Today we set out for one last fling in New Zealand! But first, some housekeeping stuff. Our families back home want to know how we are faring, and in what are we doing such. So, here are the pictures of the great beast and the intrepid venturers!

These were taken just tonight, after we had finally figured out how to make the best use of this limited space. We are surviving quite well, except for a less-than-satisfactory mattress for our fold-down bed!

But, back to today’s adventures! We had some troubles (read disagreements) between the GPS and the Navigator! The navigator won, of course, since the GPS is a TomTom! (The boys in the band will understand that reference!) and so, following Sarah and her intrepid map, asking directions only once, we arrived here:

And what a day we had “in the Shire!” Hobbiton is the site of the filming of epic 🎥 The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings trilogy! We walk in the footsteps of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, and all the Hobbits. We drank in the Green Dragon, and had a wonderful, sunny day. Here’s a few pictures from our journey.

So, filled with delight, we let TomTom lead us back to our campground in Rotorua for our last night. Tomorrow we return the “beast” and prepare for the flight home. [Does anyone know how to stuff memories and memorabilia into suitcases so as to conform to airline requirements?]

Good night to all!