As I type, the sky is red, suggesting more good weather - the past 4 days have been from the early to the high 20s. Seemingly the temperatures are slightly less at home!
We have been trying to make the most of our time here outside Hamilton so the past 2 days have been very busy. We began yesterday with a visit to Matamata, where we were on the Hobbiton site for The Hobbit. We have been sworn to secrecy so cannot delight you with photos or reveal the details of those who will be in the film - sorry! We were auditioned for bit parts and found that our rotundity was perfect - unfortunately our height rendered us ineligible. I was thinking of having a Hobbit party for my birthday but there would be far too many presents to buy! The site of Hobbiton is on a sheep farm - beautiful countryside with rolling green hills - and the tour of the film site included a sheep shearing and sheep show. Jim couldn't face it as he has found the close proximity to escaping sheep a bit of a trial!
We then went to a place called Tirau. This is a small town which was in serious decline untill someone had the bright idea of making creative designs out of corrugated iron - buildings and signs. Photos will follow at some stage. Finally we went to Hamilton Gardens which are very beautiful and interesting. After a hectic day we were delighted to accept an invitation to a barbeque from Chris and Murray, friends of Tina and Chris who stayed with us in July 2009 and in whose house we are at the moment. Their house is only 1km away so we were able to walk - first barbie of the holiday.
Today we went to the Kiwi House in Otorohanga to see birds of all sorts, particularly those indigenous to New Zealand. The Kiwi Bird is really special. It is a nocturnal creature, tailless, its body covered with hair-like loosely attached feathers which give it a shaggy appearance. Its body is cone-shaped, its head small and it has a really long bill. It is just as cute and lovable as a koala. We weren'y allowed photos! We saw lots of other birds and have some photos of them.
We followed this with a visit to Te Awamutu which has a reputation as a rose town - the roses were beautiful and smelt gorgeous! We went to a small museum and learned a little about the Maouris of the region. Then we went to the best waterfall we have seen since we came on holiday. It's called Bridal Veil Falls. Our first view was from the top, then midway, then from the bottom. Getting to the bottom for the waterfall is 55 metres, for us it meant 260 steps, which meant 260 steps up again!!
When we returned home we discovered 4 people trying to ensure that Jim's sheep would stay enclosed - quite successful as only 1 is now roaming and demolishing Chris's vegetables.
Tomorrow we go to Rotorua for spa and cultural experiences - I wonder will the mud be better than in Nha Trang?
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