Hobbiton, Matamata, North Island, New Zealand

The weather, cold, wet, and windy, dampened some of our plans for hiking on the North Island, but the day we scheduled to visit the Hobbiton set near Matamata turned out to be sunny, with occasional strong gusts of wind. We arrived at the Shires Café and after a few minutes wait, boarded a bus to take us and about twenty others onto the Alexander’s ranch which Peter Jackson had picked out to build the Hobbiton set for his movies: the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the Hobbit movies.

To get all the equipment out to the area of the farm picked (a place with a lake, a large party tree, hills that resembled JRR Tolkien’s descriptions, and no evidence of modern society) a serviceable road had to be built. The New Zealand army was recruited for this task and once done, the set construction began.

The sets for the first movie were built mainly from plywood and Styrofoam and wouldn’t stand the test of time and so were mostly torn down after the filming was completed. For the Hobbit movies the construction was made to be more permanent. Bricks, wood beams, stone, and cement were used to build the Hobbiton that stands today. Great care was taken with all the details. Real pegs were used when nails painted to look like pegs would have sufficed. Real arcing branches, hewn into the visible beams for the tops of the Hobbit holes were used to increase the authenticity of the fronts of the holes. Each door was designed to be able to be opened so Hobbits could be seen going in and out or looking out from the doorways. Most of the Hobbit holes have very little interior space. There are 44 doorways and 48 chimneys but no fireplaces inside the mounds. Each day of shooting involved lighting and placing smoke pots inside the chimneys so each would be smoking for the camera.

A special item that Peter Jackson needed was an evergreen oak tree. There were none available in New Zealand of the size that he needed (all were deciduous) and he couldn’t get one from overseas, so he built one. The oak on top of Bag End Hill is fake. Each leaf on the tree was put on by university students on holiday. During the spring winds a lot of the leaves have been blown off, leaving the tree half bare. For any additional filming that may need to be done, new leaves will have to be made and put back on. Consequently, the leaves that are laying around Hobbiton that have come from the “oak” are available to take as souvenirs. Danny, our guide, said that each leaf probably cost the studio about ten dollars. (I don’t know if this is true or not.)

We had a great time walking around the Hobbit town, peering into windows, looking through doorways, squeezing into a Hobbit hole, and listening to which scenes were shot where, and how they arranged Gandalf’s arrival and the streets his wagon traversed. They were not connected, but shot at different locations around the set, but nevertheless, looked continuous in The Fellowship of the Ring. Both Cindy and I agreed, this was the best part of our trip to New Zealand and leaves us with a very positive impression of the time we spent here.

Rainstorm/Snowstorm: Driving from Queenstown to Kaikoura

Cold, dripping rain, and dampness greeted us on Saturday morning, October 13^th when we got up. After checking in at the desk, the hostess informed us that we may need chains to get through the mountain passes to the east. Having only driven is a small amount of snow before, the announcement spoiled my breakfast before I’d even had to chance to eat. “Chains?” I asked. “I’m from Florida, I’ve never driven with chains!” 

I did manage to eat a little breakfast before we caught the bus to the airport to pick up our rental car. Not only was I going to be driving on the wrong side of the road, through the mountains, but it was raining already and snow was expected. I made certain there was a set of chains in the trunk before we left the airport and turned east into the mountains. The rain continued, steady and fully encompassing the entire region, and as we gained elevation, it melded into show showers, and finally, into full-blown snow. As we reached the top of the pass, ice began to form on my windshield wiper arms, and snow had collected on both the sides of the road and the highway itself. We passed a snowplow on the side of the road, the crew most likely taking a break. Shortly after we crested the top of the pass and headed down, conditions improved somewhat, the snow disappeared, and full rain returned.

We drove for ten hours, through continuous rain and strong, gusty winds, maneuvered through some partially flooded roads and arrived in Kaikoura, on the Pacific Coast at about 7:00 PM. Route One follows the east coast for quite a distance, but at times it turns west and snakes through the coastal mountains that run right along the coast. They rise nearly 7,500 feet high and the ocean is as much as 3,800 feet deep only 500 feet from shore. It’s a dark, ebony volcanic beach and rock strewn, dangerous surf, with the two lane highway winding close to the wind swept waves and through several single lane tunnels. A tremendously wondrous and beautiful drive, but you dare not take your eyes off the road for more than a couple of seconds.

