As we made our way from Cambridge to Taupo we passed through one of the most famous places in New Zealand’s north island, Hobbiton! That’s right, just outside of Matamata is the 1,200 acre Alexander Farm which Peter Jackson used for both The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit film series.

Today, the expanse of rolling hills commonly known as The Shire remains a working farm with a few hundred cows and around 13,000 sheep.

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Sadly, Keira was the closest thing we found to a hobbit.

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Our time in Hobbiton completely exceeded expectations. We had assumed that the visit would be more of a check the box “ok, we’ve seen it” than anything else, but even on a rainy New Zealand morning we all loved it. As an added 10am bonus they also treated us to a Girdley Fine Grain Amber Ale (that was mine) and an Oatbarton Brew Traditional English Ale at The Green Dragon Inn.

Hobbit drinking age is 33 (or so I’m told), so this time around it was only Frogmorton Ginger Beer for the kids…🍻

We arrived into Taupo for our first of 3 multi-week stays while here in New Zealand. We picked Taupo because of it’s central location on the north island and easy access to some of the areas greatest sights and treks. As you make your way into the area it becomes immediately clear that there’s something odd happening just below the surface. With the faint smell of sulfur in the air (it wasn’t me) and hillsides that are dotted with steam vents, Taupo is a true geothermal playground.

Taupo (like Yellowstone) is one of the earth’s five supervolcanoes…and the last to have released a super-eruption around 26,000 years ago! 🌋

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From mud pools to hot springs and everything in between, the land around Taupo is constantly changing and has so much to explore. Tick-Tock ⏰…

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The Lake Taupo region is also famous for one of New Zealand’s most inspiring day treks, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. This area was also used extensively during The Lord of the Rings filming with the Mount Ngauruhoe peak in the background serving as Mount Doom (minus the snow).

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Oh good, another selfie addict.

Back in Taupo at the Wairakei Thermal Valley we encountered on of our strangest hikes ever. The valley itself was interesting and was littered with 200+ degree steam vents, but what made our visit so memorable were our hiking partners for the day…a 🐈 and a 🐑.

Honestly, you cannot make this stuff up. They were quite possibly the oddest pair we’ve ever met, but they were hilarious and ventured with us on the entire hike. There were even a few moments when the sheep would fall behind to grab an extra snack or two, and then we would hear him calling out to us as he sprinted to catch up! 😊

Tara and I both know how fortunate we are that our kids are willing hikers, but this was hands-down the happiest that we’ve ever seen them on the trail.

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After a week or so in Taupo we decided to take a short hop up to Rotorua to visit a few more geothermal hotspots (I’m pretty sure that’s redundant) and the Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest. At only 100 years old this forest is relatively young, but thanks to the regions rainfall and rich volcanic soil many of them have already grown well above 200 feet.

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Whether mountain biking, hiking or luging, our stay in Taupo has been amazing. The outdoor activities are endless, the scenery is beautiful and the food (Spoon & Paddle, Vine Eatery and Mole & Chicken are just a few of our favorites) has been amazing.

As for the family harassment below, I’ll try to do better…

See you soon! (sort of)