Visiting Bilbo and the fireflies

After our beach vacation in Paihia (translated as 'good here'), we continued our journey south.

From Auckland, we spent a day on Waiheke Island, a beautiful island off Auckland, before heading to Matamata. The main attraction of this peaceful little town is Hobbiton; known from the 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Hobbit' movies.

The Hobbit holes built for that purpose are still unchanged there, and our guide told us many interesting facts about the production.

For example, the sunset Gandalf and Bilbo watch while smoking pipes outside Bilbo's hole is actually a rewound sunrise, as the cave is located on an east-facing slope. As Peter Jackson, the director, meticulously considered every detail, everything had to be perfect.

In addition, the proportions of the caves are different to make either Gandalf appear larger or the hobbits appear smaller.

After visiting the Shire, we headed to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, which are located near Waitomo, a cluster of a few houses surrounded by nothing but meadows and trees.

During the Blackwater Rafting Tour we booked, you abseil 35 meters into one of the caves where water flows.

Once at the bottom, you float through the cave system with the help of a swim ring. As we turned off the helmet lamps along the way, we passed thousands of bluish glowing fireflies on the ceiling. Definitely an unforgettable sight!

Finally, we climbed the rock wall back up and warmed ourselves up with a hot soup.

The next day, which was yesterday, we arrived in Rotorua, a city known for geysers and bubbling mud pools. The disadvantage associated with this advantage is the constant smell of sulfur near these sources.

Tomorrow, we will take the bus to Taupo to visit the 'Tongariro National Park' from there.