Went to Wai-O-Tapu thermal wonderland and it was... Underwhelming.
Like, man, this was supposed to be the highlight. We just weren't that lucky
I mean the thermal vents and mud baths and mini geysers (missed the spurting of the main one) and the sulphur-dyed yellow rocks (and the sulphur smell) were all really quite a marvel on their own, considering how earth maintains its stability through these means, but after so many of them, it got kinda boring.
Even the champagne pool wasn't really champagne cos the wind wasn't strong enough to blow the steam away~
We did still had fun though. Lol
And some of the pools really brought out the Chemist in us HAHA
The guide that took us around for the first half was rather entertaining though, but it went downhill after the tour ended.
Yea don't really remember his name nor the jokes he made but just look at him and his comical (half) face man.
But one main takeaway was: many of the towns in the area, Waiotapu and Rotorua included and its four of them in total, are all cauldrons! So they are depressed ground, surrounded on the circumference by "mountains". Really interesting how civilisations managed to survive on these "disaster sites".
Changed our plans to give up on lunch at a Rotorua cafe cos the supposedly 75min walk in the thermal wonderland turned out to be way more than that (plus the morning delay), so we rushed down all the way to Matamata.
This weather welcomed us. Signs of a perfect start of the evening
Made it just in time to the Shire's Rest! And we're going on an adventure!
Leggo!
Hobbiton is really quite another world; it felt a little unreal at the start (but they really aren't "real"). After some photo taking and ale drinking at the Green Dragon Inn, we left the Shire.
Welcome to the world of optical illusion and well-placed deceptions. Sizes of the doors differ depending on who is entering: hobbits to get a much larger door, and Gandalf to go with a smaller one
I'm definitely Gandalf in this one haha
And the mini garden with humongous fruits and vegetables!
The scenery doesn't even feels real (it is)
Bag-End! And we were definitely on a business trip; a party business trip
And here we are! After watching so many of the movies set in this place, we are finally on this side of the screen! And yea, we're quite a "hobbit" here
And next place: Green Dragon Inn!
Somehow reminds me of SEA trip at a particular rural farm land we stayed for a night haha
All sorts of alcoholic and non-alcoholic 'fictional' beverages (but of course the alcoholic ones are the best)
Then it's time to head back to reality..
But not before we say bye to this group of meh mehs (by chasing them lol)
And one last glance of this trippy land...
But we were then greeted by a super amazing sunset. That's when we started to take even more photos.
Just wondering if I'll ever get bored of these kinds of land and sky scape...
Look at the moon!
Simply mesmerising
Literally running around like small kids to find the best angle but they were all amazing
And one last one!
But that also mean we're kinda late (by New Zealand standards), so once again, we rushed off.
