Head to Hamilton, New Zealand, for an off-beat vacation experience
Stay at New Zealand's neglected city and hop over to the land of Hobbits.
Often overshadowed by its sophisticated neighbours, like buzzing-city Auckland, picturesque Hamilton frequently gets neglected. But this city - that has long been a centre of dairy farming, on the banks of the Waikato river -- has much to recommend it.
Cafes, restaurants, bars, a casino, an artsy-scene and some rather delectable bookstores like Browsers only begin the list. It's also just a 45-minute drive away from Hobbiton (the now permanently visit-friendly movie set from Lord of the Rings and the The Hobbit), all reasons which makes Hamilton a good place to base yourself, for a few days of the unusual.
MAGIC OF HAMILTON GARDENS
Even if you stop for just one experience in Hamilton, let it be the gardens. My guide loses no time in telling me that what was once a bleak city rubbish-dump, covered in blackberries and circled by seagulls, is now transformed into these remarkable gardens. On site, it's evident that different approaches to gardening and garden design have been brought together.
The gardens aren't meant to be botanical in nature. They are instead museum-like - each one tugging you through a different civilisation, detailing revelations of that culture's art, history and belief systems. For instance, the Italian Renaissance Gardens illustrate, through their geometric patterning, that period in history.
HIGH TEA AT ZEALONG TEA ESTATE
Even if you're no tea lover, a fascination for tea will likely be awakened here. The tea walk - through of the estate, punctuated with tea-themed statues - gives you the lowdown on both the history and culture of tea. It also gives you an insight into how this premium single-source tea at Zealong is innovatively grown, processed and packaged. Attention to detail goes - not just into production values ensuring taste and flavour, but also into the traditional tea ceremony that one can sign up for at an additional price at The Pavillion. Not solely a matter of consumption, but as much of artistry, one learns at this elaborate presentation, how to brew a perfect cup of tea, and how to interpret and appreciate the colour, aroma and taste of a good cuppa. Tea-infused pastries and grand plantation views are the accompaniment to all the Zealong teas sampled and deliberated over.
THE ECLECTIC CHIM CHOO REE
To get an idea of the morphing dining scene in Hamilton, pop into the Chim Choo Ree restaurant. As eclectic as its name is the art on display on the walls. The dining however gets us all serious. Wow, I say, to the snapper when it arrives, as fresh as if it has jumped from the ocean onto my plate, accompanied by gnocchi and diamondshell clams. What's on my plate is locally-sourced, and has an interesting twist. Explains why I end the meal with roasted white-chocolate and miso ice-cream. A few pixie steps away from Chim Choo Ree, beside an assortment of other bars and cafes, eclectic bookstores and art galleries, don't miss the iconic Riff-Raff statue.
BEING A HOBBIT AT HOBBITON
Forty-five minutes from Hamilton, in the lush Matamata farmland, is the original and now permanent Hobbiton movie set. If you can look past the crowds that throng the Alexander family sheep-farm on the tour of this site - used both in The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit - you'll have a very special experience. Thirty-nine hobbit holes that pepper the rolling hillsides around, vie for one's attention. The tour ends at the Green Room-which is fitting, for here's where the residents of Hobbiton would gather - to exchange thoughts about the events that unfolded through the day. Sipping on the complimentary Hobbit Southfarthing beverage - be it a traditional ale, apple cider or non-alcoholic ginger beer - the chatter revolves around anecdotes shared on the tour. The attentionto-detail in the set and the ingenuity of what man is capable of when the situation demands - being the general drift.