Heading down New Zealand's North Island while looking out for Hobbits

Its been quite a few years since I've been back home to New Zealand.  In those years, the famous trilogy Lord of the Rings made its mark on the world stage, at the same time grabbing a fistful of Oscars  and helping to put New Zealand's scenic wonders on the map.

Ttraveling down from Auckland  through the luscious Waikato countryside, my outlook was completely different and I found myself constantly looking out for Hobbit homes nestled in the soft rolling hills or for Hobbits lumbering along the grassy farmland tracks.  This Wiakato region served as the set for Hobbiton, the famous Hobbit Village depicted in the movie. Talk about green!  That grass looked good enough to eat... and certainly some of the 60 million grass-chomping sheep I passed along with the way agreed with me.