Day 42: Hobbiton, Huka Falls, Wairakei Valley

Renting cars, we set out for the movie set of Lord of The Rings: Hobbiton. The countryside of the north island of New Zealand was breathtaking and very similar to what we saw when driving The Great Ocean Road in Australia. The flat inland rolling hills were surrounded by towering mountain ranges, and the hues of gold, green, blue were some of the most vibrant I've ever seen.

We arrived at Hobbiton after two or so hours, and the ASMS geek was coming out of me as we bought tickets and prepared ourselves for the experience that many would envy for a lifetime. The tickets weren't for until 1:40, so our plan of venturing onto the glow worm caves to the southwest evaporated. On the drive down, Dr. Wilson had mentioned visiting the hot springs in Rotorua, so needing another plan I checked it out. After an hour of searching, I found two places that were both free and beautiful. Today has quickly turned into a pretty memorable experience, as New Zealand was proving to be.

We walked the set where Frodo ran for an adventure, and where Gandalf's wisdom seemed to linger in the air. The flowers were beautiful, and the scene was perfectly up kept as it was 17 years ago. Every hobbit hole was unique - showcasing who lived there, and varying in size, color, and location. This two-hour tour was too short, and we loved every second of it. Clearly a LOTR marathon is in the very near future... The tour ended with a refreshing beer, and we returned to our vehicles for another adventure.

When we arrived at Huka Falls, the baby blue of the water peeked through the lush green trees, and the roaring thunder of the Falls couldn't be seen but certainly felt. We crossed a bridge, and under us was more water flowing than I've ever seen. 2,000,000 liters of water every second, enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool every twelve seconds... The crisp turquoise of the water was surreal; having the color of glacial melt seen on National Geography, one that I've always dreamed of seeing. Our last stop of the day was Spa Thermal Park, a beautiful park area where the icy cold water before Huka Falls ran by, and steaming hot water poured from the mountainside into pools before flowing into the river. We jumped in the cold water, refreshed, and swam to the hot-tub water. This water was steaming (I'd say around 110° or so), and the feeling was incredible. We relaxed, found a blackberry bush for a snack, then piled into the caravan and finished the night with an enjoyable three hour car ride. Today was one I will remember for a very, very long time.