An Unexpected Journey

Since arriving in New Zealand, the last few days have been a whirlwind of constant travel. We arrived in Auckland after spending sometime diving in Cairns. I had no idea what to expect of New Zealand, and to be honest, I was not too impressed by Auckland. Luckily we only crashed there for a night after a few beers at a pub to send us to bed properly. The next morning we woke up early to catch the Magic Bus, which would be (and is) our method of transportation through the North Island. It is an amazing and cheap method of travel, and I have met many backpackers on it. Our bus driver Russ, is quite the character, and is not afraid to join us at the pubs after our days have ended.

So, we started off to our first destination Rotatunga, where we would be staying in a hostel for the night. The great thing about backpacking is all the small stops you can do along the way in towns that you otherwise would never even heard of (like Peoroa, where they make L&P). But, what would be a trip to New Zealand without a stop by the Shire??? Being the huge LOTR fan that I am, and having just seen the Hobbit in Sydney, I was ready. We stopped by Hobbiton in Matamata, where I got to see first hand where they shot the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. Interestingly enough, the Shire was shot on a sheep's farm because Peter Jackson thought the rolling hills and seclusion from any roads and civilization was perfect for the movies. It was more than I expected, with over 40 hobbit home in tip top shape, with full gardens growing vegetables and fruit. I even got to stop in the Green Dragon for a cold beer. Yes I am a nerd.

Pitstop in Paeroa, home of the famous NZ soda

best. day. ever. LOTR4LYFE

a standard hobbits crib, yo

Bilbo's hill! 

The farm that the shire is in

welcome to my crib

just like the movie!

Then we hit the road again, making it to Rotatunga in time to Zorb. What is zorbing you ask?? Essentially it is a huge ball that you get into and roll upside down a hill (kind of like your pet hampster does). Why it exists, i'm not sure, but I did it to say I did it. 

zorbing is quite the experience

right after my zorb run, feeling a little dizzy

We left with enough time to make the Maori dinner that night, where we learned all about the Maori culture, which are the native tribal people of New Zealand. They are closely related to the Tahitians, and learning about them was really interesting. Unlike the aborigine tribes, the Maori tribes have transitioned themselves into modern culture, but are still very deeply rooted in their traditions and are proud of their heritage.

swag

trying to teach the white girl how to swing a rope

I fit in...

Maori man doing his thang

learning to play a game