Day 19. Tuesday 25th November 2003
Matamata - Whitianga

Went on the 10:00am trip to Hobbiton. The flyer for the trip made it obvious we weren't going to see what it looked like in the films but it was better than I thought when we actually got there because of the lake and the "party tree".

The guys taking the tours were very knowledgeable and a great laugh. It was quite exciting to see where different shots were taken and makes you want to get back home and watch it all over again. The one Maori guide got into a music discussion about Led Zeppelin with an American guy on the tour, the guide said "Have you heard of Slade?" The American looked blank. Of course we've heard of Slade, us Brits get bombarded by Slade's Christmas song every year. Anyway, it turns out the guy was a really big Slade fan.

In the afternoon we drove to Whitianga on the Coromandel. Booked into Buffalo Beach campsite, very (as the name suggests) the beach. Whitianga is spread over a sandy bay with little rocks and outcrops sticking into the sea. We got talking to some locals—Paul & Des Jones. Had a nice chat and were made to feel really welcome in their town. Paul gave us some red snapper to take with us, which he had caught that day.