Until wintermute gets around to updating his journal, I thought I would post a very summarised version of our weekend. He flies out tomorrow to continue his world tour.

Thursday

Drove to Hidden Valley (Orakei Korako). Stayed in log cabin on lakefront, in middle of nowhere, across lake from huge steaming geysers and silica terraces and caves. Got boat across lake and saw huge steaming geysers etc etc. No civilisation at Hidden Valley, so drove a couple of hours to Lake Taupo at night and had dinner at funky upstairs restaurant with view of lake and mountains. Saw Huka Falls on the way. Went back to valley. Incredible stars. Cost of accommodation, NZ$20 each (around US$8).

Friday

Drove to Taupo again where signs warned of traffic delays tomorrow due to "An Event" (unspecified). Drove south for hours around east side of lake, amazing scenery, spent all day driving loop road around Tongariro National Park. Went up to Whakapapa on Mt Ruapehu, or Mt Doom to LotR viewers. Took photos of slopes of Mt Doom, battlefield of Last Alliance etc, found tiny patch of snow left over from winter, pranced around on top of it and made very, very small snowman, go us. Picked up hitchhikers and dropped them off several billion kilometres further along the road. Stopped at small cute town of Ohakune, drove up to Turoa on other side of Mt Doom, came down again. Went to Waiouru Army Museum and climbed on tanks and anti-aircraft guns and saw cool stuff until a guy flushed us out because they were closing. Drove along Desert Road (Emyn Muil and various bits of Mordor) back to Taupo. Stayed in nasty place which looked like some kind of mental institution because everywhere decent was full on account of the Event. Finally found out the event was a big cycle race, 7000 more people in town for the weekend than usual.

Spent the evening walking around Taupo to see what you can do in Taupo on a Friday evening in summer when the whole town is red hot with anticipation of 7000 extra tourists. Answer: nothing. Found l33t playground (only thing in entire town which was not closed). Climbed on it.

Saturday

Drove to Rotorua. Stopped at Waiotapu to look at geothermal stuff. Stopped at Waimangu to look at geothermal stuff. Got to Rotorua, checked into backpackers' lodge, went to Mt Ngongotaha and spent rest of day riding little plastic wheely carts down a concrete track at two billion miles an hour and getting airborne over the bumps. Felt h4rdc0re. Watched two people go on the Sky Swing which basically hurls you from a height of about 15 storeys straight down off a cliff in a little seat, but it's OK because you're wearing a seatbelt. Did not feel so h4rdc0re after all.


Sunday

Drove home through Hinuera, which apparently was where the film sets for Hobbiton and the Shire were located. Drove down the road to Buckland just because. Cannot go looking for the Shire and willfully ignore a road claiming to go to Buckland. Saw Black Rider, in clever disguise as girl on brown pony. Were not fooled.

Gave up looking for Shire and headed back to main road, where we suddenly saw a small homemade sign tacked to a post at the intersection, saying "Hobbiton" with a red arrow underneath. Followed it. Found farmyard miles from anywhere containing sheep and about 30 cars parked on the lawn. Directed into parking area by hobbit. Hobbit was six feet tall but was very clearly hobbit nevertheless. (Large, rugby-playing hobbit.)

Attempted to get onto tour of Hobbiton film set which apparently opens to the public tomorrow for $50 a go. Orc at gate informs us that today is a special preview for locals only.

Drive to town of Matamata to ask at the information centre whether there are any other accessible film locations in the area. Woman in information centre doubtfully tells us we probably *could* go on locals-only tour, but it would be crap because it isn't the full-scale commercial version yet, plus it will only cost $10. Somehow fail to find this a significant problem. Obtain small yellow pass proclaiming we are locals.

Back to Hobbiton. Orc at gate now gone on lunch break, replacement orc is reasonably certain we are not locals but seems to admire persistence and determination. Laughs at us and lets us get on bus.

Spend an hour or so walking around Hobbiton. I take a picture of wintermute leaning up against the Party Tree. Look into hobbit holes, Bag End, the bit where Gandalf drove the cart up between those banks, the lake, the Party Field, etc etc.

Had fun. Discussed how much everybody would envy us. Got badly sunburned.

Did not care.