| Peter Jacksons Hobbiton Movie Set

On the Monday of Easter I arrived home from what was a most eventful and enjoyable weekend away with two of my most favourite ladies, my wife Sonya and daughter Rachelle. We’d gone away to go to the stage show Mrs Browns Boys in Auckland. We travelled via car so we could visit some of the places we’d had on our bucket list. The first being Waitomo Caves. Rachelle had never been there and I was keen to re-visit to get photos.

Unfortunately when we got there, there were signs saying strictly no photography in the caves.

Did get to take these two shots from exiting the cave and the boat returning to pickup the next group.

Next stop was The Hobbiton Movie Set in Matamata. This had been on my bucket list for some years. When we arrived, I was amazed as to just how big this place was as a tourist destination. It is huge. I counted eleven forty seater buses and every twenty minutes a bus load of people with a tour guide would leave to do a tour.

The bus ride up to Hobbiton is about a five minute drive from the souvenir and food complex. The tours themselves take two hours and that’s all on foot – giving loads of time for the photo hungry photo G’s like me to take plenty of shots.

Just as we arrived the heavens opened up. Thankfully they had umbrella stations on the walking tracks. The rain went as quickly as it came and we discarded the umbrellas at the next station.

I was quite pleased we got that brief rainfall as it added a bit more interest to Gandalf’s Cutting which is where you start your Hobbiton journey.

As you walk the tracks, every where you turn there’s something interesting to see. From the Hobbit holes to the amazing landscape vistas. Following are some of the shots I took on my way round.