Yes we did!

Well we had to didn't we. Do you know where this is? Yes it is 'The Shire' or Hobbiton the movie set.

It was of our route to the Coramandel from Rotorua. We were there by half past ten and joined a tour, the only way you can see it.

It was really excellent and well worth it. I didn't look too closely at the price, not sure if it actually said it any where, but I guess it wasn't cheap. They are getting 500 - 600 people through a day in the summer so the farmer who owns the land must be doing pretty well.

In the picture you can see the Hobbit holes set into the hill, love the little chimneys, with BagEnd up at the top. The large tree to the right is the 'party tree' and the reason for Peter Jackson choosing this site. The tree above Bilbo's house is completely artificial with a quarter of a million leaves wired on and painted!

Here it looks lovely and green but only because they have been watering it to keep it that way. This is on a large sheep farm, the last one around here, and the sheep are grazing in dry, brown land. The government is just about to declare an official drought in Northland but it has been the same everywhere. In South Island the fire warnings were 'very high' and here on North Island all the fire risk signs say 'extreme'. If only they could have some of our wet. Mind you, you know what happened when they declared a drought in England last March! Beware Kiwis.