fields that people walked their dogs through, and ponds full of ducklings.

We could've stayed there for the entirety of the trip, but we had to make it to Rotorua (which we were pronouncing horribly wrong) so we could get organized before the wedding. 

It was about 2.5 hours of driving to Rotorua. There was never a dull moment and never not something to see. The countryside is lush and beautiful. There are more sheep than people, and there's always a rainbow in the rainy season. Getting into Rotorua you know when you're close, the geothermals reek of sulfur and you can smell them for miles. 

We found our air B&B and grabbed a room in the games area. Kord opted to stay in the Van, but we all hung out inside and played ping pong, waiting for our Australian cohorts to join us. It was 7:40 pm there when I finally crashed. 

We woke up to our Aussies and birdsong. Being in Canada, we aren't used to much birdsong where we are, aside from the odd robin or blue jay, which don't sing nearly as nicely as the little birds in New Zealand. Our friend's flights had been delayed, so when they got in, they were exhausted and went straight to bed. 

Kord, Caleb and I found another small cafe that overlooked a church and a number of geothermal sites. 

We enjoyed another unreal cafe breakfast and then walked around the church site before visiting Hell's Gate Pools. The mud baths were really awesome, it all felt like silk and had your skin feeling so soft. We did the polar plunge before getting dried off and going to see Mourea, another incredible view. We found burgers for lunch and kept the rest of the day quiet and relaxed.

I tried Vegemite for breakfast- That's a no for me. It tastes like garlic and molasses. You Australians can keep it. Our new friend "Bluey" made us breakfast, after which I accompanied my Bride, Emma, Groom, Drake, and their officiant (Uncle) AJ, on a trip to Hobbiton. We were working on picking the actual venue site, and Emma and Drake settled on inside the Mill in case of the very likely event that it rained. The Mill is not on their everyday tour so AJ and I had a little moment of "Wow", especially because it was my first time there and I got to go somewhere not everyone sees. Taking a step back, I took a deep breath of firewood and cedar. It smelled incredible. There was no damp in the mill, just the wood smell.

Our second fangirl moment happened when we walked across the bridge and into The Green Dragon. I'd be lying if I said I didn't shed a tear walking through the Pub. They showed us where they would be setting up dinner, the dance and where the cake would be cut. They also introduced us to the Hobbiton "Manager", Pickles, a tortoiseshell cat in charge of mice and keeping the fire a good temperature for everyone.

That evening, we went on a Cedar Night Walk with the ladies of the wedding, and a few of the gents.

The Wedding Day

The time had come! We got dressed, with long johns underneath, of course, into our most festive Hobbit wedding attire. The girls got ready in 1 of the 3 air B&B's the bride had set up for us all. It was misting for most of the morning, and all of a sudden, the clouds broke open, and sun shone into the house onto the bridesmaids. 

The girls and I arrived in Hobbiton after the rest of the guests and the groomsmen. We had a private shuttle take us from the parking area to the Hobbiton site. The mill had been cleared out and set up with hor devours and little benches for the family.

It was an intimate ceremony, dabbled with references to the books and movies, appreciated by the family and photographer alike. It was quick and very "them". We had a quick bite to eat and then got a private tour around Hobbiton for photos. 

We had so much fun. We took them to the entrance of the Shire where Bilbo ran down the trail shouting, "I'm going on an adventure," and shared the same excitement. We were on our own adventure and got to enjoy every piece of Hobbiton, working our way up to Bag End.

I don't have a word other than Whymsical to describe how I felt in the moment. Getting to step into Bilbo's home, even though it was just the exterior finished, was one of the most surreal, memorable moments in my life. We got to sit on his bench, and soak in the amazing views that Bag End had to offer.

My husband, Caleb, and I outside of Bilbo's home.

The door had just been painted a fresh coat of green, even though we were hoping for a Rune of Frey near the bottom. Quotes flew from person to person, and our guide was just as into it as we were. 

The View from Bilbo's

By the time we were finishing up portraits, the rain set in again, and we hid in the Hobbit hole until the worst of it passed. We walked down the trail and past Sam's, which was under construction at the time, they were designing the inside and adding that to the tour the month after we were there. 

