Trip Report - New Zealand ABD March 13 - 24, 2023 Updated 1/17/24!

[sayhello]

ABD New Zealand Trip 3/13/2023 - 3/24/2023

Day 0 - travel to New Zealand and pre-days in Auckland and Hobbiton

So here I go! Starting my Trip Report for my amazing New Zealand ABD. This was supposed to be a trip to Portugal, but that got cancelled, so, with encouragement from @WeLoveABD, I ended up going to New Zealand instead, with only 3 months' planning instead of the normal year and a half I'm used to! It's quite a full trip, so not a lot of extra planning was required, except for a couple of dinner reservations in busy cities, and the fact that I *KNEW* I had to visit the Hobbiton movie set in Matamata while I was in New Zealand. I was able to book the same Hobbiton tour that @Mathmagicland and @Grifdog22 did, and it was the first thing I booked after the trip itself!

When I was initially considering going to New Zealand, one of the negatives of going was the airfare from Columbus to Auckland. No matter what I did, I couldn't find a route that had less than 5 legs each direction and cost less than $7000!! That was a definite downer. But I finally decided there *had* to be a solution to that, and went ahead and booked the trip. I kept playing with tickets, and finally noticed that virtually all of them ultimately flew from San Francisco's SFO to Auckland. So I priced just those legs, round trip (including Queenstown to Auckland) and it came up INFINITELY cheaper (like 1/3 of the price)!! So I decided to book that ticket, and then get myself to SFO and back separately. It turns out United has *one* non-stop flight per day to/from Columbus/SFO, and even buying that ticket and booking a hotel room for the night near SFO both directions was WAY, WAY cheaper than from Columbus to New Zealand. So that's what I did. It added a day both directions to my travel time, but a) since I'm retired now, not a big issue and b) it was actually nice to break up the long trip and get a good night's sleep and a shower before continuing on. On the way there, the flight from Columbus to SFO was AWFUL, as the air pressure on the plane was really off and I ended up with a horrific headache. I was REALLY glad I had the time to recover from this and start the 13+ hours to Auckland fresh! And coming home, I had time to meet up with a friend in San Francisco who I hadn't seen in EONS! So, altogether, it worked out!

The weather in San Francisco was pretty iffy. There was a lot of turbulence landing, and the next day was rainy and windy all day, and from what I understand, I was really lucky that my Air New Zealand flight took off when it did, because later flights did not or got delayed (and some inbound flights got delayed), and some folks got re-routed through Los Angeles and all sorts of messy stuff. So at least that part was fortunate!! The ANZ plane was really nice (Boeing 777-300ER), and the food was excellent for plane food, and they even had a cool bathroom!









I never sleep on planes, but did manage to doze for a bit on the way there. When I arrived at the Park Hyatt in Auckland at around 7/8am-ish, I was told my room was still occupied, so they'd let me know when it was ready for me, but wouldn't guarantee anything before the 3pm check-in time. However, they DID offer to let me and the couple that arrived with me use the showers, etc. in the Spa! I and the other woman jumped at this opportunity! The facilities were *really* nice, and showering and changing clothes really helped dispel any lingering jetlag. Unfortunately, somehow the retractable handle of my carry-on got bent during all of the ins and outs of them holding my stuff and me getting the stuff I needed to clean up, but one of the hotel engineers managed to get it straightened out enough that I was able to use it for the rest of the trip. I'll send it off to Briggs and Riley for repair once I get back from the wedding I'm heading to this month (lifetime warranty). Crisis averted!

I decided to head outside and check out the area around the Park Hyatt, as it looked like a gorgeous day (it was, although rather windy!) and I really didn't want to go *too* far in case my room was actually ready early. The hotel is amazingly well located in the Viaduct Marina area of the Harbor. Easy walking distance to the waterfront and to tons of shops and restaurants!

This was my first real sight of Auckland, just sitting on a bench right outside of the Park Hyatt.



The exterior of the Park Hyatt was kind of odd-looking and really hid what an amazing hotel it was!



As I was walking, this pedestrian draw-bridge opened up to let a boat go by, and then re-closed (but not flat!) This bridge (Wynyard Crossing) is a real landmark in the area, and I ended up crossing it many times during our time in Auckland!



The Auckland Sky Tower that seriously dominates the skyline of Auckland.



The entrance to the Park Hyatt, which I didn't really notice the first time through at 7:30am.





Continued in next post.

 

[sayhello]

I kept checking, and finally was told a little after 11am that the room was available, but hadn't been cleaned yet. Reception said they'd call me when it was, so I decided to get a quick lunch at the coffee shop at the hotel and then head out a bit further, and check out the Sky Tower, which *looked* like it was much closer to the hotel than it really was. (But it was still only like 20 minutes away. But it was a VERY STEEP 20 minute walk!)

