Rain and Hobbits

First, I want to mention cyclone Lusi.  We've had rain all day, but not like a flood.  And, we had wind, but not extreme wind.  So, if I hadn't known it was called a cyclone, I would have called it a rainy day.

Our bus group had a tour of Auckland this morning, including a visit to the Sky Tower.  At 1,076 feet, it's the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere.  John and I opted to skip the visit to the observation deck because of the rainy views.  Apparently, we didn't miss much.

Rainy view of the Sky Tower, from inside the building

We got on the road, and headed south out of Auckland.  Our first stop was in the town of Matamata, where we ate lunch at a really interesting place called Longlands Farm and Restaurant.  The family owns a working sheep and dairy cattle farm, and also has created a beautiful space on their property where they prepare and serve delicious home-cooked meals.

Also in Matamata is Hobbiton, the outdoor sets from the Hobbit movies.  I haven't seen the movies, but I was instantly smitten with the darling, adorable, lovely Hobbit homes.  Oh, my goodness!  They are just perfectly charming.  The man who owns the farm arranged a deal with the movie makers--he allowed his proprty to be used for the Hobbit settings, on the condition that the sets would not be removed when the filming was completed.  So, he now has two businesses--sheep and cattle farming, and a very successful tourist attraction.

John and I are peeking out from the doorway.

We had a little bit of drizzle today.

See the cute, little, pumpkin hanging over the doorway?

We drove on to Rotorua for the night.  This city is famous for its boiling mud pots and geysers.  The entire town smells like sulphur, but I'm trying to get over that.  Tomorrow, we'll explore the area--in the rain, I believe.

Here are some notes on a few more travelers.  Max and Lyn live in Australia.  They own a 4,000-plus acre wheat farm, and love to caravan (which means "camp").  Margaret and Faye are friends from Australia.  They barely knew each other, and then one day their mutual hair stylist told each of them that the other wanted to travel to Canada.  They connected for that trip last year, and decided to plan this trip together to New Zealand.