We made our way to the Green Dragon the long way around the pond and enjoyed the view. The rain was misting us again but it didn't take away from the lights reflecting off of the water. 

Inside the Green Dragon, we were greeted by a wide spread of food and a crackling fire. The food was incredible and there was something there for everyone. They cut the cake in front of the green dragon sign and we all enjoyed desserts, also Hobbit themed.

Even if you're not a Lord of the Rings or Hobbit fan, I recommend visiting if you're in New Zealand, it is an interesting and immersive experience. 

Autographs from the cast who visited Hobbiton.

We feasted like Dwarves, and danced like Hobbits, all while looking like Elves, even though we are all mere mortal men. 

I will always be so grateful to Emma & Drake for hiring me to capture their day in this amazing place.

The next morning Caleb and I both woke up not feeling 100%, and it was our last day at the Air B&B in Rotorua, we were set to continue on our sightseeing that day. We started the day off slow, getting packed up and even managing to get our Aussies a preview of the wedding photos before parting ways. We went for breakfast at a little cafe and found a Kiwi Hatchery on the way out of town. 

We got taken around to different rooms where they hatched them, fed them, and eventually released them back onto the island. You weren't allowed to take photos in the hatchery until you got to the final room, so we didn't get any photos of the cute babies, just memories. We got to see one trying to get out of his egg, he was just floof and beak.  It was an interesting facility and all of the people there were very passionate about Kiwis. They are such a strange little bird. The egg takes up their whole body before it's laid! 

The rest of the day we drove back to Auckland to pick up Kord's suitcase, which had finally arrived in the country. We grabbed groceries and found a campsite to park in. The thing that they don't tell you before going is that a lot of the campsites don't have online check-ins, they have real people and hours when you can or can't get into the sites. I got a fever about a half hour into checking into the campsite, but after another half hour Caleb got us in and got us a spot. We started to make dinner in the van which is when we found out that the "stove" wasn't hooked up properly and we almost burnt the thing to the ground. It poured rain all night and the wind was so strong it rocked us to sleep.

The next morning showed us everything that New Zealand could be. Bright sunrise, rainbows overhead, green fields, sheep for miles, and free running chickens all over the campsite. You were free to walk in with the sheep as long as you didn't bother them. The lambs were so much fun to watch runabout. We found a little trail that took us to the ocean and around part of the campsite.

We continued on the trail for about 20 minutes and found a little beach entirely of shells. No sand, no rocks, just sea weed, and shells covering the ground. I had a hard time walking on them because I didn't want to squish any with inhabitants.

After our walk we headed to the aquarium to kill some time before Kord's tea time at Howick golf course. It was a very well done little aquarium, not massive like the one in Vancouver or Oregon, but they had a shark walk, oodles of penguins and a very curious octopus.

Kord enjoyed his golf game, despite it being so windy along the coast, and Caleb and I had a nap in the van and worked on finding an Air B&B for the night so we could do some laundry and have a real bed to try and sleep the fevers off. We found one called Patch's, it belonged to a retired couple that had an entire history on the house, how and when it was built, and a washing machine that they gave me step by step instructions on using. The cabin was gorgeous, and there was a little wood stove that was so cozy to sit by.

After breakfast the next morning our host, Graham, took us through his garden and down to the river that ran through the property. He brought some raw meat down with him and handed some to Kord so he could help him feed his "pet" eel, Elvis. Elvis was at least 4.5 feet long, had unique scars on his body and migrated back to that spot every year. They had 3-4 other eels in that area as well, but Elvis clearly ran that part of the river. 

Graham took us through the other side of his garden where he gave us oranges fresh off the tree, a lemon for our tea and even a gorgeous flower. I wish that I could remember what it was called.

After leaving Patch's we stopped at Ngarunui black sand beach. None of us had been to a black sand beach before so it was on the bucket list for all. People surf there but there wasn't much for swimming, it was cold but the waves were also a lot for a leisurely breaststroke.

After the beach, the boys had a hankering for seafood, we found a little restaurant called "Orca" that had full platters of everything from the ocean. They gorged themselves before I took them out to Wairēinga Falls (Bridal Veil).

