We left New Plymouth for a “vacation week” to explore more of the north island. Each of us chose something we wanted to do or see in the central-east regions of Waikato and the Bay of Plenty. The highlights will be shared in the next couple of posts.

First on the list was Hobbiton or “Hobbit Town” for Kai. Yes, all 3 Hobbit movies and The Lord of the Rings series were filmed in NZ. The Hobbiton Movie Set is a huge tourist destination. It didn’t disappoint! Hobbit Holes, vegetable gardens, stocked ponds, and orchards were meticulously created for the movies. It’s a real place and I could have stayed all day. We took an early morning tour and the light was incredible.

Our tour guide let us in on movie making secrets, like how they filmed different sized actors in the same scene to make one appear dwarf size and how (and why) they built a huge fake tree leaf by leaf. A cook crafted a special 1% alcohol beer that had just the right amount of froth and just the right color so the actors and extras could drink throughout the town party 10 hour filming scene and stay sober enough to follow directions! She said the NA beer never looked authentic on camera. The entry to the Hobbit houses (holes) are shallow. All the interior scenes were filmed at a studio in Wellington. Kai was amazed at the detail of the structures and gardens, that 400-600 crew members were in the set every day, and the multiple location shoots. ” I guess I can see why their budget was $2 billion!” ( for all 3 hobbits).

See photos below, video may take few seconds to load.

 

We departed Hobbiton (the real town is Matamata) and drove another hour to Rotorua. This place is world renowned for thermal hot springs, mountains biking and adventure activities. Des says ” when in Rome…” so we eased into some thrill seeking. Well, not really eased but that’s the next post. Here are scenes from Rotorua’s city centre and Skyline Park. The dudes went all out on the luge. Apparently you can get air on these sleds!

 

 

It’s summertime in New Zealand and the days are long. There’s plenty of time for recreation in the afternoons and we are making the most of it.

Last evening Des and I headed out to Weld Road for our first surf together. The water was warm, the waves were beautiful and the locals were friendly. I followed all of Des’ safety instructions walking on the rocky beach, across the river and paddling around the big rocks to the outside. Des zipped down the line and I caught a good left. I mean, LEEFT!

Oh, we have a new car. Yeah! 4wd with a sunroof…

We loved meeting Grant at the car dealership. As a purchase perk he found a hubcap for the one missing on the rental just in time for its return! He will deny this.

Kai continues to practice basketball mostly on his own at a neighborhood court with one intact net. He works on his jump shot while playing his “American Rap” music. One day 2 locals strolled over to join him and Des. The girl is a netball athlete and made some great shots.

Kai will be attending New Plymouth Boys High school. It’s the more formal, traditional, and probably more academically challenging option. Historically and culturally it will be an amazing experience for him.

And we bought his uniforms yesterday, so we’re all in! On Feb 8th he’s prepared to look more like this guy…

…and you can be sure I’ll post his first day of school photo !

In town on the coastal walkway you’ll find the stone sculpture artists and their completed works. They are from all over the world. It was very cool to watch them cut and polish the stones into such intricate sculptures. The process took 20 days. The video below may take a couple of minutes to load- hopefully you can view it here.

This is a megaphone for an iPhone! The auction is today so I’ll try to find out the final bid amounts.

That’s All for now.

We say figure they say sorting. We say good they say cool and sweet as. We say awesome, Kiwis take it up a notch with “legend!” If you don’t like someone they’re a bugger. Blokes are dudes of the macho type. I say “on your LEEEFT!” a lot to remind myself where to walk, ride my bike, and what lane to be driving in.

After a thorough search, a (quite) lovely house on Lorna Street is now our home. The owner had just remodeled so it’s super fresh and tidy. I like the neighborhood more and more. There are neat smallish houses with well kept lawns and flower beds inside little fences. It’s very 1950s! Around the corner is Lynmouth Park, a huge green field sunk in a bowl and a middle school basketball court is a short walk away. A big plus is that the hospital is 2 stone throws away.

We really liked the house below in Oakura but it was a bit more expensive and a ways out of town. The deck over looked a lush valley, a view of the Oakura river and cows grazing on the hill. Beautiful!

Speaking of expenses, prices seem way high on most everything. Good thing the exchange rate is favorable. Basically an item costing $1 NZ could be bought for 75 cents US. A couple of days ago I cashed in $30 travel money for $40 NZ dollars!

Below are a few photos of the Taranaki Base Hospital where Des performs his radiology magic and charms his fellow staff . As you might expect New Zealand is coming of age in the cost explosion of medical care. Part of his job is reigning in the excess and trying to reduce unnecessary imaging. I’ll let him provide more details on the health care system another time.Kai has toured 2 high schools and will “enrol” soon. He likes both; the co Ed Spotswood College and New Plymouth Boys High. Either way the new school year starts Feb 5th and he hopes to play basketball when the season arrives. He’ll enter as a Year 11 student which would be similar to a sophomore in the US. High schools are called secondary schools here and most offer Year9- Year 13. Some kids stop after Year 12 and move on to work or trade school for certifications in various fields.

Riding along the coastal walkway is still spectacular and quaint and familiar feeling – except for the cows!The Federal cafe is great when you’re hungry! more later…. we’re in New Zealand!!!