February 21, 2016

New Zealand: Hobbiton and Hamilton Gardens

In keeping with the pace of his "not-a-moment-to-waste" itinerary, Graham (with Julie and Heather) managed to squeeze in two more activities before driving us to the airport and sending us home.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was filmed here on the original set in 1999.  The Hobbiton Movie Set was rebuilt and the The Hobbit Trilogy was filmed in 2011.  Our guide had trouble herding us as we all had fun posing for our final photos.
 
 
 

Our last stop was to Hamilton Gardens on the Waikato River.  This park attracts over 1 million visitors and hosts over 2,000 events every year.  Today it was the Annual Arts Festival. All the gardens are "themed" e.g. Chinese Scholars, Indian Char Bagh, Rhododendron Lawn, Kitchen, Sustainable Backyard, etc.  A lovely way to end an AMAZING adventure.




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