There and Back Again - A Hobbit Lovers Tale, Part 1

I have always loved to read. I was that kid who hid under the covers with a flashlight at night, chewing through chapter after chapter of any book I could find. I read everything, from novels to cereal boxes. And I was lucky enough to have parents who never made any attempt to restrict what I read. As a teenager, I consumed D.H Lawrence, Tolstoy, all the Bronte’s, Heller, every Salinger I could get my hands on, Hemingway, Baldwin, Morrison and Vonnegut. They shaped my worldview, taught me more than I ever learned in school, and introduced me to other authors and ideas too numerous to mention. But when I was seventeen, I picked up a book that began, “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” And that began a series that carried me through the rest of my life to this day. I want to go to Middle Earth when I die.

So when Bob and I started to plan our bucket list, one of my dreams was to go to New Zealand. It’s true that my imagination built Middle Earth from the books long before Peter Jackson shot the movies. And when I learned that he was making the Lord of the Rings into a movie, I was fearful that he would mess it up, and fail to capture the wonder and the heart of Tolkien’s work. But although he did make changes to the plot, I was able to accept his vision as complementary to my own and I was struck by the majesty and beauty of New Zealand. And then, when my nephew, David, went to NZ on a trip for college, and sent back pictures of Hobbiton, I knew I would have to go. And luckily, my best friend and travel partner, Bob, shared my love of the series and placed NZ high on his list as well. And of course, if you’re in the neck of that woods, you certainly should trek your way over to Australia too, right? So this became one of the major dreams for travel when we retired.

We began to plan the trip in 2020. It was put off and put off by Covid, and the fact that NZ was the benchmark in keeping Covid under control by keeping people out. Everyone tells us that everything in Australia can kill you, but nothing in NZ can. That is not a fluke. So we had to put the whole trip on hold until life became more reasonable. And then it did.

During the long hiatus we learned about a Lord of the Rings (LOTR) tour company called Red Carpet Tours. This company is the only authorized LOTR tour company and offers a variety of tours covering most of the movie sites.The Mac-daddy tour is the two week adventure that covers both the North and South Islands, and consistently gets incredible reviews. We were sold. And then we found Audley Travel to help us with the many things we wanted to see and do in Australia. So we booked it, held our breath, paid the trip costs and the insurance, and began to dream.

Our first leg of the trip was to Seattle. I had a birthday, number 70, coming and I thought it would be fun to spend a potentially emotional day with my brother, sister-in-law, and niece. Additionally, it would get us a little closer to NZ and cut a few hours off the long plane ride, as well as perhaps get us a little more acclimated to the time zone difference. We had learned that NZ would be 1 day and 17 hours ahead of our usual time, so we thought we could ease into it.

We had a great time in Seattle, went bowling and took a walk around Poulsbo, Washington. My brother, Ron, has perfected the art of smoking meats, and fed us brisket and ribs. Thus, my birthday was a happy day, and I eased into my septuagenarian state. We had a great time with family, and then left in the evening for our flight to LAX and then on to NZ.

We had booked our flight on Air New Zealand, and in an effort to give us a comfortable long-haul flight, had booked a sky-couch seating arrangement. This is an opportunity to book all three seats in a row and they modify the seats to allow for a larger-than-twin bed so we thought we would be able to catch some sleep on the flight. However, a few weeks before we left, we learned that our flight had been cancelled and we were rebooked on a plane that didn’t have sky-couch, so we had two economy seats for a 16 hour flight. After two hours on the phone to try to resolve that, I was able to negotiate a rate that allowed us to book two business-class seats, giving us lie-flat seating. I can barely sleep in a car, so I was happy to have a little more comfort on the long flight.

The flight to LAX was uneventful, and the seats on Air New Zealand were perfect. We were offered dinner and breakfast, and I even managed to get a few hours of sleep on the plane. Score!

