Then we hit the road for a bit of a hair-raising ride in the dark with lots of rain. After buying beer (there are important things in life!), we found the campervan park. Ick. Not our favorite place to stay, for sure. Hot water, but not much cleanliness in the shower, and the bathrooms were unisex because of renovations. Pretty funny.
We got up early and headed into Matamta for the Hobbiton tour. The Hobbiton set was built on a local sheep farm. The contract specified that everything would be returned to its original state once filming was done, but rain prevented that for awhile and the film asked for an extension, which was grantd. The restoration was never completed because by the time the weather was more conducive, people had been searching for the location and the owners of the farm (3 brothers) smelled a revenue opportunity. They opened a tour company and the remaining sets were left in situ, of which one is Bag End.
It's an absolutely lovely spot. None of the same colors and plants, of course, but still they've done a nice job of labeling things, and our guide Theresa was charming and enthusiastic. We were in a group with a couple from Pueblo, for pete's sake, and a girl from Marseille, France, named Méroé, who was SO absolutely delighted to be on a set of the movie. She got these faraway looks on her face, so happy to have some experience of the movies. She was traveling with her mother who had not seen the movies (what IS it with some parents, anyway ;>), so was clueless about her daughter exclaiming, "Here is where Mordor was! I want to go to Hobbiton!" and so forth. We got her email address and will send her our pictures of Edoras, and I gave her our blog address.
The tour really was enjoyable. I wasn't sure, but it turned out to be just grand, and we, once again, couldn't have asked for better weather. The pictures are very pretty. Including several of BD, who had a great time. She liked being in the window of Bag End. One of the guys on the tour held her from behind so she didn't fall down. As I said earlier, other people have really gotten into the idea of having BD participate, it's been very fun.
Of course we did the touristy thing and bought a few Hobbiton souvenirs. Including SobeRing Thoughts, the beer the film company commissioned at the Harrison brewery in Nelson. The thought was good--they figured that the Hobbits would be happier with the long hours of filming, and look happier, if they actually gave them real beer. But of course, couldn't be full strength or pretty soon no one would care what was going on . So they had a 1% brand brewed up, which the tour company now sells.
It is absolutely dreadful, just not worth the water it took to make it! I took a sip and stopped. And to add insult to injury, the label is glued on with industrial-strength glue and can't be removed to take home. Drat! But I got pictures, anyway.
We stopped by a wonderful computer store, Hurricane Computers, after the tour, to see if the netbook can be fixed. No joy--hard drive is gone, couldn't even get my journal off of it. Sigh. We still have our pictures on our camera cards, but all the work I've done in Picasa, labeling pictures and journaling, is gone. Have to start over when I get home. I grieved for it over a couple of (good) beers, I've found I really like blogging with pictures. Sigh. Netbooks are great, but don't drop them. I think a Mac or other more robust notebook might have survived.
Went to lunch in a grand small place, a bar on the main street of Matamata. We've had absolutely splendid food, in the most unpreposessing places. Absolutely fabulous! Today it was seafood chowder for me, lamb sandwich for Nancy, lovely white "pizza" for Terry. All were tasty, hot and cooked perfectly. And this is not uncommon! Literally, any little place you go has great food.
Then back on the road, heading for Auckland and a campervan park near the airport. Tomorrow is packing, which will be interesting.... we've picked up quite a few "memories". Then we fly to Sydney for a couple of days.
So much of Hobbiton was about having a really big party. Being solicitous folks, the film people wanted all thos Hobbits in a party mood, so they served them beer. This beer was specially made in Nelson, for the film company. It's absolutely the worst beer I've ever tasted, not worth the water it took to make it!
We got to feed the babies at the end. This cute guy didn't care that I had my camera, only that he got his dinner.
, showing us perspective shots.
And here are Nancy and me. Theresa giggled the entire time!
This is the window Gandalf pulled Sam through.
View fom inside Bag End.
There really are sheep there, roaming around and not appreciating the gorgeous scenery, or the history, one bit.
The Party Tree is big!
The lake, to the right of the tree.
Matamata is the town closest to the sheep station where Hobbiton was built and filmed. The contract the film company signed with the owners of the station included restoring the site to its original state. When filming was completed they started restoring the site, but rains interfered.
The sheep station is just gorgeous; looks like a big green lawn with Hobbit holes, just like the movies. Sans a few gardens and such. This is part of what's left. Where the original holes are no longer there, such as Sam's house, they've put up pictures from the movie.
Bag End's hillside.
Here's our updated route. Once we decided not to go up the West Coast because of weather, we headed back inland and east, retracing our route from Christchurch. We went further north from there. 
Here's Tarquin and BD in the cafe we stopped for coffee in. Patient cat, wonderful date scones, lovely woman named Maria who was very taken with BD and the embroidery I'd done on her blouse. 
Nancy, Maria, Terry. Terry and I each bought a lovely bone carving from a local artist--named Bones! Maria took our addresses so that he could send us a picture and explanation of what we'd bought. We were glad we stopped.
And here we are in Napier, on the Marine Parade, with Hawkes Bay in the background. Manhandling Ralph around a busy sea-side town was an interesting challenge, but we survived. We are currently in our most expensive campervan park (54NZD), but the bathrooms are splendid!
Wanted to go to The Grail Winery, because we liked the name and the tasting room is in a pub. But the pub didn't open until 2:00, which was a half hour or so away, and we wanted to fill the time.
Having learned of Matariki at Stonehenge, we of course had to visit a winery called the same thing. Trevor, the fellow who served us our tastings, told us they'd named it that because the rising of Matariki means the new year, new beginnings, and that's what the winery was for them.
Just a lovely spot. We heard more birds in the few hours we were there than we have anywhere else, including in the US. Just amazing, the number and frequency of birdsong. Beautiful.
