TripHip - Travel Tips and Advice for Traveling on a Budget

If you are driving around New Zealand, maybe on the way to Rotorua to see the geysers, plan to make a stop in nearby Matamata.

I admit there isn't all that much to see in Matamata, but if you enjoy movies, you'll have fun visiting the outdoor set used in the Lord of the Rings movies for the Hobbit homes of the Shire. The little underground homes are no longer furnished and don't have their outside decor either. Even so, the rounded little burrow-houses are fun to see and explore.