It looked like the Tower was built on top of the green & grey building (that was an optical illusion).





I love reflection photos.



Meanwhile, both the couple I'd arrived with, and another solo traveler had both gotten into their rooms around 2pm. No such luck for me.

Finally, around 3pm, I checked again, and Yes! My room was ready! So much for them calling me. I checked in, and headed up to my room.

Oh. My. Gosh. What an AMAZING room!! Spacious, beautiful, luxurious and with a real killer view of the Marina with the Auckland cityscape and the Sky Tower behind it. I spent a lot of time settling in and enjoying the view!! I was going to be in this room for 5 nights, so I really unpacked and settled in. I so much prefer this to living out of a suitcase when feasible.









Eventually, I headed out for the dinner reservation I'd made at Auckland's White & Wong's Asian restaurant on the waterfront. @Grifdog22 had recommended the one in Queenstown, which I couldn't get a reservation for, so I thought I'd try the one in Auckland. I had a light dinner of chicken & corn soup and a pork roti, both of which were quite tasty!



The Sky Tower lit up at night.



When I'd checked in, I'd asked about breakfast for the next morning, since my pickup time for Hobbiton was 6:45am, 15 minutes before breakfast opened. They allowed me to order a boxed breakfast from a very limited selection from the room service menu as my included breakfast. When I called to place the order for the next morning, room service asked me if I wanted a box or just to have it delivered to my room. So I had it delivered, and ate a very early breakfast while getting ready. I had a really delicious yogurt bowl, with homemade granola, fruit and a luscious hunk of honeycomb along with coffee and a small croissant. (I ordered this same breakfast 2 more times over the course of our time there). It was nice to not have to worry about having to go out and get something for breakfast! I'm glad I didn't rely on the "2nd Breakfast" stop on the way to Hobbiton, either, as there were 2 other groups at that stop at the same time, and I ended up having to choose between 2nd breakfast and a much needed bathroom break. I'm sure you know which one I chose!



Continued in next post.

 

[sayhello]

After I was picked up by the van driver, we stopped at a little boutique hotel just around the corner and picked up a couple who were also going to Hobbiton. I commented to them that their hotel was really cute, and during the discussion mentioned that I was going on a tour, so was staying at the Park Hyatt. They said they were moving there on Monday to start a tour of their own. It turns out they were going on the ABD also!! So I spent the day getting to know a couple who were going to be on my trip!

Our van driver, Damian, was a Kiwi from Auckland, and spent the entire drive to Matamata giving us an in-depth history of Auckland and New Zealand and the Māori/European dynamics. It was an amazing introduction to Aotearoa (New Zealand) and almost worth the price of admission even without Hobbiton!





Once we got to Hobbiton, we were turned over to the folks who work for the Alexander family farm, where the movie site is, and who run the tours of Hobbiton on their land. They drove us out to the movie site in a group of 40 (I think there were around a dozen of us on our particular tour group) and as we were driven out there, they had a little video presentation. We got glimpses as we drove out.



Once we finally arrived, they really had it set up so that you arrived at the road above Hobbiton, looking out over the sprawling, idyllic rolling hills of the village. Its adorable, amazingly detailed Hobbit holes were nestled into the rolling hills before us, with the iconic hill holding Bilbo & Frodo's Bag End at the far end. Most of us were quite giddy, and wandered around, peering into windows and snapping a kazillion photos as our tour guide regaled us with stories about the making of the movies there, and the history of the area (some of which we'd already heard from our van driver!)





It was honestly just magical. We had a SPECTACULAR day weather-wise. It was sunny, with blue skies and white wispy clouds. Many of the Hobbit holes are facades only, some had fun interior bits you could see through the windows. All had amazingly detailed exterior landscaping and bits and pieces of home life (laundry, some wares for sale, things like that). Some even had smoke coming out of the chimneys, which smelled wonderfully of hearth fires. When Peter Jackson rebuilt Hobbiton for the Hobbit trilogy, he built it with the intention of it remaining as a tourist spot for the family that owned the farm to run. He'd dismantled a lot of the sets after the original trilogy was done, and people still flocked to the area to pay to see what little had been left at that point. This version was infinitely better!











Continued in next post.

 

[sayhello]

This tree above Bag End is actually artificial. It was metal and made with individually hand-tied and painted cloth leaves because the original tree from the LOTR trilogy had died by the time they filmed the Hobbit. Peter Jackson was a real perfectionist!



Bag End.



Sam's Hobbit Hole on Bagshot Row.





This mill building was actually used for 6 nights as an Air BnB for the 10th Anniversary of the movie site. I tried to book it (2 nights were just before the ABD started) but it was booked within seconds of being offered. They haven't decided what the future use of the building will be.



