Yes, it is true. I have been to The Shire. They were filming the movie The Hobbit and the prequel to it up until two weeks ago. Peter Jackson and company are now down in Queenstown filming the rest. I was just thrilled to see it. The gardens and some of the props to the set were still there, including a vegetable garden. It was all created so charmingly and lovingly. It was quite an enormous area where The Shire was recreated and the hobbit houses are extensive. I wasn’t sure what was more amazing. The set and the fact I was seeing it so soon after the filming or the amazing company I was keeping. The bus driver had me laughing so hard I thought my sides would explode. I also met a great guy who proved to be wonderful company. People are travelling from Europe, mostly Britain, in droves. While others were jumping out of planes I went sailing on pretty Lake Taupo to see rock carvings. We also had further exposure to the Maori culture in Rotarua with a wonderful feast they cooked for us. Here were amazing geothermal pools that gave off steam, much like Yellowstone, and the town reeked of sulphur. Driving south we passed active volcanoes and plains of what looked to be lava fields. It is all about adrenalin with this group, whether it be jumping out of planes, bungying off of cliffs, white water rafting, or underwater caving. While all this has been going on we make our way to interesting places and I realized that if I wanted to eat I was going to have to carry it with me, food not being a priority. I now carry an assortment of plastic spoons, crackers, tangerines and what not. We are just getting ready to leave Wellington, which experiences frequent earth quakes and now we head south.