I'm off on an adventure!: North Island Road Trip, Day 2

The next morning we drove through some gorgeous farmland to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Farther up the North Island, the weather gets a bit warmer and the flora and fauna get a bit more tropical looking.

The caves themselves had some impressive stalactites and stalagmites (I did not take pictures inside, and photos were strictly forbidden in the glowworm bits, as the glowworms are rather sensitive to light). The photos below were from the exit of the tour. Again with the incredible colored water, which is a result of the limestone in the water reflecting sunlight.

For the glowworm tour, we rode in boats piloted by local Maori tour guides. The caves have belonged to the government for many years, but will revert to the local iwi (tribe) over the next few years. They navigate by pulling the boats along by ropes running along the ceiling. The trip through the caves is in total dark and silence, with the glowworms flickering overhead like stars. Absolutely beautiful.

Mom standing next to a replica of a Moa, a native New Zealand bird that was, unfortunately, hunted to extinction. That bird is life size, and Mom is taller than I am, to give you a sense of scale.

Much to my delight, Mom and my Aunt decided that because we were so close, we should go to the Hobbiton movie set. It was magical. The level of detail was stunning. So, here are a non-small number of pictures from the set.

The bit off in the distance was built specifically for the Hobbit films. There was a bit of a drought over the summer, usually the contrast between landscaped and non-landscaped isn't quite as dramatic.

Bag End is the only Hobbit hole with any detail on the interior of the door frame, again something that was added for the Hobbit movies.

The home of Sam and Rosie.

The level of detail was such that when I first saw the butterfly I honestly thought it was a prop, at least until it started to move. Then again, Weta does some amazing stuff, so you never know...

The stilts were a bit short, but Mom actually managed fairly well.

At the end of the tour, we went to the Green Dragon for a pint of local brew. I opted for cider, Mom and Peggy went for ale. They were delicious.

It had been a cloudy day, but the sun broke though at the end, as we left the pub for a short walk back through before it was time to hop on the bus out.