Before getting into the trip I wanted to give a little advice if you are planning on going. If you are planning on a cheaper trip than I would use InterCity Flexi Bus Pass. You buy how many hours you will travel by bus, find the bus schedule, reserve your seat, and you are good to go. I tried buying the Travel Pass but it is hard to use and the buses don't stop at every town. Use Flexi Pass! You can book tours and places to go on this as well.
You can rent a car as well and use your own country's license to get around. However, the most car accidents are caused by tourists who forget to drive on the left side of the road or using the many roundabouts the country has not to mention that renting a car is expensive. The plus to this is that if you want to go to national parks, beaches, or mountains it is much easier. Sometimes buses will not take you to certain parks.
Also, everything has to be booked ahead! The way they advertise it seems like you can just show up to place and you can go, but this isn't always the case. For the Hobbiton trip I saw online that it seemed like you could just show up, but I have been burned so often in China that I thought No, check to make sure. Sure enough you have to make a reservation. So even though the brochure sounds like you can just show up, just call and ask to make sure.
Also, everything has to be booked ahead! The way they advertise it seems like you can just show up to place and you can go, but this isn't always the case. For the Hobbiton trip I saw online that it seemed like you could just show up, but I have been burned so often in China that I thought No, check to make sure. Sure enough you have to make a reservation. So even though the brochure sounds like you can just show up, just call and ask to make sure.
Day One
I arrived in Auckland and checked into the hostel Nomads Auckland Backpackers. I guess I got there right when a bus dropped people off because the line was out of the door. When I was in Europe in 2016 my tour group used hostels the entire time so I was familiar with them however, this time I was 25 years old, graduated college, and had a full-time job. Why bring this up? I had to be, without a doubt, the oldest person in that hostel. When I was talking with my roommates (I was in a room of 7 other girls) I found they had all just finished high school or where in the middle of their college years. When they asked where my next hostel was and I replied, "It's called Hamilton Lodge Motel" they looked at me with surprise. They remarked that none of them could afford a hotel. They also thought it was strange I was only there for a few days, most of them were there for at least a month.
I did meet a nice Australian girl and this woman from Denmark but she was a little out there. She found out I was American and teaching in China and she went on a rant about all these conspiracy theories she heard about both countries. She did make me a vegetarian dinner, so I nodded politely and then left early the next morning.
I arrived in Auckland and checked into the hostel Nomads Auckland Backpackers. I guess I got there right when a bus dropped people off because the line was out of the door. When I was in Europe in 2016 my tour group used hostels the entire time so I was familiar with them however, this time I was 25 years old, graduated college, and had a full-time job. Why bring this up? I had to be, without a doubt, the oldest person in that hostel. When I was talking with my roommates (I was in a room of 7 other girls) I found they had all just finished high school or where in the middle of their college years. When they asked where my next hostel was and I replied, "It's called Hamilton Lodge Motel" they looked at me with surprise. They remarked that none of them could afford a hotel. They also thought it was strange I was only there for a few days, most of them were there for at least a month.
I did meet a nice Australian girl and this woman from Denmark but she was a little out there. She found out I was American and teaching in China and she went on a rant about all these conspiracy theories she heard about both countries. She did make me a vegetarian dinner, so I nodded politely and then left early the next morning.
Day Two
The next morning I head to the bus station and store my backpack. I need to exchange money and head to find the office. On my way there, a bald American stopped me asking where I'm going. I thought, Oh, this guy is lost, and I tell him I'm headed to the bus station. Turns out, he was part of a cult and trying to get me to come to his meetings.
Great.
I tell him I'm in a hurry and I get going to find something to eat before the bus ride. I found this great burger place and the guy who served me was really nice! I offered to tip him and he informed me they don't tip in New Zealand and told me not to get scammed by those who ask for tips.
Our bus driver, to my surprise, actually gives information about New Zealand and the areas we were driving through. While on the bus ride I learned that New Zealand's top export is wine, the number one way it makes money is through tourism, and is considered one of the worst places to drive in the world. The bus driver went on to tell us that in 2020 the roads and subways should be well underway and it will be much easier to travel.
We arrived at the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. There are no photos allowed inside but it was really marvelous! We climbed down into these caves and the tour guide had us sing as the walls didn't echo like normal caves. The tour guide went on to explain that the worms are actually maggots (ew) and they light up to attract mosquitoes or other bugs attracted to light and fly towards them. The maggots have sticky strings in their mouths and when a bug is caught, the maggot slurps the string and bug up to eat. The lights were turned out and we were told to be silent and then that is when we saw the worms glowing. It really did look like we were outside in the middle of the night!
