Espresso Boarding: Waikato, New Zealand

Espresso Boarding sends a weekly burst of inspiration for your travel plans.

Waikato, New Zealand: Hobbits, Mud Baths & Surfing

This beautiful land is home to ‘the Shire’ in Lord of the Rings, where you can tour the living movie set and have your photo taken outside of Bilbao Baggins home. Become one with the land by bathing in mineral mud, walking through steam vents, and kayaking into caves where worms glow with a blue light. Wrap up your trip by watching or joining the surfers in Manu Bay. Enjoy a stunning sunset while bonfires and guitars bring friendship around you.

Jump to what to eat or where to sleep

Hobbiton

The film location for Lord of the Rings

Unlike some film sets that feel artificial up close, Hobbiton is different—it’s alive. The thatched-roof hobbit holes are nestled among real gardens, with clotheslines swaying in the breeze and tiny wooden mailboxes at each doorstep. You can almost believe Bilbo will step out at any moment.

The attention to detail is astounding. The ale at the Green Dragon Inn is brewed exclusively for the site, and the paths are deliberately worn to look like hobbits have been wandering them for years. Whether you're a Tolkien enthusiast or just someone who appreciates magic in the real world, Hobbiton offers a kind of immersive escapism that’s hard to find anywhere else.

If you visit, do it properly—take the evening banquet tour, watch the lanterns glow over the lake, and raise a mug to Middle-earth. Trust me, standing beneath the Party Tree as the sun sets, you’ll contemplate the rise of Mordor and feel at peace knowing that Sauron will be defeated.

Hell’s Gate Mud Spa & Thermal Park

The next time that someone tells me to go to hell, I will happily oblige. If you’ve ever dreamed of bathing in a bubbling mud pool like some kind of ancient warrior—or maybe just a spa lover who enjoys a good soak—Hell’s Gate in Rotorua is your kind of place. This geothermal experience isn’t just a spa; it’s a full sensory experience where the Earth literally steams beneath your feet.

Why visit?

First, Hell’s Gate isn’t just any hot spring—it’s the most active geothermal park in New Zealand. You’ll walk through a prehistoric landscape of erupting mud pools, steaming fumaroles (vents in the Earth’s surface from which volcanic gases and steam escape), and a hot waterfall once used by Māori warriors to heal their battle wounds. The sulfur-rich air gives the place an otherworldly atmosphere, and while it might not smell like a rose garden, that’s just the price of soaking in nature’s most powerful mineral therapy. It’s stinks but you’ll love it.

What to do?

Slather yourself in mud: The star attraction is the mud spa, where you can coat yourself in warm, mineral-rich mud that detoxifies your skin and leaves you feeling silky smooth.
Soak in the sulfur pools: After the mud, rinse off and ease into the sulfur spa pools, naturally heated to the perfect relaxation temperature.
Explore the thermal walks: If you want to feel like you’ve stepped onto another planet, take the walking trails through steaming landscapes and boiling lakes.

Hell’s Gate is pure New Zealand—wild, untamed, and ridiculously relaxing. Whether you’re in it for the skin benefits, the thrill of soaking in a steaming mud pool, or just to say you bathed in an active geothermal park, this is one stop you don’t want to miss. After all, how often do you get to take a spa day inside a volcano?

Magical Glow Worms at Lake Karapiro

The evening glowworm tour

As dusk settles, you’ll paddle gently into the narrow, hidden waterways of the Pokaiwhenua Stream. Steep, overgrown canyon walls rise on either side, creating a silent, mystical tunnel. And then it happens—the darkness reveals thousands of tiny blue-green lights clinging to the rock face. It’s like drifting through a natural planetarium, except instead of stars, these are living creatures creating an eerie, beautiful spectacle.

Your guide will keep the chatter minimal, letting the sounds of the water and the soft flicker of light work their magic. There’s something humbling about floating silently in this glowing world—it’s peaceful, surreal, and unforgettable. Kayaking at Lake Karapiro offers the best of both worlds: a chance to explore New Zealand’s stunning landscapes by day and experience one of nature’s most unique light shows by night. If you want adventure with a touch of magic, this is a must-do.

There’s something about being on the water at Lake Karapiro that makes you feel connected to nature in a way few places can. Maybe it’s the mirror-like surface reflecting the rolling green hills or the fact that you’re paddling in a place where Olympic rowers train. But the real magic happens after sunset—when the stars above are outshone by the thousands of glowworms lighting up the cliffs along the Pokaiwhenua Stream.

Lake Karapiro is one of New Zealand’s most stunning freshwater lakes, and kayaking here is the perfect blend of adventure and serenity. Whether you’re gliding over the water in the late afternoon or floating beneath a glowworm-studded canyon at night, the experience is nothing short of breathtaking.

Surfing at Manu Bay

There are sunsets, and then there’s a Manu Bay sunset—where the sky erupts in color over rolling waves, surfers carve their final lines of the day, and time seems to slow down just enough for you to soak it all in. If you’re visiting Raglan, this is the one moment you absolutely don’t want to miss.

Manu Bay isn’t just another beach—it’s home to one of the world’s longest left-hand surf breaks, drawing surfers from across the globe. While most people would name Australia as the surfer’s paradise, those in the know gravitate to New Zealand. But you don’t have to be a surfer to appreciate the magic here. As the sun dips lower, the ocean catches fire with golden hues, and the silhouetted figures of surfers become part of a living postcard. Add in the rugged cliffs and the rhythmic sound of waves rolling over the rocky shore, and you’ve got an atmosphere that’s equal parts adventure and tranquility. The surfers represent the paradox of happiness: equal parts muscle and zen. You will feel yourself relaxing as you watch them ride the waves in harmony with life.

🐟 What should we eat? 🐟

3-Hour Food Tasting Walking Tour

I dislike being forced to sit still for hours while course after course of food is placed on the table in front of me. I’m a grazer, happy to munch on small nibbles while washing dishes or going for a walk. That’s true on vacation as well.

The Auckland 3-Hour Food Tasting Walking Tour is ideal for anyone who wants to sample lots of different food, doesn’t want to have to choose from a menu, or prefers to get up and move around between bites. Savour the likes of cumin-rubbed roast lamb or seafood bites with aioli dipping sauce before venturing to your next venue. This tour is not recommended for vegetarians. It is recommended for anyone who likes chocolate!

💤 Where should we sleep? 💤

Treat yourself well

After a day of playing in the mud, the last thing I want to do is enter a cramped hotel room and contemplate how to get dinner. I want a refrigerator (even if it only holds milk), a few dry foods (cereal?), a microwave and even an oven if I thought ahead for hot food.

The Parc Apartments by Urban Rest

This private, non-smoking apartment in Auckland has a 4.5 star rating out of 5 stars. Self parking is free.