The trail was well maintained, thick overhead and on either side. The river was a deep green because of the amount of water running through it, and the birds sang endlessly. The best part about New Zealand is there is nothing dangerous, animal-wise, in the forest that will come after you. I had to remind myself numerous times that they don't have bears, wolves, or cougars that could interrupt your hike. Maybe a possum or kiwi, but nothing overly frightening. The hike itself was pretty gentle until we got to the stairs. The fall are 55 m high, and the trail down only took us about 20 minutes, not including the lookout spots that we made sure we took in.

It was definitely a hike I would do again. They had multiple viewing spots for all angles on the falls, even one at the very top so you could look down the falls to see just how massive they are. 

This platform was my favourite, the thick trees and brush outlining the falls perfectly. On the walk back up I stayed on the trail, Caleb and Kord felt the need to go exploring. They found little off-trails and ran into the bush like children, you could hear them laughing and running around. I found a washroom near the trail head and when I got back to the van Kord had both of his shoes off, dragging them through the grass and growling to himself. Caleb was giggling at him, already sitting in the drivers seat of the van, ready for our next destination. Kord had stepped in some sort of feces and was trying to get it off of his shoes, and pants... I don't know how it ended up on his pants, but it was there. Our happy-go-lucky travel buddy who got us out of our negative mindsets was a moping cloud of anger. 

Caleb and I waiting for Kord to finish cleaning his shoes

We stopped at a gas station and got him multiple disinfectants so he could feel better about his shoes. Caleb found a self-guided cave walk, so we drove there next on our way down the North Island. They're so beautiful and interesting. This trail was well maintained as well, there were railings on everything and multiple trails to choose from. 

We stayed in the caves for a while, and Kord called me to a different part of the cave. He told me to walk in, climb up to the spot that he was in and look up. Ok, great, maybe there a cool rock formation, or you could see straight out of the cave. No. If it had been my husband who called me that may have been the case, but it was my brother and I should've known better. I climbed up through a little break in the rocks, onto another small platform, found Kord and looked up. Straight into a massive heap of prehistoric-looking bugs.

I almost peed myself. They were massive, I had no idea what they were, just that they were creepy-crawly and above my head. I backtracked as quickly as I could, slipping down the rocks and getting the heck out of the little cave. My spelunking adventure was over.

Until the morning, when we went on our second cave tour, this one guided. We were going to Footwhistle caves, I wanted something more private than just another run-of-the-
mill tour, and we got it with this one! Our guide was the father of the man who owned the property. A fun tidbit of information that they shared with us is that when you buy land in New Zealand, you don't just own the land and 10 feet down, you own right to the center of the earth. So you own your caves and can do what you'd like with them. 

Footwhistle's tour began with a short bus trip from the community centre to their property and down a trail into the caves. Our guide was so animated and stopped us at different spots in the cave, shutting the lights off to show us the glow worms and other things. The hungrier the worms are, the more they glow.

Deeper into the cave he showed us the remains of a prehistoric bird, and let us know that the creepy-crawlies we had seen the day before were a cave cricket.

He showed us what they used to use for light, a magnesium lamp that lit up a massive part of the cave and then went out with a little flair. We all got photos in the caves before going back above ground to try a tea they brewed on site.

Kawakawa tea is what we got to try, made from the Kawakawa leaf, which apparently has amazing healing properties. It was very good and the perfect thing to warm you from the inside out after a damp cave tour. It was served to us in a little hut along the trail back. 

We found another Air B&B for the evening so we could have heat and not feel so soggy. It was nestled in the mountains between the Three Sisters and Elephant Rock and Waitaanga. The road was thin and windy, ascending and then finally descending into a little valley, revealing a small farmhouse surrounded by jersey calves. They had heated blankets on all of the beds, a wood stove, fresh eggs in the fridge for us, and the calves were very friendly. Whenever we can get back to the North Island I will stay here and at Patch's again in a heartbeat.

The last real day of adventure before our Dinner Tour at Hobbiton. Up to this point I had been twice, Caleb once and Kord hadn't been there at all yet. We stopped at Mount Egmont and did a little hike around to see more of it. The weather further up the mountain becomes its own because the altitude is so much different.

