Hobbiton and Rotorua

Blog 15 - Hobbiton and then visiting the geothermal wonders of Rotorua

(PIC) - classic Hobbiton

(PIC) - Film set location

Well here we are in the middle of North Island in a rural village surrounded by miniature houses in the hillside. I must confess that I personally am not into the film Lord of the Rings or the Hobbits but Jacky is a big fan, so here I am and I must say it's a bit interesting especially as I am retired ex film industry. The Film Company and the local community have kept the whole mood and ambience of the filming environment and provide tours and souvenirs for the avid follower.

(PIC) - More Hobbit houses

The Director Sir Peter Jackson, himself a Kiwi is a very clever man. These Hobbit houses are all different sizes dependent on the scene, so that a person looks bigger or smaller in front of a house without cheating the shot angles too much. Also these  are used for exterior shots only and the doors open to reveal only a small entrance area. For continuity of filming it matches the interior which is filmed in  a Studio location. It was an enjoyable afternoon and very much worth the tour fee which included a free beer in the famous Hobbit pub 'The Green Dragon' which was definitely right up my street!

(PIC) - Lake Rotorua

It was then a trip to North Island's 2nd largest inland water Lake Rotorua and two very different travel agendas. Firstly to find out more about the geothermal world that lies beneath the land mass of NZ and makes the Country sit literarily on a knife edge of two plates working at opposite forces. This causes a whole range of geographic and lifestyle issues which would frighten the life out of most people but to the Kiwi this is their normal world and gives them this lovely happy 'hey ho no worries' attitude to life.

We took a cruise around the lake on a stern wheel paddle boat

(PIC) - Lakeland Queen

the Lakeland Queen and learned more about the fascinating island of Mokoia and scenery in and around the lake. Steeped in tradition, Mokoia Island, now a bird sanctuary was once home to Tutanekai, a young Maori warrior.  It was to the shores of Mokoia Island, that Hinemoa (the daughter of a famous chief) defied her family and swam some 2 1/2 kilometres from the shores of Lake Rotorua. In the dead of night, guided only by the sound of Tutanekai’s flute, Hinemoa secretly swam to be with her one true love. So deep and rich is this story that Rotorua’s two main intersecting streets are named after these very famous lovers. Ah bless! One for the romantics among you.

(PIC) - The sulphur steam around Rotorua

The 'rotten egg' smell of this town is at times overwhelming and is a product of the sulphur or hydrogen sulphide that oozes from drains all over the area.  We are on a volcanic piece of real estate and that comes with conditions. 80000 tonnes a day of hot water pour into the lake at 100c both acidic and alkaline in content. The air is so thick that electrical equipment like TVs and fridges only last 3 years! The locals of course do not smell anything, they grew up with these natural processes but it would take me a long time to get used to the pong. The beauty and interest of the town however more than makes up for a day or so of having a peg on the nose.

(PIC) - A village that beats any Welsh name!

(PIC) - The village laundry and hot pool

Secondly, this is a very special place for Maori tradition and there is still a 40% indigenous population here. It was a chance to see at first hand their village life and much of the culture actually in practical day to day terms. The village sits on the geothermal world therefore the village people have a 'bubbly' life as they cook, wash and do their laundry in hot water that flows underground.

(PIC) - A typical Hangi meal

Their main meals are called 'Hangi' a traditional Maori style of cooking which is still commonly practised throughout New Zealand today. It is a process where steam is used as a medium of cooking the food while it is beneath the ground. Being the only living geothermal Maori village, they are blessed with the geothermal vents that are used to steam and cook the food whereas others villages use heated rocks in a dug out pit.

(PIC) - The Haka 

(PIC) - Need a good licking in a fight

I also witnessed a traditional Haka and chatted with several of the villagers. It was a splendid couple of hours full of the real Maori heritage and traditions. This was not a staged show for tourists but a visit to a working and living place. True, the Haka was performed by a visiting production company but it was authentic and good fun to watch.

(PIC) - Lady Knox geyser

We also visited a geothermal park where lakes and geysers were wonderful sights to behold. The Lady Knox Geyser is genuine but is 'induced' to erupt daily for tourists. This is achieved with a clever science trick. Eruption happens when the seal breaks between two layers of thermal water (one is much hotter than the other), the meeting causes quick expansion through the opening and woosh! An environmentally safe and biodegradable soap solution is used to quicken this process. This was a process accidentally discovered by prisoners boarded here a hundred years ago. They were kept in huts nearby and during a session washing their clothes in this very geyser it erupted and kept on erupting every time they did a launder. It must have frightened the living daylights out of them until they understood why! Soap breaks down layers in the water.

(PIC) - The wonders of Wai-O-Tapu Craters

This is a place of wonderment showing the fragile planet we live on. What is constantly moving far below our surface especially on vulnerable plates like the Pacific region is just mind boggling. The average person simply cannot understand the complexities of nature; one can only stand back and try and take in what is happening here and to our world. A fascinating insight to nature in the raw. There are literary thousands of earthquakes and eruptions per year all over this country, the vast majority miles below the surface. Occasionally a Christchurch scale happens and it brings home just how beauty can change lives in an instant.

(PIC) - Thermal activity  - iron oxide

(PIC) - colour created by minerals

(PIC) - Active thermal bubbling

(PIC) - Rotorua Museum

(PIC) - The baths in the basement

A visit to the local Bath House, now a Museum ended our stay in Rotorua. There is an excellent exhibition on early Maori history. Also a spooky trip to the basement to see the times when the 'Blue' bath thermal rooms and mud baths provided treatment for ailments such as sexual impotence and alcoholism.              Goodness me, what a person paid to ensure a retain vitality and vigour in Victorian days!

(PIC) - Mount Doom in LOR (Mt Ngauruhoe)

Now it's a trip south to the Tongariro National Park where Jacky is embarking on the Tongariro alpine crossing, taking in the famous Mount Doom (and Mordor) of Lord of the Rings fame (real name Mt Ngauruhoe). Now, for me, well it's a leisurely game of bowls in Taupo. The town that takes its name from the lake on which it stands.  Lake Taupo was created by a massive volcanic eruption around 186AD. It is said that the huge eruption turned the skies of Europe and China into a fiery red.  You see what I mean about a nation built on volatility in the earth.

DKT
Blog 16 to follow