I was up early in the morning to catch the coach to the Hobbition film set. It was truly delightful! all sunny and springtimeish, it's as it should be! The drive was about an hour, and once there we were met by a guide who took us round in a group, talking through a few film locations, and sharing a bit about the history of the set- how the original Lord of the Rings one should have been instantly taken down after filming, but due to bad weather it was postponed after the props were removed, but the basic buildings still remained. This allowed the first tourists chance to have a look behind the scenesat the skeleton version of the set. When the farm was approached to be a location for the Hobbit films, they accepted on the condition that the set be built with sustainable materials, and be left exactly as it was used for filming. A very wise business venture! They are shipping in coach load after coach load every day! It's amazing how many people go. And even some people in our group who had not seen any of the films or read any of the books! It was a surprisingly extensive area, with something like 42 hobbit-holes...I had expected maybe 5! Unfortunately the lake was at a lower level than it should be as they were extending one of the buildings near it...which was a not so hobbity sight to behold. But there was so much else to see that this was okay! And we got to enjoy a drink in the green dragon :-)
In the evening I went on another adventure to a different world...that of a traditional Maori village. They greet you with a traditional sacred welcome ceremony (in which you were asked not to move, laugh or smile! Fortunately my sister was not present, we do manage to set each other off in serious situations!!!) then they invite you in to relax (phew!), and show you into the village where you move around little houses where they talk to you about (and sometimes get you to join in) different things, such as weaving, games, dancing, body art and of course, the Haka! After this introduction we were shown how they cook food (in this instance our dinner!) in the ground, on hot stones. They unburied our veg and meat (carefully wrapped to avoid dirt), and took it to be served up while we were given a short performance of singing, dancing and Haka-ing. It was most excellent. And then dinner, too, was very good, with second portions on offer, and some not so traditional puddings also on offer for afters. Our bus driver was very jolly, and talked and made us sing songs all the way home, which was also rather fun!
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