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| Thou shalt... indeed pass and proceed on to duty-free shopping |
Touring
NZ in our final year of school had been on our minds for the longest time. But somehow or rather, the end of the year always seem distant, and there’s always the next weekend to start thinking about the finer details...
Everybody has an idea on what they wanted: J and R wanted to visit the Lord of the Rings' filming locations. EJ wanted hikes and long scenic drives. And me, I had a vague notion of wanting to hear a New Zealander say “Fush and chups!”, alongside a thought of eating cheese somewhere along the way.
Everybody has an idea on what they wanted: J and R wanted to visit the Lord of the Rings' filming locations. EJ wanted hikes and long scenic drives. And me, I had a vague notion of wanting to hear a New Zealander say “Fush and chups!”, alongside a thought of eating cheese somewhere along the way.
Like all plans, the inertia was the strongest right before starting. Once EJ bit the bullet and hammered out a rough draft, inertia dissipated. Things started to snowball – plane tickets were booked, accommodations were settled, and most importantly, a
final itinerary was produced. There was something for everyone: picturesque attractions alongside a fair amount
of hiking, great local produces and enough Lord of the Ring attractions to
salve J and R’s pinings. I’m not a fan of the movies, (and after our attempt
to watch the first movie together ended in an unspoken arrangement to never get me to watch the rest of the trilogy), but I gotta admit: the LoTR film sites were nothing short of amazing.
The day that we flew to NZ was a bit of a snooze. We gave the day a good go, and set off bright and early for the 8am Melbourne-Auckland flight. But the 3-hour flight coupled with the 2-hour time difference meant that
we touched down to NZ's afternoon sun. After clearing customs and
handling rental car paperwork (hurray Apex and their ‘zero excess cover' - perfect for road trips bashing through unpaved roads), we ran right into the midst of Auckland's evening peak-hour traffic. We
made several fruitless attempts to stop at Auckland CBD for food (I wanted to try Giapo and Federal Delicatessen), but the bad traffic and a lack of parking spaces led us to cut our losses short and drive on to Hamilton, where we'd be staying while in North Island. It was a toss-up between Hamilton and Cambridge, but thought a larger town would be more pleasant to dwell in.
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| Photo by R |
We had a great dinner at Mexico right in Hamilton's town center,
and their Smoky Chipotle and Agave Pork Ribs ($18) was delectable, with a rich,
sticky sauce with mildly spicy undertones. And is there any meal that can’t be
improved with a carafe of Rose Sangria ($28)?
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| Photo by R |
Mexico
254 Victoria St, Hamilton 3204
Opening hours 12-11.30pm daily
And sated with dinner, we retired for an early night.
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We had an early breakfast at the Coffee and Food Establishment, which appears as popular with both the locals as with the tourists, before heading off to our first attraction: Mangaotaki Valley Farm (home to the Hobbiton Hairy Feet attraction).
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| Pic by EJ |
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| Pic by EJ |
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| Pic by R |
The tour approximates one and a half hour, and the tour size was
kept to a small number of eight. As we milled around the cottage waiting for
the rest of the tour party to arrive, Suzie (the landowner and our tour guide for the day) enthusiastically trotted out her collection of LOTR replicas for us to pose
with them. I was impressed with the heaviness of the swords – they must have costed a fortune!
We made our way through the grounds, pausing every few moments
to take pictures of the scenic view. Suzie was pretty enthusiastic about the
whole affair, regularly pointing out where filming has occurred, and even directing us on where to stand to achieve the same perspective in our pictures. Little
treats, like concealing Sting under a blanket of fallen leaves at the spot
where Bilbo unearthed Sting to fight the wargs off, added to the ambience of the scenery. As we stepped into the woods, the sudden contrast of the green hills and the dense canopy is quite startling; two steps
in and it felt like we were in another land. As Suzie mentioned, the
production team liked that the farm has such a wide variety of settings, as they could use them all for different shooting scenes without shipping their equipment throughout NZ. Out of the entire
movie, this was the location which provided the most screen time (22 minutes!),
which took 8 whole months to film. Yet, even with filming and a later conversion into a tourist attraction, much of the land is still retained for their original farming purposes. Domesticated sheep lop up and down the hills, and ducks and lambs scurry away from us as we approached. Amongst the herds, wild turkeys could be seen.