We exited the caves by boat. There was a river in the caves and the guides got us out of the caves by holding on to these bars that were stationed along the river. The would grab the bar or sometimes rope and pull us along.
I headed to the city Hamilton after this. Which was surprisingly stressful. The bus dropped me off at my station which felt like the middle of nowhere. The town of Hamilton is actually quite small so finding a taxi was impossible. I got out my GPS and walked to my hotel. At this point, my backpack isn't doing well. The zipper on the front ripped off which made me lose half of my socks and the strap that goes around the stomach literally came apart in my hands as I was ready to make the trek from bus stop to hotel. All the weight is on my shoulders as my Chinese GPS is telling me where to go. When I arrive at my hotel, I find that most restaurants are closed for the night (it was 8 pm) so I went to KFC and called it a night.
The next morning I head to the bus station and store my backpack. I need to exchange money and head to find the office. On my way there, a bald American stopped me asking where I'm going. I thought, Oh, this guy is lost, and I tell him I'm headed to the bus station. Turns out, he was part of a cult and trying to get me to come to his meetings.
Great.
I tell him I'm in a hurry and I get going to find something to eat before the bus ride. I found this great burger place and the guy who served me was really nice! I offered to tip him and he informed me they don't tip in New Zealand and told me not to get scammed by those who ask for tips.
Our bus driver, to my surprise, actually gives information about New Zealand and the areas we were driving through. While on the bus ride I learned that New Zealand's top export is wine, the number one way it makes money is through tourism, and is considered one of the worst places to drive in the world. The bus driver went on to tell us that in 2020 the roads and subways should be well underway and it will be much easier to travel.
We arrived at the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. There are no photos allowed inside but it was really marvelous! We climbed down into these caves and the tour guide had us sing as the walls didn't echo like normal caves. The tour guide went on to explain that the worms are actually maggots (ew) and they light up to attract mosquitoes or other bugs attracted to light and fly towards them. The maggots have sticky strings in their mouths and when a bug is caught, the maggot slurps the string and bug up to eat. The lights were turned out and we were told to be silent and then that is when we saw the worms glowing. It really did look like we were outside in the middle of the night!
We exited the caves by boat. There was a river in the caves and the guides got us out of the caves by holding on to these bars that were stationed along the river. The would grab the bar or sometimes rope and pull us along.
 |
| This was in front of a green screen before we entered the caves. |
Day Three
I had an absolutely wonderful breakfast near by my hotel. The waitress was really kind and my food was delicious. I was thinking that my vacation so far in New Zealand was going to not live up to the way I thought it would, but then I realized at that moment that I could speak English again, I didn't have to wear my pollution face mask, and I can eat all the western meals I wanted! Plus my Instagram and SnapChat worked without having to turn on a VPN! I had to live this up before going back to China!
I get on my bus to go to Taupo. It is a long drive so I packed some snacks and drinks to go with me. The driver had us take a break about an hour into the trip. I buy lunch I walk back to the bus when something wet is dripping on my leg. I look down, my purse is leaking! I desperately pull out the offending bottle which was filled with soda (this is important later) and took out all of my stuff. Thankfully my important documents and keys were fine but my ipod and my phone were soaked. As soon as I get to Taupo I check into my hotel and run to a convenience store to buy rice. My ipod and phone seemed to be working and charging fine.
I go out to the iTaupo center where you can book trips for hiking and fishing. I wanted to go to the Pureora Forest only to find out you have to have a car to get there, no buses. A taxi would be really expensive. While meeting other backpackers in New Zealand, they told me of similar situations. Hopefully by 2020 this will be better, because we couldn't see everything without a car. I booked my hike for the Tangariro Alpine Crossing at 5:30am the next day. The iTaupo site is very serious when it comes to hiking as a few people have injured themselves or died on the trail so I was told to watch the safety video and to take the safety course online.
While in Taupo I bought a new backpack which fit so much better and the person who helped me was really nice! She tried to get me the cheapest and best bag she could after she heard about my current bag. I love Kiwis! (Kiwis are native New Zealanders.) I spent the day buying souvenirs, getting a sewing kit to put my patches onto the new backpack, and watching Kiwi TV. I also had a wonderful supper by the lake. It was a romantic evening, just me, the water, and this giant pink drink.
