Days 54 to 58 24-7-2007 to 28-7-2007 Rotorua

Rotorua is about one and a half hours drive from Hamilton and is best described as Lively. The whole area is mass of volcanic activity. The lake itself was once a volcano and around the edges there are pockets of bubbling pools of water, mud and sulphur. These can be found in pockets all around the town of Rotorua. Giving the town an unusual aroma.

For my first full day i took a locals advise and followed the free trek around the lake all the way to Kuirau Park. Walking through the park is surreal and the bridge over the lake is eerie, not being to see 2 feet in front (i was told the temperature of the lake was over 150 degrees, so not worth a dip). The walk takes about three and a half hours and is well worth doing, if not just for getting you your bearings around the town.

The Second day here, i visited Te Puia, a heavily volcanic area wrapped up with morei culture and history. The visit include a traditional morei show, a couple of walks and an impressive guiser which goes off 3 times an hour. They also have the the national heritage workshops there, keeping the traditions of carving and weaving passed on to generations. If you want a bit of culture, its a great place to visit

The third day, i took my pimp mobile and set off for the lakes to the south of Rotorua, taking in the Blue lake, Green lake and lake Tarawea. These are great places to chill, not many people go out to them. In the afternoon, i drove to the otherside of Rotorua to the gondola ride up Mount Ngongotaha. There are some decent walks up there. But thats not why i went. I went for the Luge. The Luge take yous to about half way down the mountain, where theres a chairlift to take you back. There are 3 coarses Sceanic, Intermeadiate and Advanced. Everyone has to do the Sceanic before you are let loose on the other routes. It was funny watching the Chinese being told this in chinese, then totally taking the wrong route and flying off. It reminded me of once being in a meeting with a Japanesse Engineer who used to say "yes, yes yes" to everything and then when asked if he understood would answer "No" (you Know what i mean Phil). The luge is great fun. You need to buy a ticket of 5 runs, as anything less is not enough.

Next day. i visited Hobbiton. The coach drive was about 45 minutes from Rotorua. I decided to take the tour from Rotorua instead of driving. I'm pleased i did. The driver is a real charactor with a moustache that Wilf Lung would be proud of. He also must be Peter Jacksons No 1 fan. He knew everything past, present and future about the guy. As he was there at the time he also had loads of stories about the filming that were never published. tie time flew, before i knew it, we were there.

Hobbiton is deliberatly and cleverly protected by hills in all directions, so that no telephoto lenses can be used (mainly because part of the 3rd episode was filmed at the same time as the third). It was also facinating to learn about the process of creating a set of such a size (e.g. having to moving trees and then glueing on plastic leaves to reflect the book), all the way through to the actual filming and the legal complications were happening and are still happening today.

We were taken to locations and were described to in depth the requirments from the book, the interpritation that Peter Jackson gave and even the words from the movie that was spoken at the location. The detail in creating the set was unreal. Some gardens had over 200 different types of plants. The Hobbit holes from a distance looked solid although stripped down from their original glory. In reality the were wooden frames, now looking weathered (it has been 8 years). Even the bridge (which is no longer there) was originally just scaffolding and polystyrene blocks painted. A lot of the hobbit holes were removed by Mirrormax, with the tour company or the owner not able to replace them, again legal complications means they can't touch the site as the holes are not their property (As if Mirrormax didn't make enough money). The tour takes half a day and is well worth the visit if your a Rings fan or just a movie nut.

Saturday night in Rotorua was another quiet night ( I need nightlife). The only life in the town was the Pig and Whistle, which had a band playing - badly. Where is the night life in NZ?

My only regret whislt being in Rotorua was missing out on doing the "Zorb" which is best described as rolling down hill in a washing machine (its a clear three meter ball that you are strapped in to. I'd planned to do this on the way out to Taupo. However the weather was so bad, my plans went to the toilet. However if you do go to Rotorua, it is a must, along with the Luge, Te Puia and bathing in one of the famous spas in. (nb. when travelling, you need at least 5 days here)