Hobbiton & Waterfalls 🌊

Time for my first road trip here in New Zealand. In the morning we are excited to pick up our car for the day. There is a lot of excitement before driving on the left side. First I went straight through the whole city and then after half an hour I can't imagine it any other way. Our first stop was a small cozy town of Tirau. After a short coffee and cake we continue to our first planned stop in Matamata. This is where our tour to Hobbiton starts. We are picked up by a bus and taken to the film set. I have never seen such a detailed and lovingly made miniature world. From the clothesline to the smallest knife sharpening stone, you can find everything here. Finding the little houses in all different sizes to make the hobbits or the real people in the film appear larger or smaller. It was completely overwhelming for me to be able to see and experience something like that. Even though I wasn't a Lord of the Rings or Hobbit fan, I was completely blown away. Now it's time to become a fan or at least know the books and films. After a real Hobbit beer in the Green Dragon, we head back to our blue speedster and continue to the next stop. We (and when I say us, I mean Ben and I - Ben is a traveler from France who I met with the family in Rotorua) went to the Wairere Falls, one of the highest and most famous waterfalls on the North Island. After many, many steps we finally arrived and have the best view of the huge waterfall. A few quick snapshots and continue to the top. Once we reach the “top” of the falls, we are rewarded with a breathtaking view of the fields and forests of Matamata. Due to the wind we were also cooled down with a fresh breeze of water from waterfall. Since we still have one or two items on our list for the day, let's move on. Back to Rotorua but not home yet but to Rainbow Mountain. Since we unfortunately missed the entrance there and only turned off one street later, we were surprised by a hot water lake with a beautiful view of Rainbow Mountain. Another dinner and then home. The father of the family where we currently live took us home. I went to bed overwhelmed by the day but very, very happy about it. ❣️