Central North Island
Welcome to Central North Island, home of Matamata - home of Hobbiton.
If you've ever wondered what a hobbit-hole looks like up close...
...or from afar...
...wonder no longer.
Just don't bother any of them when they're super busy. Unless you like to party.
If it weren't for their red beaks, these swans would be New Zealand All-Blacks, eh?
The Indian Char Bagh Garden at the Hamilton Gardens is, in the words of DJ Trump, "amazing."
#nuffsaid
With anxious tourists on both sides, Pohutu Geyser (aka "Big Splash") in Rotorua primes itself for eruption. It is the largest geyser in NZ, erupting up to 40 meters (131 feet).
Some native and not-so-native flora in the Whakarewarewa Forest of Rotorua.
The earth, water, and potential fire of the Taupo area from the head of the Mount Tauhara trail.
A great many hobbits have been faced with this decision.
From Tauhara to Ruapehu - over 100kms of visibility.
The perpetually steaming vents of Craters of the Moon geothermal area
New Zealand has proven to be a land of many things. One of those things is stock.
Just to the south of Lake Taupo, Mt. Ruapehu stakes its claim as New Zealand's largest active volcano.