I've been desperate to get over to New Zealand to meet the rest of Joe's friends and family since we first started dating. I finally got the chance over Chinese New Year in February and took a two week holiday to spend it in Auckland. I absolutely loved my trip to New Zealand which was pretty much four years to the date back in 2009. I created some wonderful memories with the guys that I met whilst I was traveling at that time and knew that this trip would be equally as memorable. I didn't know just how special the memories would be though.
Joe had lots planned for my time starting off with a great night out with his sisters, Heather and Natasha, and all his friends. So great to finally meet people in person and put actual faces to names.
The weather was definitely on our side and through the whole two weeks we had glorious sunshine so made sure we spent plenty of time outdoors! One place which I had on my "must do" list was a visit to Hobbiton. A permanent movie set of the village that featured in the first Lord of The Rings movie and most recently The Hobbit movie, that is now open to the public. Tours depart every quarter of an hour for a 90-minute walk around the incredible set.
In 1998, Peter Jackson had been flying over New Zealand searching for the perfect setting for "Hobbiton" ... he found it near a town called Matamata. A farm owned by the Alexander family. It was a huge old pine tree that was sat beside a lake that had convinced Jackson he had found the perfect spot! Soon, 30 contractors moved in to spend almost ten months building quaint little hobbit houses! I was shocked to hear that it was actually the intention to knock down the set down after filming had concluded. Luckily weather had delayed this and in the meantime hardcore fans had arrived to look at the site. Jackson was persuaded to allow the Alexanders to conduct tours and in the eight years following the conclusion of the filming over 200,000 international visitors had been to see the set.
And then Peter Jackson decides to film The Hobbit. This time around 44 hobbit holes were built for longevity and made to last. It took over two and a half years and after The Hobbit filming concluded the full movie set tours started.
It was incredible to be able to walk around with a super informative tour guide and get all the details on how the films were created, the extreme lengths that were taken to getting the perfect shots and to actually see the tiniest details that still exist. There are hobbit clothes hanging on the clothes lines and moss which was specially created on all the picket fences because they didn't have time to let it grow naturally. You actually have a sense that you have literally stepped into Middle Earth. It's that real.
I got the sense that Peter Jackson is a perfectionist. Above Bag End is a beautiful Oak Tree. But all is not as it seems. The tree is actually made from fiberglass and the leaves (of which there are thousands) are "made in Taiwan" and which were each individually wired into place. And then the color was wrong. So each individual leaf was painstakingly recoloured ... the best bit ... the tree was only in shot for 11 seconds! Now that's attention to detail for you!
This is one part of the north island that you definitely shouldn't miss if you're in this neck of the woods.
Joe has an amazing group of friends who made me feel extremely welcome. One of which, Kate, let us stay at her beach "bach" (pronounced batch) or holiday, home as we know it, in Whangapoua, on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula.
A two and a half hour drive out of Auckland got us to this beautiful coastline. And to the famous New Chums beach which is only accessible by boat or foot from Whangapoua. In 2006 New Chums was voted one of the Top 20 Beaches in the world by The Observer. Taking about 30-40 minutes to reach and a rather rocky climb it's an absolute gem of a beach even if the trek to reach it is slightly challenging.
I also managed to fit in something a little more "extreme". Joe's dad, Peter is a pilot and took me up on my own private flight over Auckland...
....and something a bit more cultural with a trip to The Kauri Museum with Joe's mum Raewyn. The museum is nestled in the west coast village of Matakohe and is one of New Zealand's most amazing theme museums. It was the perfect insight into Northland's pioneer past and tells the story through the use of kauri timber and gum. The furniture is beautiful and it holds the largest collection of kauri gum in the world. Another hidden gem!
The end of my trip was both happy and sad. After two amazing weeks I was struggling to pack and didn't really want to leave so soon. Joe and I decided to head for a picnic at the Auckland Domain, Auckland's oldest park and the largest in the city at 75 hectares. Choosing to picnic next to the Wintergarden and duck pond it was the perfect setting for the most perfect picnic. Perfect, because it was whilst we were enjoying our picnic that Joe chose to ask me to marry him...
Our last supper was spent at The Grill by Sean Connolly at Sky City. As described on the website the restaurant is a celebration of great food and good company. And it was exactly that. A delicious end to my magical trip.