I love the intimate size of the tour, and the enthusiasm and patience of Suzie made the experience magical. She’d certainly done her LOTR research.
I love the intimate size of the tour, and the enthusiasm and patience of Suzie made the experience magical. She’d certainly done her LOTR research.
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| Looks familiar? Pic by R |
1411 Mangaotaki Rd, Piopio 3971
A quick lunch later, we made our way to Waitomo Glowworm Caves. It's pretty much the only other big attraction in the area, and it was a pleasant jolt of surprise to see most of our tour-mates from Hairy Feet here again. There are several companies vying for business in the area, although we had already booked tickets with one online. Most of the companies (like ours) run a strict-no pictures tour, as the flashes may hinder the glowworms' feeding. Sorry no pictures! Although, the cavern is so dimly lit, I don’t think a camera would yield any noteworthy shots.
Glowworms are native to NZ, and the caves were discovered by a local explorer together with a Maori tribe chieftain. As they started bringing tourists into the caves over the years, the glowworms have become a local attraction. The tour involves a 40-minute walk and cumulates in a 10-minute boat ride through the underground rivers of the caves. Stalactites drape from the ceilings (“Stalactites hang tight to the ceiling”) and stalagmites lay directly on the floor across them, formed by the erosion of minerals from the stone by the dripping water. Over centuries, the tour guide informed us, they'll eventually merge to form solid pillars extending from roof to floor. Until then, in accordance with the local tradition, getting dripped upon by an active stalactite is a mark of good fortune. As limestone walls are excellent for acoustic, a section of the cave with particularly high ceilings is often employed by the local community for festive performances.
As we walked through the cavern, pinpricks of green glow can be
About an hour away from Hamilton is Waireinga (Bridal Veil Falls). 20 minutes of light trekking lies between the top and bottom viewing platform overlooking the 55-metre tall waterfall. We caught the waterfall in the strong mid-afternoon sun, where the sun rays hit the waterfall just-right to get the rainbow effect.
About an hour away from Hamilton is Waireinga (Bridal Veil Falls). 20 minutes of light trekking lies between the top and bottom viewing platform overlooking the 55-metre tall waterfall. We caught the waterfall in the strong mid-afternoon sun, where the sun rays hit the waterfall just-right to get the rainbow effect.
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| Pic by EJ |
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| Pic by EJ |
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| Pic by EJ |
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| Pic by R |
Tours run at regularly periods throughout the day, and we chose the first slot at 9am. Each tour brings about three dozen people, and the crowd surrounding each Hobbit hole can build up as people lag behind from previous tours, so arriving in the first slot is advantageous for a clear shot. We had to wake at an ungodly hour to make the timing but was rewarded with a minimal crowd surrounding each Hobbit hole. Ha!
Another reason to come early: the morning light is softer and you'll end up with pictures bathed in soft sunlight rather than the afternoon's harsh sunlight.
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| Pic by R |
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| Pic by R |
The Green Dragon Inn is a prominent setting in the lore. It was a popular stop amongst the hobbits, and in the plot for The Return of the King, the inn was razed to the ground. While filming this last movie of the trilogy, the production crew simply set fire to The Green Dragon set. Unbeknownst to them at the time, news came about a few years later that The Hobbit installments were going to be filmed, which meant they had to rebuild the inn... d'oh! This time around, instead of just building a front facade of the inn, they included a fully functional bar. There's stout, ale, apple cider and a non-alcoholic ginger beer, as well as a selection of hot food like pies, muffin and scones. (I'd always associated mead with fantasy novels, and had a half-formed idea that they would have some here... which unfortunately, they didn't. Maybe Hobbits don't drink mead?) Yes, yes, alcohol at ten in the morning may seem a little excessive, but as the tour guide offered: it's 5pm somewhere.
