2018 – Part 42 – Crossing the country (again)

2018 – Part 42 – Visiting Craters of the moon and Hobbiton

After a day spent in Napier, we returned to the road and had one scheduled stop before ending our day’s travel near Auckland airport ahead of our morning flight the following day.

However, we ended up stopping at a couple spots in Taupo that made the return drive unique and memorable.

“Coolest” Mcdonald’s in the world

When we drove through Taupo we noticed a very strange feature among the shops, a DC-3.

On our return trip through Taupo we stopped and I explored the plane.  Although the cockpit remained, the rest of the interior had been modified to allow for seating as part of the restaurant.   Take a peek at the galley from more pictures inside the plane:

After our short visit we started to head out of Taupo, where we stopped at the “Craters of the Moon”.  After parking, we realized that there was an admission fee to walk the boardwalk track.  Before paying I did the quick math of “if we walk this in 30 minutes, will we arrive at Hobbiton in time for our tour?”, we’d have to motor, but we could do it.

Craters of the Moon

At a leisurely pace one can take 45 minutes.  There is the ability to walk up to a lookout that would take some additional time, however we didn’t have that luxury.  We completed our lap in under 30 minutes and we were quickly back on the road headed west to Hobbiton.

Upon entry, we were warned that there would be sulphur (queue rotten egg smell) in the air.  To me, the smell was weak.  If anything it remained me of a few summer days spent in Sudbury when I was a kid.  Even though we were in a rush, a few breaks during the walk did impress upon us, and how unique this was.  The signs along the walk did a good job to help us take in what we could see, and give us an understanding of how this area came about.

And a slideshow of more pictures from our walk around the site:

We left the site and continued our westward drive toward Hobbiton.

Hobbiton

First the why:  Amber thoroughly enjoyed the Lord of the Ring trilogy, and when planning our trip, this was high up on the list.  Pre-booking a ticket is recommended by the website because it is a guided tour.

The calculations paid off and we arrived in time to check-in for our planned tour.  Near the parking lots is a cafe and gift shop.  From here we boarded a bus that took us across the street and into the farm where Tolkien’s Shrine was built into one of the many rolling hills.  Everything here was vibrant.  Our tour guide, nicknamed Roo, did a great job, especially when more than half of the group appeared to be taking so many pictures that they had forgotten to keep up with the group.

At the conclusion of the tour there is a complimentary drink at the Green Dragon Inn. 

Both of us enjoyed the drinks before we were bused back to the entrance.

With the tour complete we continued on our drive back to Auckland.  We stopped in Hamilton for dinner.  After a filling meal, we completed the drive and stopped at our hotel for the night, close to the airport — but not as close as our stay at the Rydges in Sydney.

Read more about our trip by clicking here.