{"id":16127,"date":"2020-11-22T12:48:54","date_gmt":"2020-11-22T12:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/katamarino.co.uk\/?p=16127"},"modified":"2023-04-13T14:58:44","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T14:58:44","slug":"round-the-world-new-zealand-2-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/katamarino.co.uk\/index.php\/2020\/11\/22\/round-the-world-new-zealand-2-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Round the World \u2013 New Zealand 2, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A few days later it was time to head out of Auckland towards New Zealand’s South Island. First though I’d spend a few nights with a friend in Rotorua, as well as visiting the “Hobbiton” filming location from the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ready to fly to Rotorua<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The good weather was back and the sun beat down on me as I pulled Planey out of the hangar and closed the doors behind us. Even late winter in North Island New Zealand offered T-shirt temperatures, and I was starting to get used to it. Nowhere is too far away from anywhere else in New Zealand and it would be a flight of just an hour down to the city of Rotorua. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I spent the afternoon in Rotorua town center, wandering around and enjoying the sunshine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The next day my friend and I took the car over to Hobbiton, about an hour’s drive away. As with other tourist locations things were fairly quiet, which made it a pleasant experience. We lined up in a socially distanced manner and boarded a bus for the ride from the visitor center over to the Hobbiton set. Even before Hobbiton came into view it was clear why the director had chosen this location for the set; the rolling hills with mountain backdrop evoked Middle Earth perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n