Caves and Hobbitholes

View from camperage Wednesday night.

 

Short bloggingtons today as I am feeling very sleepsville and unfunny so mainly pictures.  Thursday was fabuloso, the morning was spent on the 'black labyrinth' tour at Waitomo Caves, jumping off waterfalls and viewing the glowworm caves. In the afternoon it was a trip to Hobbiton (and that's its real name not Adilady speak).

We arrived at the tour office at 9am, donned our cold, wet, soggy wetsuits (nice) and got the usual safety talk. Below is our group, our guides were Paddy and Steph, both unfeasibly young. It's not just policemen who are failing to hit puberty these days. They made us do some stupid animal pose, as you can see I am really into it; Kirstypops looks like an extra from 'Shaun of the Dead.'

Then we had to find a rubber ring to fit our big, round, juicy bottoms...

 

Practise 'the eel' on dry land...

 

Before having a go at sploshing backwards into water from a great height.

Another group shot...

Followed by an individual pose before we set off underground.

This is another crazy addition courtesy of Google+!!!

Group shot inside...

The waterfall we all sploshed into...

And a final group shot before we reformed the eel to float through the glowworm caves.

I have no photographs of the glowworms, we switched off our head torches and blissfully floated through the water with the pale blue flicker of a miriad tiny larvae to guide us. It was truly beautiful, a stone encased galaxy of biological stars. I downloaded this picture for you but it doesn't even come close to the real dealio. Yet another highlight of trippingtons, I really am experiencing some wonderful things:D

Pictures of us coming out of the glowworm cave...

And the rest are just cave shots. As usual I had to buy a job lot so may as well include them in the bloggage:)

Those of you who know me well will know I am a big 'Lord of the Rings' fan and read the books on average once a decade. If you don't share my passion feel free to skip...

Hobbiton is what a movie tour should be, nothing like the sham Ted put on. The business belongs to the farmer who owns the land and nothing to do with Peter Jackson. Better than winning the fooking lottery! Keching.

Commentary will be sparse as once you've seen one hobbithole the rest look pretty similar. I loved Hobbiton, it was sooo cute and the landscape as gorgeous as it looks in the movies. It's also exactly how I imagined The Shire when I first read the books 30 years ago and reminds me of The White Peak.

The building in the distance is 'The Green Dragon' pub.

The two pictures below are Bag End. I couldn't get them all in one shot and had hoped Google+ would join them up for me:(

 

I love this picture, it is 'The Green Dragon' again.

And the next 3 are also the pub, Google+ let me down again with regards gluing them all together: (

The pub was great, we got a free mug of ale which I thought was a nice touch.

OMG! Can you believe I've been travelling in warmer climes for 6 months and my legs are still a frightful, spookydooky, ghostly white:O That's SPF 50 for you, may as well be wearing a nuclear fallout suit:)

The hole at the top is Bag End from a distance,

and the hole with the yellow door is where Sam Gamgee lived with Rosie.

Friday was spent in Hamilton searching for some matching Maori bodyart. I was in two minds whether to do sharingtons or not as I know some folk will wholeheartedly disapprove. I will post some pics when I have worked out how, I have just updated the software on my tabloid and now I can't work any of it, fooking Adilady Ludditelady ha ha. Lots of love and over and out, off to see Leonard Cohen tonight: D xxx

Miracle of miracles, I have worked it out. 

This is Kirstypop's Maori fish, special to her because she is a Pisces and loves the sea.

This is my Maori turtle. Turtles have been cropping up throughout my trip ever since I bought a turtle pendant from 'The Killing Fields' way back in July (and I have been wearing it ever since). The Fijians believe the turtle brings prosperity and a long and happy life; my friends on Kuata gave me a turtle necklace to keep me safe for the remainder of trippage:)

It is in a very discrete place and will only be seen by a chosen few;) First Adilady competition ever, where the fook is that turtle????

Below KP and me with Ali (left) and Mark (right). Thanks guys, we love our tattoos xxx