Today was the day we were going to experience the real Middle-earth with a visit to the Hobbiton Movie Set, the setting for The Shire that featured in the Peter Jackson directed films, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

The tour started with a drive through the picturesque 1,250-acre sheep farm with spectacular views across to the Kaimai Ranges. Our guide escorted us through the ten-acre site, recounting fascinating details of how the Hobbiton Movie Set was created.
Hobbit holes, the Green Dragon Inn and the Mill really show you how this beautiful piece of Waikato farmland was transformed into The Shire from Middle-earth. I was in my element and Bilbo's house would have been perfect for me! I can only imagine how amazing it would have been to be on set while they were filming.

If our day couldn't get any better we were on our way to the Tamaki Maori village for a true New Zealand cultural experience.