Hobbiton
Any trip overseas is a significant undertaking of course; and to just talk about a single area of a large trip might seem odd. However, a clear window into a day trip might encourage you to take the plunge into the planning needed to make the larger adventure itself.
If you ever find yourself on the north island of New Zealand, an awesome place to visit is the area around Matamata. Auckland is typically where Americans will land on the International flight out of L.A. bound for New Zealand. From there it is a two hour drive to this incredibly picturesque area of a ridiculously beautiful country.
The first thing you are going to find when you Google Matamata is what you might think of as a tourist trap. If you thought this, you would be very, very wrong. Yes, the movie set of the mythical town of Hobbiton from the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit is the primary attraction to the area, but there's so much more too. Tons of information can be found online about the attraction, but I want to give you some personal insight as well.
When you think of areas like this in America you imagine a cheap facade of gaudy colors covering a back-end of plywood. Hobbiton is not this way. The detail in the Hobbit hole homes is extraordinary. Details like making sure that properly sized feet have worn pathways through real grass to the homes and real hobbit-sized clothes are hung out to dry on lines. The entire movie set is placed within a working farm, complete with sheep, furry cattle, hard-working farm hands, and wild birds of every color everywhere. In fact, you can't just drive to the location, but instead take a very comfortable custom bus from a nearby visitor's center. Skip the souvenir shop at the visitor center, but don't skip the restrooms before boarding the bus as they are in short supply on the set. The tour ends at the Green Dragon Inn which is the most complete set piece and is an actual functioning building that can be rented for parties. It is awesome! Make sure to sit in front of the fire and visit with the grumpy cat that lives there named Pickles (the chair on the right in front of the fire is hers). They offer you several types of drinks as part of the tour, I strongly recommend the ginger beer.
Besides the main attraction, you will find Matamata a typically inviting New Zealand town. Rolling hills all around are dotted with sheep and cattle. The entire region honestly looks like a movie set. A relaxed drive in the rental car makes getting lost in this area a picture taker's dream. Make sure to visit a local grocery store, the differences from America will astonish you. Insider tip: get your coffee fix at McDonalds... yes I said Micky D's. Their McCafe Tall Black is two shots of espresso with hot water and the same as an "Americano" in the States, but even stronger. Staying the night is best done in a local bed and breakfast. We stayed with a wonderful couple named Shirley and Alan at Maungakawa Views Farmstays. Shirley makes fresh meals using items straight from their home farm. In fact, we dug up the potatoes that Shirley used for our supper and gathered fresh eggs for our breakfast. The soil the potatoes were planted in was so rich and dark we thought it was brought in like potting soil. Alan thought this was quite funny, all the soil there looks like this apparently. Alan will take you on the tractor with him on his daily farm chores. These range from feeding his baby cows (complete with their own baby cow jackets) to teaching a new mama sheep how to nurse her lambs. Basically every person we met in Matamata was like Alan and Shirley. They are warm, engaging, and curious about America. They are unexpectedly knowledgeable about many of the things going on in the States down to minute details. Like many of the places you visit, the people are often what you remember most. Matamata New Zealand is full of beautiful places and awesome people and I hope this window into the area will encourage you to plan big for a trip overseas.
Brian Holland
