Rotorua: Sulfur, Funky Green, and the Shire

At 8 o'clock in the morning, we sit in the Intercity Bus to Rotorua. Rotorua is known for its sulfur springs, hot springs, and is a wonderful starting point for a tour to the Shire, the film set for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

We find our hostel, the Funky Green Voyager, to be wonderful! The kitchen is large and well-equipped, the staff is super nice. In Rotorua, the earth's crust is thinner than in the rest of the country, which is why the region is known for its sulfur springs and hot natural springs where you can bathe. We also visit the stinky sulfur springs near the city center, or rather sniff them, because the pungent smell of sulfur is part of the experience. The earth is bubbling and boiling, thick bubbles and steam rise up.

But for the next day, there is something on the itinerary that is an absolute MUST for all Tolkien fans: the movie set of 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit'.

A shuttle bus picks us and the other tour participants up at the city shop and we are driven towards Matamata, the town where the Shire is located. But before we arrive there, we receive valuable information about New Zealand from our friendly bus driver.

Finally, the time has come, we reach Matamata and meet our guide - the film set can only be accessed through a pre-booked tour, not on our own. We enter the Shire and immerse ourselves in the world of the Hobbits. The film set is really beautiful, the Hobbit houses are designed with great attention to detail. Taking photos here becomes a real challenge, as tourists are crowding in front of every Hobbit house. Our guide probably takes more photos of the tour participants than he gives us exciting information about the film set. As beautiful as it is here, we had expected a little more from the mandatory tour. Sebastian, the old photo grump, obediently follows the group, Lisa is busy with the camera and meanwhile finds someone else to take a few photos of her: Hasi (nickname derived from last name) from Pforzheim. We are quickly ushered into the Green Dragon, where we receive our complimentary drinks, and shortly after that, we have to leave the Shire already. We browse through the fan shop a bit, but somehow the Gollum on stone sculptures and rubber swords do not tempt us to make a purchase. We switch from the bus to Hasi's car, with which he also cruises to Rotorua, and exchange a little bit about our goals on the North Island.

In the evening, the guys go for a beer, Lisa has not been feeling well since yesterday, apparently a virus from Argentina has made its way to New Zealand...