Day Four
I wake up with all my gear ready to go at 5:30 am for the 19.4 kilometer hike. I have my rain jacket, warm jacket, hiking shoes, hat, sunscreen, lunch, chocolate, and two giant bottles of water. The bus I am looking for has a big hiking boot footprint on the side and I see one come...and go. I start to panic when right behind it is another one where they call me by name and I hop onto the bus. I met a man named Mark who was from England and we had a great conversation on the bus. His wife was supposed to go with him but she got food poisoning so that is how I got to sit next to him on the bus.
Now this trail is where they filmed part of Lord of the Rings (LOTR), specifically Mount Doom. There are specific points where there are port-a-pottys. If you don't know, on Mount Everest there are no bathroom points and it is really cold there and not much animal life, so the waste stays frozen and poisons the environment. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing doesn't want this to happen so you can only go in these places. They were signs everywhere about not going to the bathroom behind rocks. Our bus guide told us a few ground rules.
First, everyone is wearing a bracelet which indicates which bus route we were on, we just show the drivers our band and they will get us on the correct route.
Two, no potty behind the rocks.
Three, if you feel like you can't go on, you just want to give up, then keep holding on...and turn around and go back. If we come to the "point of no return" sign you have to make a choice if you can make it.
Four, THE MOST IMPORTANT well, in my mind. We got on the trail at 6:30 am and at 4:00 pm was the very last chance to get on the bus home. If we didn't get on that bus...we would have to take a taxi all the way back.
Five, the water is from sulfur springs and is not actually safe to drink. Don't drink or touch it.
We head out and at first I think it isn't too bad. There are a lot of wild flowers and the sun is just starting to rise over the mountains. I felt like my dad would have really loved that area. Once in a while I could hear a babbling sulfur brook and got to see the Dead Marshes from LOTR.
There was a small trail to see a small waterfall and then the Point of No Return was upon me. I ate two chocolate bars and headed up The Devil's Staircase. While hiking I was thinking that this wasn't too bad but of course right when I thought that it got more rough. I took frequent breaks. At this point I remembered who was passing me and then I would pass them. It gave me a marker for how well I was doing or how fast I was going. And then right when you think you have hit the highest part of the mountain, you find that there is one higher.
The highest point was when the climbers got to look down on these turquoise sulfur lakes. It was beautiful but that was also THE WORST part of the hike.
Do you remember that part of Lord of the Rings when the big bulky rocks are on silt and they keep falling down? Yeah, that was this part.
Thankfully we hikers just had to go down this slope but it was nearly impossible. It was like skiing in dirt but without skiis and there are big rocks that come loose once in a while. I suddenly remembered my safety course where it said that around 30 people a year fall off a mountain and I thought It has to be this part that they fell off of. Thank my stars I didn't fall off the mountain but I fell down three times, once really hard on my butt. I was so angry and tired about falling that I sat there for a good two minutes. However, you can't rest long because this slope is not just slippery but it is small so only two or three people can be side by side on this trail.
Once I reached the bottom of that mountain I sat by the lake and ate my lunch. I reapplied my sunscreen and was back on the trail. It was when I got to the last few kilometers of the hike that I was starting to feel myself lose it mentally. The mountain I was on was switchbacks the entire way down the mountain. I saw that and was filled with grief. My turtle self hobbled its way down and I frequently took breaks, not because I was tired, but because so many people were passing me and the trail was too skinny. I got to an area with benches and my "marker" people were all there. They had all beaten me to the rest area but I was the first back up and actually went the entire rest of the hike without seeing them until we reached the buses at the end.
From the benches to the end of the trail I did not stop once to take a break. My brain was on overdrive to just.finish.the.trail. I saw the 19 kilometer sign and felt like someone had given me the gold medal.
That night I took a long bath but when I checked my ipod there was a strange warning on it. It said that my charging cable was not compatible with my ipod! Just because I dried it out doesn't mean that the sugar didn't have an effect on my ipod. To this day, I get that warning however it charges just fine.
Day Five
This morning I headed to Rotorua where I had already scheduled a spa and tour day at Hell's Gate. I take the bus to Rotorua and then I get a taxi driver takes me to the thermal spa. While I was there I drop off my bag and walk around the area. It was very cool to see all the mud and geysers in the area. At the end of the walk I could carve my own kiwi into a piece of wood. The person who helped me carve into the wood was a nice local guy who used to work in a hospital and in the Moari cultural center. He played 1950s music while I carved. Also, I was basically the only person at the park which was a cool bonus.