Kaikoura is world-famous as a whale watching destination, but neither boats, helicopters, nor planes ventured out in the type of rainy, gale thrashing winds that swept the whole of New Zealand on Saturday.

Tomorrow we head north again to Picton, where we will board a ferry for the three hour trip across the Cook Straight. The forecast for tomorrow: morning showers and snow in the central highlands of the North Island, but clearing in the afternoon.

And the Lord came and stood, and called as other times, "Samuel, Samuel." And Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant hears."  1 Samuel 3:10

Port Macquarie, New South Wales

Smoke delayed the train we were to take by four hours so the rail company hired several coaches to transport all the passengers to their destinations.

An hour and a half south of Brisbane we drove through a series of steep, rolling hills and rises. There were a lot of good opportunities for some great views as we passed through. Banana plants, and macadamian nut orchards and pasture lands were the predominant uses of the land.

We met a wonderful man from Port Macquarie on the bus, named Richard. If not for the smoke that delayed our train we would have never met him. He had a ticket for first class but having to take the bus threw us together one seat behind the other. We spent about eight hours together on the bus and when we reached Port Macquarie he offered to drive us to our Vacation Village condo. It’s just another example on our vacation of how God seems to be making our way easier.

One of the most pleasant surprises of our stay in the Port were the birds—the kind of birds that you would usually see in an aviary in the US: cockatoos, cockatiels, magpies, parrots, parakeets, kookaburras, and one which had a voice like a flute or panpipe, the Butcher Bird. The first night we forgot to close the windows and were awakened at 4:45 AM by a kookaburra outside our window. If you don’t know what a kookaburra sounds like, please find an audio file and listen and you’ll know how we felt being woken up by one.

Since we were staying about a mile out of town and the bus service was scant, I decided to rent a car. The closest dealer was about two and a half miles away—only one blister from walking there—but it allowed us to move around much more easily than we otherwise could have.

On Sunday, October 7^th, (Your Saturday afternoon) I got up early and connected to the internet so I could listen to the Gators play LSU. WRUF-FM carried the play-by-play by Mick Hubert, the voice of the Gators: Oh My! It was a great game. Shortly after it was over, we attended a church service at the Port Macquarie Presbyterian Church. Scott, the pastor, had a good message from Revelation. (He preached almost like a Baptist, Barry!)

Sunday afternoon we visited a koala hospital and learned how a group of mostly volunteers help to rehabilitate and return injured or ill koalas to the wild. It was sad to see how some of the koalas arrived at the hospital but was heart-warming to see how most of them recovered and were able to be returned to their home territories. The ones that are too injured to be returned are kept at the hospital until the end of their lives.

On Monday we drove a few miles west to the Billabong Koala and Wildlife Park. You’ve seen some of the photos on Facebook that I posted there. (At least I hope you have.) It was a smaller park, maybe fifty acres or so, with a relaxed atmosphere and a good variety of indigenous species, and they offered several opportunities to get up close to the animals.

We started off by buying some kangaroo food (mostly cracked corn) to feed the wallabies and kangaroos. It was an amazing experience. I never expected to get so close to the native animals. Following that, we got to pet a koala, a dingo, and a fluffy frog-beak. (A native owl species.) We got a look at a lot of other Australian animals at the park before we headed back to our condo.

On the way back to Sydney on the last day of our stay in Australia, I happened to look over at a golfer walking up on a green to putt, and saw that the rest of his foursome were three kangaroos! I would have liked to watch what happened on the green but the train moved on south and they vanished behind a clump of eucalyptus trees. (Guess the kangaroos carried their clubs in their pouches.)


And He said unto them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Mark 8:29

New Zealand—Queenstown

The Queenstown area was completely covered with clouds when we flew in. Once the jet got below the level of the clouds, we got our first look around. We were nearly even with the tops of the surrounding mountains before the plane ducked below the layer of clouds.

