March 2, 2026
I read The Hobbit series back when I was a teen and always loved the idea of circular doors, leading into precious little homes, set into the hillside. I think I've seen bits and pieces of the movies, but wouldn't call myself a true fan. Bosco, however was very excited to see this magical land. He has seen all the movies, The Hobbit and Lord of Rings and is a big fan. Knowing how popular this excursion was, I made reservations months ago.
The ride from Tauranga to Hobbiton takes a little over an hour. Once there you drive in through the existing sheep and beef farm to a section carved out for the tourist. It was a beautiful day, perfect for a stroll thru the Shire! Our guide Andrew was very entertaining.
There are 44 doored entries in the Shire, but only two of them actually lead into actually homes. These tow were built for the tourist and were never used in the movies. The detail and creativity is so impressive, there are a lot of artifacts from the movies, used as props in the houses. They encourage you to feel at home and touch and feel the items, as much as you like.
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Next stop on the VIETNAM FUN TOUR is HOI'AN - The City of Laterns! I had arranged a private car to take us between all the major locations and towns for the 5 days we were touring the interior. He delivered us to Hoi'An in just about an hour from Ba Na Hills . Here we stayed 2 nights and had lots of relaxing time built in. Again the heat was oppressive! The driver recommended below tailor to me as I mentioned I might want to have a dress custom made as that is another thing the town is known for with 24 hour turn around.
Coconut Boat Tour sounds perfect to keep the Fun rolling! The hotel offered a tour, with pick up and return, so easy peasy!
I had dubbed this the Fun Tour of Vietnam! We could have gone to all the historic war memorials and museums, and I totally respect and am grateful to All those who gave so much. I just didn't want that, to be my only insight into Vietnam and it's lovely people. In the morning, we again explored more of the village and our room stay included a huge buffet breakfast. We checked out by 10:30 am and took the cable car back down by 11 am to meet our driver and head to our next stop.