Next was the spa. They had a mud bath where a person can only be in it for about 20 minutes before they have to wash off. Then they had hot sulfur baths for the after care of the skin. I brought my own towel and swimsuit so I didn't need to pay anything extra. My skin looked amazing after! To this day though, my towel and swim suit smell like sulfur. It is hard to get that smell out!
The Hell's Gate people were also extraordinarily nice as I needed a ride back and asked if they could get me a taxi. They had a tour bus that left at 4:50 pm but that was too late for me (it was about 2:30 pm) and because I was basically the only person there, they took me home on the bus for free! How awesome is that!!
I check into my hotel, took a shower and changed clothes, and then I was off to learn about the Maori culture.
The Tamaki Maori Village is the group I went through and yes, that is a reserve ahead of time event as well. Our bus driver was of the Maori descent and on the ride to the town was telling us all about his culture and was asking us questions and singing songs together. On our group, we had to pick a man to be our group leader. The group leader was to greet each Maori leader with a traditional Hongi and then the Maori people would tell us something about their culture. We learned about music, tattoos, games, the Haka, watched them sing and dance, and at the end ate a traditional meal. What I found refreshing about this tour group about native people was that it was the actual native people talking about their own culture. If you go to America to learn about Native Americans, most of the time the tour guide is not of that tribe or culture.
I went home that night, tried to wash my sulfur clothes, and slept peacefully.
Day Six
This was the day I was looking forward to the most. Hobbiton ya'll! I reserved this ahead of time as well. It was a bus tour and we left at 8:00 am. I met a Swedish girl on the bus and we ended up being buddies that day, taking pictures of each other. I follow her on Instagram now (Rebecka_jonsson). I was surprised by how small the hobbit holes actually were and if you are a LOTR fan you might be thinking "Well, duh they are hobbits." The hobbit holes are actually even smaller than you realize. These holes were maybe the sizes of mailboxes and I realized that to build an entire town would be crazy, so they had miniatures of the holes to film.
All of the plants are real and they have gardeners working on them year round. The gardeners also get to keep what they grow and sell them if they want. Also some of the doors do open! But they are the size of closets and it is actually where they store the gardening tools. All the scenes where Frodo and Gandalf or talking? Those are filmed somewhere else. So when you watch Lord of the Rings and the characters walk into a hobbit hole, they are basically just walking into a closet.
I saw Sam's House (AKA the BEST Hobbit and character from LOTR)
I saw Frodo and Bilbo's house.
Then we got to get a free drink at the Green Dragon Inn! I bought a meat pie to go with my apple cider.
Last was the gift shop of course but my tour group was one of the last ones in that day so the shop was pretty skimpy on some things. I was trying to buy things that I thought I couldn't buy online but I was still debating. I bought a keychain for myself, a Green Dragon Inn t-shirt, and a magnet with the leaf pin that the hobbits wear.
Rebecka remarked that it would have been cooler if the town was populated with real hobbits. We discussed that hiring people to just hang around the hobbit holes would have really boosted the experience. Our guide told us that people on the tours dress up often and I think if I go back, I would do that.
That afternoon I headed back to Auckland. I was able to call my hotel who got a shuttle to pick me up. The woman who was driving me was about to tell me about how Jesus saved her life when we got to the hotel and I could get out. (Second time I was evangelized in New Zealand.) The hotel I was in had a deal with a few restaurants to deliver to them and I got a great shrimp noodle dish with a brownie and ice cream. What a good way to end the trip!
Day Seven
This morning I head back to China.
I would go back to New Zealand for sure but I would make sure I was there for a longer time so I could see all of New Zealand and not just some of the northern island.
I will always remember you New Zealand. You and your wonderfully kind kiwis.
I had an absolutely wonderful breakfast near by my hotel. The waitress was really kind and my food was delicious. I was thinking that my vacation so far in New Zealand was going to not live up to the way I thought it would, but then I realized at that moment that I could speak English again, I didn't have to wear my pollution face mask, and I can eat all the western meals I wanted! Plus my Instagram and SnapChat worked without having to turn on a VPN! I had to live this up before going back to China!
I get on my bus to go to Taupo. It is a long drive so I packed some snacks and drinks to go with me. The driver had us take a break about an hour into the trip. I buy lunch I walk back to the bus when something wet is dripping on my leg. I look down, my purse is leaking! I desperately pull out the offending bottle which was filled with soda (this is important later) and took out all of my stuff. Thankfully my important documents and keys were fine but my ipod and my phone were soaked. As soon as I get to Taupo I check into my hotel and run to a convenience store to buy rice. My ipod and phone seemed to be working and charging fine.
