Middle Earth Part 02: Unexpected Journey To The Shire!
Throwback Travel Thursday: New Zealand
[Originally written 10/15/2013 04:05pm]
And so life in the Shire goes on, very much as it has this past age. Full of its own comings and goings with change coming slowly, if it comes at all. For things are made to endure in the Shire, passing from one generation to the next. - Bilbo
I always think of myself as a hobbit. I would really love to live in a hobbit-hole. A house full of comfort, good food, and surrounded by happy and carefree people. If I would to choose somewhere else to live for retirement, I would immediately (*with two hands up) pick the Shire. I can till my own garden, tend my patch of land, plant one or two herbs, and enjoy a cup of tea while watching the sunset at my porch. Ahhhhh, the good life.
Day Two in Middle Earth started out pretty early. We were up by 5am to take a relentless shower that one could ever have. Water is *brrrrrr* freezing! Though the hotel have a water heater, the coldness of winter still mercilessly spikes up the bones.
Around 7am, we were picked up by http://www.freewheelingnz.com for our Hobbiton Tour plus Waitomo.We travelled with three other tourists - a couple and one Chinese guy. We hadn’t much interaction with them because they’d rather keep quiet than do the usual meet-and-greet-fellow-tourist-introduction. Since it was a bit early, everyone took the opportunity to catch up for two more hours of sleep while driving to Matamata town proper.
In Matamata, we stopped by a local café to buy and eat breakfast. We continued our drive for another half an hour, to finally reaching Hobbiton.Yatta!
We first waited for other tourists to arrive then finally boarded the bus going inside the farm. Promise, I was like a kid full of excitement upon seeing all the hobbit-holes!
I COULDN’T BE ANY HAPPIER WITH THIS AMAZING PLACE!!! The way one pictured it while reading the book suddenly came to life - the lake, the big oak tree, Bag-End, the party hall, Green Dragon, and pretty much everything!
The girl guide, I think her name was Susie, said that some people go to Matamata for volunteer work to maintain the area. At the back of my mind, I was like “Me! Me! I soooo want too!”
The tour ended for roughly two hours with a free ginger beer from the Green Dragon. We bought an additional beef minced pie for NZ$6. And if you opt to have another round of ginger beer, it’s worth the same.