Eventually, we made it to the buildings of the Green Dragon, where they served everyone a cider or a beer, and those of us who had paid for lunch were herded into a big tented area for our very yummy buffet lunch.











Continued in next post.

 

[sayhello]

Our time in Hobbiton was over, and we were picked up by our van driver, and had one last pass at the Gift Shop in the "Shire's Rest" area (it was mostly movie stuff, and not much that actually said "Hobbiton Movie Set", which was kind of disappointing).



We then headed back via a different route through the town of Matamata, which was a teeny town before Peter Jackson filmed at the nearby farm. It's apparently much larger now.





We then continued back to Auckland, hearing more history and stopping on the way for a cone of New Zealand's iconic (and delicious) Hokey Pokey ice cream! It's vanilla ice cream with bits of honeycomb in it, and quite delicious!





Once back in Auckland, I wandered around the Marina area for a bit, as the weather was still fabulous, and eventually hit the "Living Room" casual dining area at the hotel for a light dinner of soup and salad, sitting out on the patio area on the marina, watching the sun set over the Auckland skyline.









Up next: Day 1 of the ABD - Kia Ora! - more time around Auckland, meeting our Adventure Guides and the Welcome Dinner.

 

[AussieDisneyfans]

@sayhello I really enjoy reading about your ABD trips, you include such detail and great photos. Would love to visit Hobbiton. In fact I did investigate staying in Auckland prior to doing the Disney Wonder from Auckland to Brisbane, Australia this year and doing the exact tour you did to Hobbiton, but decided on doing a B2B on the Wonder instead from my home town of Brisbane. Looking forward to reading more about your trip.

 

[sayhello]

@sayhello I really enjoy reading about your ABD trips, you include such detail and great photos. Would love to visit Hobbiton. In fact I did investigate staying in Auckland prior to doing the Disney Wonder from Auckland to Brisbane, Australia this year and doing the exact tour you did to Hobbiton, but decided on doing a B2B on the Wonder instead from my home town of Brisbane. Looking forward to reading more about your trip.

I really, really enjoyed Hobbiton, in case you couldn't tell! But you're probably more likely to get back to Auckland sooner than I ever will!

Sayhello

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

So wonderful to read the report! It sounds like a great start to the trip. Hobbiton would be #1 on my list, too. So fun that some fellow ABDers were on the tour as well.

 

[sayhello]

So wonderful to read the report! It sounds like a great start to the trip. Hobbiton would be #1 on my list, too. So fun that some fellow ABDers were on the tour as well.

It turns out some other ABDers did Hobbiton that day, also, just on another tour!

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[aggiedog]

I'm looking forward to reading this. We're actively planning a trip, probably with Tauck, to Australia and NZ with another couple. I told them that I will have to add a day for Hobbiton, non-negotiable. LOL.

 

[sayhello]

I'm looking forward to reading this. We're actively planning a trip, probably with Tauck, to Australia and NZ with another couple. I told them that I will have to add a day for Hobbiton, non-negotiable. LOL.

Good choice!

Sayhello

 

[sayhello]

Day 1 of the ABD - Kia Ora! - more time around Auckland, meeting our Adventure Guides and the Welcome Dinner.

After a late breakfast, I met up with our Adventure Guides - Kira and Nettie - to discuss my dietary restrictions and just in general get to know them. (Although I've been following Kira on facebook for a while, and she says we met years ago when she did an ABD presentation on the DIS Podcast Cruise 4.0. I definitely remember the presentation, but unfortunately don't remember who gave it, nor do I have any photos. But it's fun that she remembers that!) And it was so nice getting to know Nettie, the local Adventure Guide, who is Māori. Having her as one of our Guides definitely added a wonderful extra dimension to the trip!!

Photos were taken, and instructions for when and where to meet for the Welcome Reception and Dinner were given. I also got to meet a few other ABDers who showed up at that time.

Me and Nettie!



After that, I decided to walk over to the Sky Tower again.



I'd read and been told that you can go up to the restaurant or the cafe on top and see the views of the city from there without paying the extra fee to go to the Observation Deck. As the Observation Deck has a clear floor, which tends to freak me out, I figured the restaurant for lunch was a much better option. Unfortunately, when I got there, it turned out the restaurant and the cafe were both closed indefinitely (which none of the websites said), so the only way to see the view was to go to the Observation Deck, which I really just didn't particularly want to do at that point. So the ticket folks recommended a cafe just across from the tower for lunch, and I had a very pleasant pseudo Jewish Deli lunch there (Chicken soup with matzah balls and latkes with lox). They were actually quite tasty!





I checked out the WETA Experience in the Sky Tower building, and decided that the tour they had going at that time wasn't something I wanted to do right then, but I thoroughly enjoyed the Gift Shop!