Once again, the runway was only just long enough. The plane had to use a full reverse of engines and brakes to come to a stop before the end of the runway. We exited down stairs onto the tarmac and walked inside for a short customs check. Once in the lobby, I decided to use the ATM to get some cash in New Zealand currency. No luck, the ATM wouldn’t dispense any funds. We learned two days later, after three calls to our credit union, that our debit card would not work in New Zealand. (Even though originally we were told it would.) Luckily, we were able to get a cash advance on our credit card on our third day in Queenstown.

Our second day, we arranged for a tour of Milford Sound on the southwest coast. The total time for the trip was about twelve hours. Five hours to the sound, an hour for lunch, two hours cruising out to the Tasman Sea, and a four hour return trip. On the way out, we stopped at several scenic spots for photos, while on the way back, we simply drove to get back to Queenstown.

Two days after we took our tour, a heavy snowstorm hit the Milford area and caused an avalanche above the highway, bringing down tons of rock and trees. Some of the boulders are so large, holes will have to be drilled for explosives so they can blow them up and remove them. This could take several days. Some tours were trapped at the sound during the bad weather and may be trapped there until the road is opened. (Two days later and that could have been us!)

Our Milford Sound cruise was quite chilly and somewhat overcast, but the scenery was extremely beautiful. (as you can see from the photos posted on Facebook.) We enjoyed the commentary of Ian McIntosh, our tour guide, as he was knowledgeable about the history, legends, animals, botany, and current affairs of the area.

The following afternoon we took a half day, Lord of the Rings tour around Queenstown. We learned from Ian, the day before, that the third largest industry of New Zealand, after agriculture and tourism, is movie production. They have an abundance of beautiful scenery at a reasonable price, compared to other countries. Not only were many of the scenes of the Lord of the Rings trilogy filmed around the Queenstown area, but also some from The Hobbit, Wolverine, and Narnia. We were able to view a number of the locations where scenes were shot. One scene from Wolverine, which some of you may remember, was filmed on a one way bridge, supposedly in Canada. New Zealand has hundreds of single lane bridges and the roads at either end are marked with arrows designating which side of the road you should return to. You drive on the left in New Zealand, in Canada it’s the right. If you remember the scene, Wolverine moves his truck to the right, but the arrow is plainly visible, directing drivers to the left. The scene is obviously not shot in Canada—a minor blooper.

The one lane bridge leads onto the Paradise Ranch and Sheep Station, a thousand acre spread completely surrounded by a national park. Jim ?, (can't remember his last name.) the owner, charged Peter Jackson, (a native New Zealander from Wellington) three thousand dollars a day to use his ranch to set up and film several scenes from the Lord of the Rings, and later, The Hobbit. Locals from Queenstown, (about 30 percent of the population of 13,000, were movie extras, orcs, and uruchi. Horsemen from all over southern New Zealand formed a group of 250 riders that appeared in many of the scenes of the LOTR. Peter Jackson simply had them digitally duplicated in the larger groups needed. (Next time you watch, see if you can pick out the copies!)

Our whole LOTR tour was wet. It rained the entire afternoon, and clouds hung so low over the mountaintops that some of the locations were practically invisible. The last ford in one of the streams our four-wheel drive was going to cross, was too deep so we were unable to see Chinaman’s Bluff. Our guide, Alana, told of the time after gold was discovered in Arrowton, the next city east from Queenstown, and several Chinese men tricked some white miners into abandoning their claims in Arrowton in favor of some out on the other side of Paradise. They succeeded and moved to Arrowton where they staked valuable claims while the white miners were duped—thus Chinaman’s Bluff. It was a kind of payback for their earlier bad treatment by the white miners.

On the way back, we stopped in the Mount Aspiring National Park, got a look at the tree that inspired some of the ent faces in The Two Towers, walked through the woods where Boromir was shot and Pippin and Merry were captured by the Uruk-hai, and also sampled an edible leaf that was as spicy as a jalapeno. We needed a cool drink to wash the heat our of our mouths! All-in-all, it was an incredible two days of sightseeing and soaking up as much of the culture and history of the area as we could.

