Rotorua - July 4, 2013

Another really fantastic day!  I started out in Hobbiton this morning.  I wasn’t sure that I wanted to go, I was afraid it would be such a commercial tourist thing, but when Pam, Grumpy’s wife told me that she had never read the books or seen the movies but she loved the tour I decided to go for sure.  It was very charming and cool to hear the stories about how it was all put together.  It is a guided tour and I wish that they gave you a little more time to linger, but they hurry you right through.  It really is an amazingly beautiful part of the country.  All of the Hobbiton scenes were shot on the Alexander’s farm.  It is a sheep and cattle farm that has something like 13,000 sheep and thousands of acres of rolling pastures.  Initially Peter Jackson had selected 12 other locations that would be used to make up Hobbiton but when he found the Alexander Farm he let go of those other locations because he could do all he wanted here.  Anyway, it was really cool.  And the sun came out for my tour.  I was hoping that it would so it was just perfect.

Part of what makes everything so cute is how small it is, but you can't tell the true size in a photo so I put my hand in this one so you can see how small this little hobbit mail box is.  The hobbit houses are not all the same size.  Some of them were built to have Hobbits standing in them see below and others were built to look Hobbit size with Gandalf in the shot, so they are really small like the one above.

It's my thing with chimneys...and cute little hobbit chimneys sticking of the ground.

The cat is real.  Just sleeping in the sun completely unaware or uncaring that tourists keep walking by and taking pictures. It was quite a nice touch to the embience.  

Bag End

Inside the Green Dragon.  As part of your tour you get a free drink at the Green Dragon.  There is this special brew that Peter Jackson had made for the filming.  He wanted the actors to have the real flavor of mead so their response would be genuine, but he didn't want to get the actors intoxicated during filming, so this special brew has only a 1% alcohol content.  I opted for the Ginger Beer which was quite lovely.

This is my new friend Elise.  She is from Australia.  She is traveling alone and we took a lot of pictures for each other today.

A Middle Earth Exit Sign.

This evening I went to the Mitai Village Hangi Dinner and Maori Cultural show.  This was pretty amazing also.  A bus picked me up at my hotel and took me to the location then we all gathered in the dining tent where the MC acknowledged all of the visitors and the countries they are visiting from.  There were 15 countries represented tonight.  The MC said things in the languages of all of those countries.  It was pretty amazing.  I had this great feeling about how we are all part of God’s Family.  Then the MC chose a chief to represent our tribe which he called the Tribe of 15 Nations.  Then he asked in anyone in the tribe sang.  I rose my hand.  I didn’t even need to think about it and wasn’t afraid like I was in the Waitomo Cave.  The MC told us that the chief would need to meet the chief of the Matai Tribe and give a speech and then he would present me and I would sing a song for the Chief. 

Then we left the dining tent to watch the warriors come down the stream on their waka (I think that is the Maori word for canoe).  They came down the river with torches on the sides of the canoe and chanting as they rowed.

 

Then we went into the stage area where the chief and I were taken onto the stage.  The Matai Tribe presented a silver fern leaf as a peace offering which our chief accepted.  Then after some chanting and “dancing” from the Mitai Tribe, Chief Mike gave his speech thanking the Mitai Chief for the peace offering and the food.  Then he presented me to the chief to sing my song.  I was told that I could sing whatever I wanted. I thought I would just sing a American Folk Song because something from my musical theatre rep didn't really seem appropriate for the setting.  As I waited and tried to watch the show I couldn't seem to think of any folk songs.  I ended up singing the song that every Mormon kid learns as soon as they learn to talk.   It was the one on my mind at the moment.

I am a child of God and He has sent me here

Has given me an earthly home with parents kind and dear.

I am a child of God and so my needs are great

Help me to understand His words before it grows too late.

I am a child of God.  Rich blessings are in store.

If I but learn to do His will, I’ll live with Him once more.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way.

Teach me all that I must do to live with Him some day.

I guess when you think about it the songs seems appropriate given that we were there from all around the world and there to learn about the traditions of the Maori people yet, I think we all feel a tie of unity that is difficult to express.  There is something binds us together as the family of humankind with a common parentage or source.  That source for me is God, our Father in heaven.  While I sang I felt His love for me and all of those people there that night.  Feeling the love of God is always a good thing. :)

It was a lovely evening.  I enjoyed very much learning about the Maori people and their traditions.