I decided at that point that I really didn't want to walk the seriously hilly walk back to the hotel, so I took a cab that was sitting right there back to the Park Hyatt. It was not that expensive, and worth it!

It was then time to get cleaned up and ready for the Welcome Dinner. We met up in the Lobby, and then headed to a private dining area where they had wine (and beer I believe) set up, along with folks serving hors d'oeuvres. I met the group that the couple I'd met on the Hobbiton tour were traveling with. The couple had mentioned that a friend of the wife's was a Travel Agent, and she'd set up this trip (they weren't familiar with ABD). There were 8 of them, some of whom the couple did not know (they were clients of the TA friend). Unfortunately, once the group met up, they became a very insular group, only eating with their group, and mostly socializing only with their group (a lot of this appeared to be fostered by the TA) so any "bonding" I'd done with the couple that first day pretty much went out the window.

I found out there were two Gails and two Waynes and at least 3 Marys and Kathys and 2 Johns on this trip. It made it a little tricky, but I got to know *most* of the names (although I find I've already forgotten some of them. It's hard with 40 people. I really wish they still provided us with a list of names - even if it was only first names!) There were 2 couples with their adult daughters, one mother and adult daughter, one other solo traveler, and the rest were couples.

I also met @distravel and her hubby, who I knew were going to be on this trip, and who I really enjoyed spending time with and getting to know!

It was a very nice dinner in a private dining room looking out over the Marina (although, actually, it was a bit of a problem when the sun shone directly in the windows, but it was still nice.)



After Kira and Nettie informed us of some of the logistics for the trip, and what to expect for the next day, it was off to bed, getting ready for our very full and fun-filled first full day of the ABD!





Up next: Day 2 - Aucklandish

 

[sayhello]

ETA: I just needed to update the Day 1 Trip Report when I realized that something that hadn't seemed right with my post was definitely wrong. I was trying to remember where/when I'd met up with @WeLoveABD and his lovely wife and his group of friends, and then it came back to me that they found me at breakfast!! I'd been in the middle of posting to facebook when @WeLoveABD ran up to me, introduced himself (as if I really needed that!) and brought me over to the table where they were all dining, and I got to meet everyone and get to know them a bit. I don't know *how* I forgot that! Covid brain?? Anyways, that's the correct story, I didn't meet them when I met Kira and Nettie or at the Welcome Reception. Jeez that was bugging me!

Sayhello

 

[distravel]

We also enjoyed spending time with you on this trip! It was great to finally meet the person behind those many wonderful trip reports and who is also so quick to answer other Disboard users questions. Love your photos.

 

[sayhello]

We also enjoyed spending time with you on this trip! It was great to finally meet the person behind those many wonderful trip reports and who is also so quick to answer other Disboard users questions. Love your photos.

Aw, thank you!

Sayhello

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Sounds like a nice day 1 but bummer about the TA group dynamics. Sounds like they didn't all know each other from before?

 

[sayhello]

Sounds like a nice day 1 but bummer about the TA group dynamics. Sounds like they didn't all know each other from before?

Some of them knew each other but not all 8. It was a bummer. But I guess stuff like that can happen. I guess I can sort of understand that the TA felt responsible for the group since she'd put it together, but she was rather aggressive about making sure that her people had enough seats to sit altogether, and her people got served and her people were taken care of and kind of isolated them from the rest of us especially during mealtimes. I think she kind of put an extra burden on the Adventure Guides, but they, of course, handled it all with aplomb, and they did their best to try and break up their group and all of us for the activities so that the same people weren't doing the activities with the same people and the same Guide all the time.

Sayhello

 

[aggiedog]

It's a little weird that the TA went as well, but maybe not? ABD is known for their guides. Maybe she got a good discount for getting the other 8.

I'd be lost without a name list or name tags. I'm the worst.

 

[sayhello]

It's a little weird that the TA went as well, but maybe not? ABD is known for their guides. Maybe she got a good discount for getting the other 8.

I'd be lost without a name list or name tags. I'm the worst.

Her husband was with her as a part of the group, so I do suspect she put it together as a way to go on the trip with a discount, but that's totally a guess.

The names thing was REALLY hard, especially with so many people with more "common" names like Mary and Kathy and John and Tom! Names like Wanda and Kelsey were much easier to keep separate and remember!

Sayhello

 

[WeLoveABD]

Her husband was with her as a part of the group, so I do suspect she put it together as a way to go on the trip with a discount, but that's totally a guess.

The names thing was REALLY hard, especially with so many people with more "common" names like Mary and Kathy and John and Tom! Names like Wanda and Kelsey were much easier to keep separate and remember!

Sayhello

I agree, a list of first names would have been helpful!