Our discovery of Rotorua and surroundings continued with another “must do” highlight to the film set of the Peter Jackson trillogies Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. This spectacular and unspoiled landscape is now a permanent film set. Located on the 12’000 acre Alexander Family farm a 50 minute drive west from Rotorua, the dwellings and gardens are totally real and discovered on foot on guided tours in small groups.
Visiting Hobbiton was not all we did today however. Our group also got to explore the Agridome farm experience with a private sheep shearing demonstration among the highlights.
This place is New Zealand’ oldest farm experience open to visitors, showcasing what makes the country famous till today – wool and lamb production. For context, New Zealand has 5.5million inhabitants and 12 to 14 million sheep.
Adjacent to the lands of the Agridome sits a national treasure in the form of the Kiwi Hatchery which is vital in preserving this elusive nocturnal flightless bird. Kiwi birds lay eggs that are 20% of a female bird’s body weight. Imagine humans giving birth to 35lbs babies – such is the ratio of their enormous eggs. Laying such large sized eggs takes huge efforts and leaves the birds and eggs vulnerable to predators. Until the arrival of British settlers in the 1800, these birds roamed free and uninhibited across the land.
Unfortunately, with settlers came pests in the form of stout, Australian possums (imported for their fur), and rats. This has led to a higher than 50% mortality rate for kiwi eggs laid in the wild and it threatens the species with extinction.
Our host for this experience, Delta Vacations sponsored a Kiwi bird chick which we named Ahora Delva (meaning delta vacations loved one). The naming was a group effort as will be the release into the wild in a few weeks that we will all get to witness in a telecast.
Our second day of adventure ended with a traditional Māori feast which we did not photograph out of respect to the participants. Stay tuned for day three updates after a truly needed night of rest.
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