(Now, technically we did not go to Isengard, because that was filmed on the South Island- Paradise Valley, Glenorchy- and we were on the North Island, but it’s funny so I’m keeping it)

I absolutely adored New Zealand. We road tripped along the North Island for a week(?) and then went and house sat for about two(?). Our house sit had a dog, a cat, two goats, and six cows. The cat was naturally my best friend. His name was Levi and he was very cuddly.

The food was shockingly good there as well. The quality of it amazed us. Their McDonald’s even tasted good! It was so fresh and lacked all the gross hormones that the food in the United States is pumped so full of. It was also quite cheap. The prices were about the same, except that their money value is almost cut in half to ours- and the eggs weren’t twelve dollars, they were two.

We did a lot, but I’m only going to be talking about my three favorites. My third favorite activity was when we visited the hot springs/mud baths. We walked around the little hike first, looking at all the sulfur pools and hot springs that would most definitely melt our faces off. After the hike, we made our way to the parts that we could get in. Let me just tell you, our faces were baby soft the next day.

My second favorite activity is almost tied with my first. We went on a speed boat, and it was, in fact, quite speedy. Sometimes we’d hit a wave just right and our butts would be out of our seats, especially if you were in the front. The boat was small enough that we got to drive through some of the sea arches and into the sea caves. We drove to the little cove where the beach from the beginning of the second Narnia movie, Prince Caspian, was filmed. On our way back from the expedition, the captain blasted Lady Gaga (among other things) and we went real fast.

My ultimate, very favorite thing was, of course, Hobbiton. It was like walking through a dream, a dream full of tiny round doors and tourists, but still, a dream. I really really liked it. We got to go into one of the houses, walk up to Bag End, see the clearing where Bilbo’s Birthday was held, and we even got to have a drink at the Green Dragon Inn. I got a really cool hat from the gift shop- because there were no Kili posters. My only beef with the tour was that we were the only family that had read/listened to The Hobbit. Only one other group had watched the movies. Nobody else had read nor seen any of the series. I thought it was a kind of silly place for them to visit.

Sheep, ocean, Kiwi (people and the bird), Hobbits, and fish…New Zealand is very very high on my “would return” list. It was a truly wonderful place. Maybe next time we go, we can actually visit Isengard.