Another point in favour of taking the first tour: the inn was empty as our tour group trickled into the inn, and we got our drinks and table straight off the bat. As the inn filled up with people, we cut out early and had a few good shots of the outdoor scenery unencumbered by other tourists.
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| Pic by EJ |
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| Pic by EJ |
Tour bookings
Post-Hobbiton, we made our way towards Putaruru, where Over The Moon, a celebrated local cheese company, has a factory. In the shopfront, we were walked through the various samples that they had. Most of the cheeses were so good, we were hard-pressed to decide which to pick, so we got them all (smiley face emoji).
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| We spotted their wee car outside the factory. Perhaps for delivery? |
It's a cheese shop that doesn't serve food, but the store-hand gave a few suggestions on making Baked Camembert (recipe below!). It results in a warm, intensely flavored pool of melted cheese held together by the rind, reminiscent in the style of baked cheese that Milk the Cow serves. Perfect for dipping in lightly toasted bread, alongside a generous dollop of chutney.
Over the Moon
Website
Hamilton Gardens was something we added to the itinerary at the last minute (at the insistence of our airbnb host, who developed a scandalized expression on her face as she asked when we'll be going to the gardens and saw our blank faces.) Boy, were we glad we heeded her words, because it is one of the most spectacular gardens I had been to.
Fair warning: Hamilton Gardens encompasses a great plot of land, and we wandered around exploring the grounds all afternoon. It's divided into different sections, and each section is designed with a specific theme. The picture from above, with the architectural design of arches over pillars, and to the theme of symmetry, is of their Italian Renaissance Garden.
The Chinese Scholars' Garden is barely a minute's leisurely walk away, and they nailed the atmosphere. The winding path brought us across a bright red pavilion with the traditional sweeping gable roof. 甲骨文, the earliest form of Chinese writing, could be seen above the doors.
The Japanese Garden of Contemplation was one of my favourites: turning 180 degrees from the sand garden, the opposing scenery was a deep lake, its surface as still as a mirror, with its perimeter demarcated with large boulders and lush greenery. The swift playful contrast between the two scenery placed so close to each other sparked a sense of astonishment.
These gardens mentioned fall under their Paradise Collection, which comprises of a small part of their overall land. We also spent time exploring their Productive Collection, where numerous herbs and vegetables are cultivated, as well as their Rogers Rose Garden (where specimens from are flown in from all over the world vying for the top prize in their annual rose competition). It's worthwhile spending half a day here.
Hamilton Gardens
Website
A wheel of soft cheese, such as brie or camembert
1-2 tablespoon of fruit chutney (or jam in a pinch)
Slices of bread, lightly toasted
STEPS
1) Preheat the oven to 160C.
2) In an oven-proof ramekin, bake the cheese for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese becomes softened and runny (the middle of the cheese should start to look a little sagged, and prodding the cheese with a spoon would leave an indentation).
3) Remove from oven, top with chutney and serve immediately alongside thick-cut slices of bread.
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| Work-in-progress: the Indian Char Bagh Garden in a riot of blooming colours |
Hamilton Gardens
Website
Baked Camembert Recipe
INGREDIENTSA wheel of soft cheese, such as brie or camembert
1-2 tablespoon of fruit chutney (or jam in a pinch)
Slices of bread, lightly toasted
STEPS
1) Preheat the oven to 160C.
2) In an oven-proof ramekin, bake the cheese for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese becomes softened and runny (the middle of the cheese should start to look a little sagged, and prodding the cheese with a spoon would leave an indentation).
3) Remove from oven, top with chutney and serve immediately alongside thick-cut slices of bread.
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