 ***

And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.      Revelation 21:4

Coffee, Food and Drink in Australia

The first thing you might notice about food and drink here in Australia is the price. A 20 ounce bottle of Coke in the US is about $1.40 now plus tax. Here they are usually $3.50 to $4.00, tax included, for a bottle about the same size. (They measure in milli-litres here not ounces.) I love to get my sodas on tap at the fountains located in convenience stores. I haven’t found a store here that has one. Ice seems to be a rare commodity. McDonald’s has it, Hungry Jack’s (Burger King) has it but you don’t usually get a glass with ice in it when you go to a restaurant no matter the type of drink you buy.

When we buy breakfast out, like we did the other day in Bundaberg, I had pancakes and coffee and Cindy had chicken on a stick (don’t ask). Our cost was around $16.00 and that was about the cheapest breakfast we’ve had, except maybe for one at McDonalds. The normal price is over $25.00. We ate at our hotel restaurant last night, I had fried fish with a small salad, Cindy had chicken stir-fry. We had chilled water to drink (no charge) and our cost was $34.00. Again, one of the less expensive meals we’ve had for supper.

When you order water with your meal they serve it in a chilled wine bottle. It’s kind of cool, and it’s good tasting and refreshing. (But I still like my ice!)

The selection of soft drinks here is rather limited as well. So far, the only place I’ve found Dr. Pepper was in Bundaberg. ($2.75 a can.) Usually they only have Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, and Coke Zero, though some places, and grocery stores do have Pepsi. Their local soft drink is usually Ginger Beer. I haven’t tried one of those yet so I can’t comment on what it tastes like. (Tried one a couple of days ago and it's very much like ginger ale, though a little more tart.) They also usually carry various bottled ice teas and juices for around $4.00 a bottle. Don’t even ask for sweet tea like we’re used to in the South, they don’t have it.

We have enjoyed the food here, though it’s somewhat different. Lamb is more prevelant than in the US, and their steak, chicken, and pork are all very delicious. They have a variety of different kinds of salads and quite a variety of ingredients in the salad, but their dressings leave a lot to be desired by someone who is hooked on Ranch Dressing. As far as I’ve found, it doesn’t exist here. I’ve gotten blank stares when I’ve asked for it. What they do have is balsamic and French. They come in packets the same size as those containing ketchup. Not nearly enough for my liking. Their French is not the same as our French either. It’s basically a little oil and vinegar with a few flakes of parsley. Despite this, I like their salads because they have always been so fresh, but I don’t plan to change the dressing I use once I get home.

Cindy’s favorite food for breakfast is bacon. Australian bacon is more like thin strips of ham that are fried until they’re fairly crispy. It’s delicious. One thing that is the same here as at home are eggs. I guess there’s not too much you can do to change scrambled eggs, although they do try to say there's a difference in what they call their: free range eggs. Very similar as far as I'm concerned.

My last section here is about coffee. When traveling in the US, motels most always have brewed coffee in the rooms. Here they also provide coffee but it’s instant in little packets. Each room is equipped with a hot pot to heat water. (It only takes a couple of minutes to get it boiling.) The instant is Nescafe and it’s very bland and not too appealing. We’ve taken to using the tea bags they also provide in our rooms instead of coffee.

With the coffee fanaticism that seems to run amuck in Australia it surprises us what they provide in hotels. Coffee shops and cafes are everywhere: across the street from each other, in every block, and even side-by-side. Even every McDonald’s also has an extra sign on their pole that says: McCafe. They use Arabica coffee beans. Convenience stores don’t brew coffee and let you fix it the way you want it. They don’t even have hot coffee. To get a cup of hot coffee you have to go to a coffee shop and let them fix it the way you want it. Problem is, they can’t fix it the way we do in the US. They generally offer selections such as: flat white, black, half-black, expresso, etc. I’ve gotten quite used to drinking the flat white, and I order that when we go out for breakfast. However, when I ordered that in a shop in Bundaberg a couple of days ago, they didn’t know what I was talking about. I ended up ordering an expresso with milk, but it was so strong I could only finish half of it. Cindy has quit ordering coffee because she can’t get it the way she likes it. I wouldn’t say I’m suffering while drinking Australian coffee, but I do miss brewing a pot in the kitchen and using as much vanilla creamer as I want.

Next: Port Macquarie and the Koalas

Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Philippians 2:9-11