“Rotorua is a major destination for both domestic and international tourists; the tourism industry is by far the largest industry in the district.” – Wikipedia
Rotorua has also been described as the adventure capital of the north island. This became evident on our first afternoon in town. Joel heard this town was also called RotoVegas, and that they have a Vegas-like sign somewhere nearby. So, after checking into our hotel, we took a gondola ride to the top of a hill where the sign can be found.
“Roto means ‘lake’ and rua means ‘two’ or in this case, ‘second’ – Rotorua thus meaning ‘Second lake’…It was the second major lake the (Maori) chief discovered” – Wikipedia.
As I mentioned, Rotorua claims to be the adventure capital of the north island. Before I knew it Joel had strapped a helmet on my head.
Joel flew down the mountain ahead of me. Meanwhile, I was stuck behind behind a small child who kept stopping in the middle of the luge track. So much for adventuring.
The next day we boarded a tour bus for nearby Hobbiton, the movie set for The Lord of the Rings movies. “The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy of epic fantasy adventure films directed by Peter Jackson, based on the novel The Lord of the Rings by English author J. R. R. Tolkien.” – Wikipedia
The tour bus ride took a little over an hour (note: tours also depart from Auckland, if that is the city you visit). Our tour included the ride to and from Rotorua, entrance fee and tour of the Hobbiton movie set, and lunch at the Green Dragon (the pub from the movies). There are many tour companies operating in the area, no matter which one you choose the tour of Hobbiton will be done by employees working for the Hobbiton movie set.
“The Lord of the Rings is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential film series ever made. It was a major financial success and is among the highest-grossing film series of all time, having grossed over $2.9 billion worldwide.” – Wikipedia
“Set in the fictional world of Middle-earth, the films follow the hobbit Frodo Baggins as he and the Company of the Ring embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring to defeat its maker, the Dark Lord Sauron.” – Wikipedia
The set was permanently built on a small parcel of the Alexander farm, which is still working farm.
“The series received numerous accolades, winning 17 Academy Awards out of 30 total nominations, including Best Picture for The Return of the King.” – Wikipedia
Towards the end of the tour we were invited to explore the inside of one of the hobbit houses. It was built to 85% scale, so some people (like Joel) didn’t fit as well in all the spaces.
On our last day in Rotorua we met up with Mike, his wife, Li, and their two kids, Lucas, and Dylan. Mike and Joel both worked at the Las Vegas Valley Water District for many years before they retired. Mike now lives just north of Rotorua and drove down to meet us for the day.
Li made a great picnic lunch and the kids were able to run around in the playground.
After lunch we drove over to the nearby Redwoods Whakarewarewa State Forest Park for an easy hike. “The trees were planted at the beginning of the 20th century as part of a programme to assess the viability of various exotic tree species for commercial forestry in New Zealand.” – Wikipedia
The Redwoods Forest is, “a forest of naturalised coastal redwood on the outskirts of Rotorua, New Zealand, adjacent to the Whakarewarewa thermal area. The 6 hectares (15 acres) stand of Californian redwoods is part of the larger Whakarewarewa State Forest Park.” – Wikipedia
Later that night, Joel and I walked over to the historic Pig & Whistle for dinner.
While Rotorua is known for its geothermal activity, Māori cultural exhibitions, and hot mud pools, we ran out of time for any of these activities. The only other unique thing we saw on this trip was the milk station in the lobby of our hotel. Our room included a glass milk jug which could be filled up for free. The front desk agent told us it was a new feature of the Pullman Hotel.
Hi Joel and Jeri,
Your posts really bring back memories for us! We taught in Tokoroa, just west of Rotarua! Sometimes, we would go over for the weekend and stay at the hostel which had a hot tub heated by geothermal energy. Of course it had all changed when we went back with the kids 4 years ago. We had done a lot of hiking in the area and around Lake Taupo. New Zealand is a beautiful place and we thoroughly enjoyed our year there. Thanks, Jane and Bill
We didn’t realize you lived here before. Glad to bring back some memories for you both.
Hi Jerilyn and Joel. What a special time you had in Rotorua! Who would have thought your would find a Las Vegas Sign!
Hobbiton was so interesting and to think it is permanent. The Redwood walk was beautiful and we imagine it is spectacular at night all lit up…. How great to meet up with your friends and enjoy time together. Keep going !
Love June and Gene
Rotorua looks fun and Hobbiton is so cute and green. We can’t wait to go. Thank you Jerilyn for sharing.
Looks like so much fun!
ATA ata pai!
He haerenga nui, hihiko, ngahau me te tino whakamere ki ROTORUA AOTEAROA!!
Indeed, a wonderful tour of ROTORUA AOTEAROA! I have seen bits and parts of HOBBITON on tv…amazing place…work of art to say the least…everything is very detailed and interesting….thank you for taking me there!
What a reunion with Mike and Li with their kids who now retired in ROTORUA . In addition, that redwood park really resembles the redwoods in CA ….fresh air everywhere…I can feel it…and finish with a good dinner at Pig and Whistle.
Enjoy and AROHA,
Rod and Sasha