Rotorua



On our way to Rotorua, we went through the area where the Hobbit Shire was filmed.  Here are some pictures of the hills we drove through. 

 

 

The countryside is magnificently beautiful and peaceful. There is little traffic, which reminded me of Moreland. We saw the area around Matamata where they have a Hobbit shire. We didn’t get to the shire itself, but the countryside looked like it was “shire land.” 

Here is part of Hobbiton now, and you can see how the hills lend themselves to Hobbit houses.  What a beautiful countryside!

We passed this statue in a roundabout as a reminder of the sheep industry.  It was a fitting tribute to the sheep shearers.

Check out those muscles!



One of the few flocks we have seen

 

We went to Rotorua and walked around the town a little.  The information center and museum is beautiful in itself, and very busy with lots of people looking for tickets and ways to explore the area. 

 Something we’ve noticed in New Zealand is the proliferation of  adventure-seeking  experiences such as sky diving, mountain climbing on ice covered peaks,  bungee jumping, rock climbing, jet speed boating etc.   Everywhere we’ve been, there are lots of daring choices.  It is more than we see in the US. 

But for us, we went to the Redwood forest.  Yes, California Redwoods planted in an area a little south of Rotorua.  We walked through the forest, enjoying the huge trees and bush.  It was really different from the Redwood forest in California, though.  This one had more ferns and lush underbrush.  Here are some highlights:

Jerry usually looks tall.

Tree-lined path

These Black Tree Ferns grow everywhere. 
 I love the stark contrast of the black trunk and the green leaves.
Beautiful!

These figures were at the entrance near the Visitor's Center. 
They are made of....you guessed it...Redwood. 
Except for the one on the left that is.
 

 

There is a lot of geothermal activity in the area, but we didn’t have a lot of time.   Jerry was still having problems with his stiff neck, so we tried to keep our site-seeing to a minimum.

On our way home, we stopped to see a cemetery.  The cemeteries in the North Island were decorated as if it was Memorial Day.  We asked, and were told that it’s just the Maori way to remember their dead as if they were still part of life here.  Here is a few pictures we took of the cemetery, which was typical of many we saw.

 

 

Notice the chair.  There were benches also. 
We see those occasionally in the U.S., but not like this.

 I know this is a strange thing to put in a travel blog, but it struck us as very interesting. 

 

 On the way home, we came to a dam with a one-way bridge over it.  We waited for the light to turn green.  We couldn’t tell how long the bridge was.  It turned twice and was longer than we thought.  We got through, and there was a car waiting on the other end ready to go across.  It’s a funny way to build bridges, and it’s very common, especially in the South Island. 

 

 

Making one of the turns on the bridge
This got my heart pumping!

 

 

Here is a one-way bridge on the South Island that doubles as a railway bridge.  Uh, I have to admit I was a little nervous while we were riding the rails on that bridge. 



We are waiting for the traffic from the other end
Now it is our turn to ride the rails.
It was a bumpy ride.

Resolution:  I will be grateful for two-lane bridges. 
I will not take them for granted.