Sunday, September 11, 2022
We had 9:30AM tickets for Hobbiton! The drive from Rotorua to Matamata is about an hour. We got there 10 minutes late, but it wasn't a problem at all.
We hopped on the 9:40 tour and were off to Hobbiton! So excited!
Peter Jackson, the director, of Lord of the Rings and Hobbiton.
The scouting crew went in a helicopter looking for the perfect spot to film Hobbiton. They were looking for three landmarks: lake, rolling hills and a big tree.
That's how this spot on the Alexander Farm was chosen.
The initial Green Dragon Inn building structure set was burnt down
because the film crew did not know that LOTR would be such a global phenomenon.
There were 13,000 sheep on this farm. Peter Jackson didn't use any of them.
He wanted a more rustic looking sheep so they got sheep from England!
Took a short walk in The Redwoods. We gave ourselves 45 minutes but got "lost" on our way out and had to pull out Google Maps to help us find a way out. Haha...
We booked a reservation for a mud bath and spa at Hell's Gate Mud Bath and Geothermal Spa. Mom was sooo reluctant to go. She didn't like the smell that we were smelling in Rotorua. The sulfur scent was everywhere. After five minutes of sitting in the mud bath, she said this is so comfortable. How long do we get to stay here? We sat in the mud tub for the allowed 20 minutes and then the two geothermal tubs for one hour. It was hot, relaxing and for the last 30 minutes, it was sprinkling..and that felt so good.
Mom: Where else are there mud baths and geothermal spas in the world?
Me: We have them in Sonoma
Mom: I've never done it before.
Ended the evening on Eat Streat again for dinner. This time we chose Tiger for a three course meal. We always have food to go home as well. Such a full and fun day.
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