First Weekend Trips
19-20 May was the first full weekend we had here in Hamilton. With Mary being an ardent fan of Lord of the Rings, we decided to visit the Hobiton Movie Set in Matamata, which is about 60km away from where we are staying. It was an interesting experience for the rest of us who may or may not have watched the various LOTR movies and Mary gave us a quick summary of what the movies are about as we were on the bus ride from the Shire's Rest Cafe to the actual movie set. The guide was sharing with us about the various scenes that were shot at that location and what amazed me the most was how particular Peter Jackson, the director of LOTR, was regarding the props and background settings. He even planted a fake tree, with hand-painted leaves, to replace the one that had died and was cut down. On Sunday, our airbnb hosts were kind enough to bring us to Tauranga for the day. In a 2 car convoy, we drove to Tauranga in the morning which is about 110km away from our house. Bel...