We enjoyed the walk, I was almost completely over the cold I had gotten, Caleb was feeling better and it was just starting to get to Kord. We made the best of the scenery before going to Elephant Rock and getting some photos of it from a distance. We couldn't figure out how to get to the actual rock formation, there were people out at it but from where we were we couldn't find a way. 

At the end of the day we found another little B&B to sleep and rest up for our day at Hobbiton in two nights.

We had leftovers for breakfast and Caleb and I found a swinging bridge as the adventure for the day. I am not great with heights so there wasn't a lot of looking down, but out was ok. We kept it very light for the day as we were both still exhausted from being sick.

The sickness that we had hit Kord hard. He stayed in bed most of the day until we ran into town to grab dinner.

Hobbiton Tour Day

The day started slowly. We had booked an evening Banquet Tour so we spent some time in Matamata before going to Hobbiton and perusing the gift shop. When we loaded the bus that took us through the sheep fields Kord started to buzz with excitement. Even I was still excited. 

They gathered us all at the Hobbiton sign and walked us down the trail towards Tuck Borough.

It was the first day of full sun that we got and it warmed us all as we walked the trail into the main area. The guide had facts and stories from when the movies were being filmed, one of the guides had even been in the Hobbit (Battle of the Five Armies). When Bilbo returns and is walking back to his house, it's her that is packing his chair down the hill. 

There were wild rabbits running about, huge bees keeping the flowers happy, and tons of sheep (duh, it's a sheep farm). 

We got to walk all of the trails, our guide gave us little tidbits bits throughout, and we were allowed to take as many photos as we wanted.

We wandered around the little pond and got told to look closer at the Hobbit holes, how they were set up, and how the mailboxes were decorated. Each mailbox was done specifically in reference to what their inhabitant did for work.

We weaved around all of the trails, up the main one and finally to where Kord had wanted to be, Bilbo's.

We weren't allowed into his yard this time around, but we still got to enjoy the views from his house, into the clearing where they had his 111 birthday. We walked down ahead a bit and found the cutest little blue house that quickly became my favourite.

They let us get photos inside of a little red door before taking us down and around Sam's house (still under construction) across the pond from the Green Dragon. 

While they set up dinner for us we were allowed to grab drinks and sit outside the Green Dragon to enjoy them. We still had great weather and everything was dry! 

Dinner was another amazing spread, dessert was too, and Kord got to meet Pickles, the Hobbiton cat. 

After the massive feast we got to enjoy we spent time outside before they wrangled us all and brought us to the clearing (Bilbo's Birthday clearing).

Looking up at his house all illuminated was another surreal moment of the trip. Our guides told us stories about the filming process and one about the fireworks they used for the birthday scene that some people weren't aware of. Needless to say, the farm animals didn't much care for the fireworks, even though they weren't dragon shaped, and they were asked to not use any agian.

They gave us all complimentary mugs from the Green Dragon as an apology for the construction of Sam's house, they're very well done. We also bought some of the cups we had used at the Green Dragon, as well as some Sackville Cider.

It's definitely a tour I would do again, especially the Dinner Banquet tour. 

We said goodbye to our hostess and her pup, left her a case of Stella as a thank you, and drove back up to Auckland. We stopped in at the zoo to pass some time, something more relaxing and fun to do for our last full day there.

They had beautiful enclosures, white rhinoceros, the cutest little otters, and gorgeous tigers, among so many other things. We walked through everything, trying to really enjoy another full day of sun and all of the critters in front of us. By the end of the day we were all excited to head home and see our critters and friends/family.

Even though we all got sick half-way through the trip and didn't get to all of the places that we wanted to, we got to see a good portion of the North Island and spend time with great people.

We will NEVER live out of a van again, we will make sure that if we are camping it will be in something big enough for three people, wired and piped in correctly.

We will go during their summer months so it isn't so damp all the time, and visit the South Island for more sightseeing and good people. 

I am SO thankful that I had the opportunity to go, and not only capture my friend's wedding in Hobbiton but to have been able to bring two of my favourite men along for this unexpected journey. Kord, Caleb and I had so many hiccups, laughs, and roundabouts (wholly cow, do they like those over there), and I am so excited to hit the road again with them soon. 

~Grae 🐾