I go out to the iTaupo center where you can book trips for hiking and fishing. I wanted to go to the Pureora Forest only to find out you have to have a car to get there, no buses. A taxi would be really expensive. While meeting other backpackers in New Zealand, they told me of similar situations. Hopefully by 2020 this will be better, because we couldn't see everything without a car. I booked my hike for the Tangariro Alpine Crossing at 5:30am the next day. The iTaupo site is very serious when it comes to hiking as a few people have injured themselves or died on the trail so I was told to watch the safety video and to take the safety course online.
While in Taupo I bought a new backpack which fit so much better and the person who helped me was really nice! She tried to get me the cheapest and best bag she could after she heard about my current bag. I love Kiwis! (Kiwis are native New Zealanders.) I spent the day buying souvenirs, getting a sewing kit to put my patches onto the new backpack, and watching Kiwi TV. I also had a wonderful supper by the lake. It was a romantic evening, just me, the water, and this giant pink drink.
Day Four
I wake up with all my gear ready to go at 5:30 am for the 19.4 kilometer hike. I have my rain jacket, warm jacket, hiking shoes, hat, sunscreen, lunch, chocolate, and two giant bottles of water. The bus I am looking for has a big hiking boot footprint on the side and I see one come...and go. I start to panic when right behind it is another one where they call me by name and I hop onto the bus. I met a man named Mark who was from England and we had a great conversation on the bus. His wife was supposed to go with him but she got food poisoning so that is how I got to sit next to him on the bus.
Now this trail is where they filmed part of Lord of the Rings (LOTR), specifically Mount Doom. There are specific points where there are port-a-pottys. If you don't know, on Mount Everest there are no bathroom points and it is really cold there and not much animal life, so the waste stays frozen and poisons the environment. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing doesn't want this to happen so you can only go in these places. They were signs everywhere about not going to the bathroom behind rocks. Our bus guide told us a few ground rules.
First, everyone is wearing a bracelet which indicates which bus route we were on, we just show the drivers our band and they will get us on the correct route.
Two, no potty behind the rocks.
Three, if you feel like you can't go on, you just want to give up, then keep holding on...and turn around and go back. If we come to the "point of no return" sign you have to make a choice if you can make it.
Four, THE MOST IMPORTANT well, in my mind. We got on the trail at 6:30 am and at 4:00 pm was the very last chance to get on the bus home. If we didn't get on that bus...we would have to take a taxi all the way back.
Five, the water is from sulfur springs and is not actually safe to drink. Don't drink or touch it.
We head out and at first I think it isn't too bad. There are a lot of wild flowers and the sun is just starting to rise over the mountains. I felt like my dad would have really loved that area. Once in a while I could hear a babbling sulfur brook and got to see the Dead Marshes from LOTR.
There was a small trail to see a small waterfall and then the Point of No Return was upon me. I ate two chocolate bars and headed up The Devil's Staircase. While hiking I was thinking that this wasn't too bad but of course right when I thought that it got more rough. I took frequent breaks. At this point I remembered who was passing me and then I would pass them. It gave me a marker for how well I was doing or how fast I was going. And then right when you think you have hit the highest part of the mountain, you find that there is one higher.
Do you remember that part of Lord of the Rings when the big bulky rocks are on silt and they keep falling down? Yeah, that was this part.
Thankfully we hikers just had to go down this slope but it was nearly impossible. It was like skiing in dirt but without skiis and there are big rocks that come loose once in a while. I suddenly remembered my safety course where it said that around 30 people a year fall off a mountain and I thought It has to be this part that they fell off of. Thank my stars I didn't fall off the mountain but I fell down three times, once really hard on my butt. I was so angry and tired about falling that I sat there for a good two minutes. However, you can't rest long because this slope is not just slippery but it is small so only two or three people can be side by side on this trail.
Once I reached the bottom of that mountain I sat by the lake and ate my lunch. I reapplied my sunscreen and was back on the trail. It was when I got to the last few kilometers of the hike that I was starting to feel myself lose it mentally. The mountain I was on was switchbacks the entire way down the mountain. I saw that and was filled with grief. My turtle self hobbled its way down and I frequently took breaks, not because I was tired, but because so many people were passing me and the trail was too skinny. I got to an area with benches and my "marker" people were all there. They had all beaten me to the rest area but I was the first back up and actually went the entire rest of the hike without seeing them until we reached the buses at the end.