We had booked parts of our trip through a travel company called Audley Travel. The hobbit portion of the show was through Red Carpet Tours, but I asked Audley to get us a few days before that tour in the Bay of Islands, in Paihia. It looked like a beautiful place to spend a few days and get in the NZ spirit. So once we disembarked from our long-haul flight, we had to remain in the Auckland airport for 5 hours to catch another plane to Kerikeri. This was touch-and-go as we saw plane after plane get cancelled because of weather, and we were pretty wiped out by the time our gate was called. Prior to boarding, we were warned that the pilot had indicated that he thought the weather was settling but that if he were unable to land the plane in Kerikeri, he would return to the Auckland airport, and we would have to find a land-based way to get to the Bay of Islands. So, with bated breath we boarded the small plane.

It was certainly a bumpy ascent, but I have to say it was the flight attendant who reassured me that everything would be all right. Cheerful and competent, she navigated the aisles of the plane during all the bumps, handing out cups of water and snacks. I think she was part mountain goat, sure-footed and clearly blasé about the whole thing. I figured if she wasn’t worried, neither should I be, and we landed at the tiny airport in Kerikeri without incident. We were picked up by Sue, our driver to the Allegra House in Paihia. Sue has lived in the area for many years, worked with numerous tour companies, and drove us through gorgeous fields of perfect green farmland. She said they had had a very wet winter, so everything was very green this year. It is spring in NZ and was just beautiful.

Allegra House is a small B&B at the top of a hill in Paihia. We were incredibly lucky to get the top room in their 4 room B&B. And the view was simply stunning. Paihia was the first area in NZ to be settled by the Europeans and the Bay supported the whaling industry and now offers charters for deep sea fishing. The population is about 2,500 and many of the townspeople support tourism. We walked down the hill into town and saw many, many small B&B’s and hotels along the way. Many were full with posted No Vacancy signs. That said, we had what I think is one of the best houses in town. The view across the Bay was dramatic and peaceful at the same time. Beautiful houses dot the rising hills, each house perched for maximum views. There is a dock with a ferry and boat chartering and sailboats are berthed near the small villages on the perimeters. Our quarters included a small kitchenette, bathroom, a king sized bed and that spectacular view. We had a deck off the bedroom, facing north and we spent the better part of our first hour just looking at the scenery. Allegra house is run by Heinz and Brita, who have been there for over 30 years. We would recommend Allegra enthusiastically if you ever get to Paihia.

Although we were pretty wiped out at this point, we decided to take the ferry over to the town of Russell for dinner. Our travel agent recommended several restaurants there and we settled on The Gables. This proved to be a small restaurant with a limited but interesting menu of small shareable plates. We opted to share locally-caught fresh fish with a remoulade, asparagus with shaved almonds and a lemon dressing, and a wedge salad. Our waitress suggested a dessert of a stout and chocolate brownie with fresh fruit, a creamy pudding and crunchy cereal bits. Dinner was as great as the view. We made our way back to the ferry and called a local cab to get back to Allegra House. The way down to the dock from the B&B was a rail-less path straight down a steep hill, and while the steps were cut into the path, I wasn’t too confident that I could make the climb back up without breaking a leg; not a great idea on day 1. And so, fed and watered and ready for sleep, we called it a night.

Breakfast was included in our B&B, so next day we made our way to the dining area where Heinz and Brita had prepared a feast. Fresh fruits, yoghurt, salmon, made-to-order eggs, and a home made bread which was crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and thick with seeds and whole grains, were on the buffet, along with fresh brewed coffee, fresh squeezed orange juice, jams, and a honey as thick as peanut butter were all on display. They must have a little hobbit blood because it was a meal fit for Middle Earth. We met a German gentleman staying there as well, whose name I didn’t catch, who was traveling through NZ and also had a hobbit love. When Bob learned that, he went back up to the room, put on his Gollum clothes, and reappeared. I’m sure they all think we are nuts, but they wouldn’t be wrong.

