Hobbiton

Before we were even married, Earl had this tradition of watching the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy (extended edition) every December during his holiday break. He has also read all the books. Thus, there was no question as to where we were going for our next vacation.

After much research and given our time constraints, we decided to go with Bush and Beach's Hobbiton Express Tour. At the rate of NZD 280 per person, it's not cheap - Earl even wanted to skip the tour, but I insisted. Was it worth it? Put it this way, my husband was so glad I didn't listen to him!

Technically this place is about a two hour drive from Auckland, but it's an easy day trip from the city. They will pick you up from your hotel, give a running commentary along the way and drop you off at a cafe for a quick break (both ways). The lunch was buffet style and pretty good - you could go back for seconds (and thirds) if you so wished. At the end of the tour, each guest is given a NZD 10 voucher to use at the gift shop.

As to the drop off, it will depend on where your hotel is located. Our driver decided to have people get down at common areas. We were lucky that our hotel was along the main road so we got off across the street while the others had to walk a bit. Those staying in Ponsonby were told that they would be dropped off at the central business district and they would have to find their own way back.

Bag End

Samwise Gamgee's House

Party Field

All in all, this tour is definitely worth the money if want to see the Shire and get back to the city as soon as possible.