New Zealand - North Island

For Easter, we decided to head to New Zealand for a whirlwind tour with some great friends!  Below are the shots from the North Island, where we spent a few days.  Basically, we flew into Auckland and drove down to Rotorua, then drove around a bit and back.  South Island blog to follow...

We started with a boat tour of Lake Taupo, formed by a volcano.

Yes, it was a little creepy thinking that this thing could totally blow up any minute...

Next, one of the highlights for Lilly - a Maori village in Rotorua.  Here we are greeted by a Haka, a traditional "challenge dance".  Basically, behave yourselves in our village.

Maori games.  Everyone holds a stick, they yell out "right" or "left" and you have to let go of yours, go in the correct direction, grab the stick before it hits the ground.  Fun for all ages.  Reid has the lime green hood and is basically dropping his stick and watching the one he should be grabbing fall...

Brad hanging over a pit where they cooked a "Hangi" dinner.  Basically a New Zealand luau (sorry Maori people!).  Yes, I am already drawing up plans for one when we repatriate.

Now this is a haka!

This is the chief; the tongue out to end the haka means "we will eat you if necessary".

Months later Lilly stills says how much she likes the Maori people and that they stick their tongues out.

Stopping by the redwoods for some posing.

Why yes, this iconic picture does look familiar from such movies as "The Hobbit"!  Bilbo lives under the tree at the top of the hill, in case you forgot.

Here we are in front of Bilbo's house.  Why yes, that is a kangaroo skin hat.  Thanks, I agree that it is amazing.

OK, so here is the cool part.  The boys are standing in front of a "human" sized hobbit hole.  So, this would be where they filmed approaches from the actors playing humans.

Perfect fit!

This is a "hobbit" sized hole.  So, those actors playing hobbits would be going in and out of this one.  They also had some that were in between sizes to help everything transition during the helicopter approaches.

Brad could never play a hobbit, that's for sure!

What's wrong with this picture?  Answer at the bottom...

Capped the visit to Hobbiton off with a beer in The Green Dragon.  Everything is better in the hat.

Oh my, just cute as a button.  What is she ready for?

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I gotta get me one of these!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

So those were some of the highlights.  I could have added about 250 pictures of the gorgeous landscape, but I will spare you.  The answer to the riddle:  Riley is picking an APPLE.  There were no apples referenced in the books, only plums.  However, plum trees grow too large.  So, they planted a dwarf apple tree and picked it clean, then taped on plum leaves for the movie.  It recovered just fine.