The peacefulness of this place is remarkable. We live on water, but with the Navy right across the way, our view is anything but peaceful. Ships and boats come and go, planes fly overhead to the airport, and trucks and cars hurry along in the neighborhood. Although I consider the bay view side of our house calm, it cannot compare at all to this. Aside from the vast seascape, all you hear is birdsong and the whispering of the trees in the wind. The ferry comes and goes and the occasional sailboat can be seen, but it is nearly soundless up here, giving a whole new meaning to peace and quiet. The weather is mild, with temps in the 60’s and 70’s. Even with my exposure to only this small part of NZ, I can see why it has the reputation of one of the world’s most beautiful places.

We had an adventure scheduled today: a boat trip to Hole-in-the-Rock, which is a sheer cliff formation in the middle of the Bay, allowing a boat to pass under the natural rock opening. So we made our way down to the dock for our 4 hour cruise. Unfortunately, I had forgotten something about myself, and something about nature which should have clued me in. Our trip was scheduled for early afternoon, and the wind had come up, giving us a nice breeze for the trek down the hill. But that wind had also created whitecaps in the bay. Since I live on a bay, and once owned a sailboat, I know that whitecaps mean a rough sea. And my tendency toward seasickness is legend. I no sooner boarded the boat for the tour, than I developed the symptoms. Headache. Muscle aches in my neck and shoulders. Nausea. Vertigo. And just waiting for the worst: vomiting. And this was before we left the dock. I tried to push through it. I told myself it would be fine once we started to move. And then we pushed off. And it got worse. The captain noted that we would have a brief stop in Russell to add a few passengers, so I waited until we got there and asked to get off. I felt so sorry for Bob, who would have greatly enjoyed the trip, and wouldn’t go without me, but there was no hope. After I caught my breath in Russell, we boarded the ferry back and I weathered another nauseating trip.

The one good thing to come of it was that, disgusted with the treachery of my own body, I decided I would climb the hill back to the B&B. I didn’t want to further embarrass myself by throwing up in a cab, and I decided if I did get sick, it would be in the wooded pass so no one would know. And the climb wasn’t as bad as I had thought. So there’s that. Sadly, I knew I wouldn’t shake off the crappy feeling until tomorrow. And eating was out of the question. Bob made yet another trip down the hill to get some Thai takeout for himself, and that was the end of the day.

Next morning, I woke at 4 am, so I decided to watch the sunrise. And it was glorious. The night was filled with the sounds of birds and chirping insects, or maybe frogs, and I really wished my daughter Leigh was with us as she is the expert photographer.

This is probably the most earth-conscious place I have ever been. Allegra House, restaurants, tour companies, and the general man-on-the-street all seem to have integrated concepts of recycling and protection of the environment into their worldview. Air New Zealand asks you to provide dollars beyond the ticket cost to help offset the carbon footprint. Recycling containers are everywhere. And everyone seems to use them. In our hotel room, we are provided a compost container for our coffee grounds and any food we don’t eat. And the world is so clean. I haven’t seen a bit of street trash. This morning I decided to wash a load of clothes and we are asked to hang our clothes on the line rather than use the dryer, which we were happy to do. Cars are almost universally electric.

We braved the hill again and went into town for dinner. Had a pork knuckle. It was terrific.

And since I had been there for sunrise, I also caught the sunset.

After breakfast on our last day in Allegra House, we packed up and waited for our driver. The airport is in Kerikeri, which means dig-dig. The soil in the Bay of Islands area is volcanic and quite fertile, so almost anything you plant will grow and grow well. Kiwi fruit is grown here, the yellow, green and even red variety. And grapes grow well, so this is a big wine region. The airport in Kerikeri is about the size of an industrial garage. In fact, we are told the airport staff goes home between flights. And no one seems to care what is in your carryon luggage. So it’s on our way to Auckland. We begin the Hobbit tour this evening with an introductory dinner. We can’t wait!