From the benches to the end of the trail I did not stop once to take a break. My brain was on overdrive to just.finish.the.trail. I saw the 19 kilometer sign and felt like someone had given me the gold medal.
That night I took a long bath but when I checked my ipod there was a strange warning on it. It said that my charging cable was not compatible with my ipod! Just because I dried it out doesn't mean that the sugar didn't have an effect on my ipod. To this day, I get that warning however it charges just fine.
Day Five
This morning I headed to Rotorua where I had already scheduled a spa and tour day at Hell's Gate. I take the bus to Rotorua and then I get a taxi driver takes me to the thermal spa. While I was there I drop off my bag and walk around the area. It was very cool to see all the mud and geysers in the area. At the end of the walk I could carve my own kiwi into a piece of wood. The person who helped me carve into the wood was a nice local guy who used to work in a hospital and in the Moari cultural center. He played 1950s music while I carved. Also, I was basically the only person at the park which was a cool bonus.
Next was the spa. They had a mud bath where a person can only be in it for about 20 minutes before they have to wash off. Then they had hot sulfur baths for the after care of the skin. I brought my own towel and swimsuit so I didn't need to pay anything extra. My skin looked amazing after! To this day though, my towel and swim suit smell like sulfur. It is hard to get that smell out!
I check into my hotel, took a shower and changed clothes, and then I was off to learn about the Maori culture.
The Tamaki Maori Village is the group I went through and yes, that is a reserve ahead of time event as well. Our bus driver was of the Maori descent and on the ride to the town was telling us all about his culture and was asking us questions and singing songs together. On our group, we had to pick a man to be our group leader. The group leader was to greet each Maori leader with a traditional Hongi and then the Maori people would tell us something about their culture. We learned about music, tattoos, games, the Haka, watched them sing and dance, and at the end ate a traditional meal. What I found refreshing about this tour group about native people was that it was the actual native people talking about their own culture. If you go to America to learn about Native Americans, most of the time the tour guide is not of that tribe or culture.
I went home that night, tried to wash my sulfur clothes, and slept peacefully.
Day Six
This was the day I was looking forward to the most. Hobbiton ya'll! I reserved this ahead of time as well. It was a bus tour and we left at 8:00 am. I met a Swedish girl on the bus and we ended up being buddies that day, taking pictures of each other. I follow her on Instagram now (Rebecka_jonsson). I was surprised by how small the hobbit holes actually were and if you are a LOTR fan you might be thinking "Well, duh they are hobbits." The hobbit holes are actually even smaller than you realize. These holes were maybe the sizes of mailboxes and I realized that to build an entire town would be crazy, so they had miniatures of the holes to film.
All of the plants are real and they have gardeners working on them year round. The gardeners also get to keep what they grow and sell them if they want. Also some of the doors do open! But they are the size of closets and it is actually where they store the gardening tools. All the scenes where Frodo and Gandalf or talking? Those are filmed somewhere else. So when you watch Lord of the Rings and the characters walk into a hobbit hole, they are basically just walking into a closet.
I saw Sam's House (AKA the BEST Hobbit and character from LOTR)
I saw Frodo and Bilbo's house.
Then we got to get a free drink at the Green Dragon Inn! I bought a meat pie to go with my apple cider.
Last was the gift shop of course but my tour group was one of the last ones in that day so the shop was pretty skimpy on some things. I was trying to buy things that I thought I couldn't buy online but I was still debating. I bought a keychain for myself, a Green Dragon Inn t-shirt, and a magnet with the leaf pin that the hobbits wear.
Rebecka remarked that it would have been cooler if the town was populated with real hobbits. We discussed that hiring people to just hang around the hobbit holes would have really boosted the experience. Our guide told us that people on the tours dress up often and I think if I go back, I would do that.
That afternoon I headed back to Auckland. I was able to call my hotel who got a shuttle to pick me up. The woman who was driving me was about to tell me about how Jesus saved her life when we got to the hotel and I could get out. (Second time I was evangelized in New Zealand.) The hotel I was in had a deal with a few restaurants to deliver to them and I got a great shrimp noodle dish with a brownie and ice cream. What a good way to end the trip!
Day Seven
This morning I head back to China.
I would go back to New Zealand for sure but I would make sure I was there for a longer time so I could see all of New Zealand and not just some of the northern island.
I will always remember you New Zealand. You and your wonderfully kind kiwis.
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