Training Log Archive: jennycas

Just ran the same farm-roads cow-grazing loop as Saturday evening, because I knew it was nice, and because I didn't have the energy for much more - or the time, because we had a midday tour of the Hobbiton movie set booked. This was definitely a worthwhile activity, as I have always felt that the Shire must exist somewhere and not just be a figment of Tolkien's imagination. Now, thanks to Peter Jackson's imagination, it's a faithful representation of this alternate reality (also a huge money-spinner), and utterly enchanting in its attention to detail, even with the dozens of tourists being shepherded through the site with cameras at the ready and drinking the 'complimentary' ale at the Green Dragon Inn.

The evening's activity, once we got to Tauranga on the east coast (strange to think that we were on the west coast only yesterday) was to do a glowworm kayaking tour, which turned out to be on the man-made Lake McLaren about half an hour's minibus-and-kayak-trailer drive from our assembly point at the Waimarino water park, and only involved a very small stretch of glowworm gorge, but I was grateful for the uncomplicated nature of the kayaking on the open linear lake because I am fairly woeful both at paddling and at steering with the rudder, so it was a good thing we were in a double kayak with G doing most of the work. Nice evening for it - we have been getting all the serious touristing done before the weather craps out again later in the week!

On the way back to our Mt Maunganui accommodation we found The Pizza Library https://www.thepizzalibrary.co.nz/ where all the pizzas on the menu are named after different novels, and of course I ordered The Hobbit :)