World Travel with Bob: Tauranga, NZ

In the morning, we walked a track around the base of Mount Maunganui. This 60 minute walk from Pilot Quay to the Marine Parade provided us with views of the rocky shores and beaches. About half of the walk was under tree canopy with a morning temperature in the upper-60s. The walk ended up at Main Beach, with extends for 48km.

In the afternoon, we joined a bus tour to Hobbiton. The drive took about 80 minutes. The Hobbiton movie set was built on the Anderson sheep and cattle ranch. The ranch covers over 1,250 acres, with the movie set on ten acres. The sets were used in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy and recent Hobbit movie. Only one Hobbiton house could be entered and this structure was essentially a shallow closet. The interiors of the houses shown in the movies were actually located on a movie stage. A guide accompanied us on the Hobbiton tour, sharing how the sets were created and used. The tour ended up at the Dragon Hill Bar, where we were served beer, soft drinks and snacks.