New Zealand, the land of sheep and Lord of the Rings

Text and photos by Zsarlene B. Chua

AFTER A HALF DAY-LONG plane ride I found myself in the southern hemisphere, battling the chilly winds that somehow signal the end of winter and the entrance of spring.

We — a media group brought by Philippine Airlines — landed in Auckland, New Zealand’s most populous city, in the afternoon of Sept. 22. Our guide told us it was the first day of spring and it certainly felt like it, while many trees are still bare after shedding their leaves in winter, some were showing buds on branches with some cherry trees in various stages of bloom.

That afternoon was cloudy and gray, made colder by a drizzle, but nothing could dampen the group’s enthusiasm, especially when the Sky Tower came into view after the half hour trip from the airport to the city.

The Sky Tower is a 328-meter observation and telecommunications tower touted as the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere. It houses dining establishments and a casino and while it might look imposing at daytime, it is certainly magical at night as it lights up in different colors — it is one of the few structures in the city that keep their lights on at night as New Zealand apparently likes to keep early hours, with most of Auckland’s establishments (barring a few retailers and supermarkets) closing at around 6 p.m.

The streets of Auckland were empty at 8 p.m., very different than in Metro Manila where people seem to emerge from the woodwork with all their bustling energy crowding the streets after six. Eight o’clock in the evening in Auckland felt like two o’clock in the morning in Manila. It was a bit jarring that the city, home to almost 1.5 million people — the entire country’s population was 4.6 million in 2015 according Statistics New Zealand — could feel like a ghost town after dinner.

In fact, the only place that would probably be lively after dark is Auckland’s Karangahape Road (also called K-Road), which is perpendicular to Queen Street, the city’s main road. The area is known for being the city’s red light district, with unapologetic and certainly not discreet adult stores and bars lining the road.

Now, as a person who has not traveled out of the country very much, one of this writer’s habits is to find similarities between my home country and the country I’m visiting to keep me grounded. But that habit does not seem to work with the country the Maoris call Aotearoa. Unlike Bangkok or Singapore which I likened to Pasay and Bonifacio Global City respectively, I found myself hard-pressed to find similarities between Auckland and Manila. It was a novel experience for a person who’s only ever been overseas twice in her life (both times visiting neighboring countries) to suddenly find herself atop a mountain overlooking a city in another hemisphere.

The second day in New Zealand found the group climbing Mt. Eden, a volcano located four kilometers from Auckland’s Central Business District. The top of the volcano provided an unimpeded view of the area — which the city, including some of the more than 50 volcanoes littering Auckland.

It was overwhelming and exhilarating and a little bit scary.

After Mt. Eden, we took a 40-minute ferry ride to Waiheke island, a former hippie commune which has been turned into a weekend destination and high-end residential island.

The island is a marvel to behold, with sprawling vineyards (bare of leaves though some vines were showing buds here and there) on otherwise green rolling hills.

A half-day island tour took us to several vineyards: Stonyridge Vineyard, Wild on Waiheke, and Mudbrick Vineyard (which has an amazing view of the Hauraki Gulf and is a popular wedding location), and Rangihoua Estate which specializes in olives not grapes.

Though not a wine drinker, I found pleasure in simply holding a wine glass filled with rosé while walking up the hill at Mudbrick Vineyard. There was a certain calmness to the activity, and while we were being rushed to keep to the schedule as one wouldn’t want to be left behind by the ferry, just staring at the vista — even as the tour guide was hustling everyone back to the bus — was worth it.

The island felt still and unmoving and almost unchanging. I reckoned that even if I come back decades from now it would be the same.

PINOYS IN NZ
I realized that despite my fear of the unfamiliar, it was quite easy to fall in love with New Zealand, something many Filipinos have discovered — during the tour we met a Filipino exchange student who has been studying in Auckland over the past year, and is mulling over whether to stay permanently in the country or return to the Philippines.

New Zealand is home to 40,347 Filipinos (in 2013) according to the country’s statistics agency. The number comprises one percent of the country’s total population.

Filipino tourists are also not in short supply as Tourism New Zealand reported that 18,208 Filipinos had visited the country this year as of end September, a 37.8% increase compared to the same period last year. In total, New Zealand welcomed 3.3 million visitors for the year ending in September, clocking an 11.5% increase from last year.

“I think we’re going to continue seeing a double-digit growth from this market [because of the] great connectivity with Philippine Airlines coming on board… but more than anything, there’s this growing middle-class of Filipinos [with] an appetite for travel and appetite for new experiences,” Steven Dixon, Tourism New Zealand’s regional manager for South and Southeast Asia, told BusinessWorld shortly after a trade event on Oct. 21 at the Fairmont Hotel in Makati City.

In the same vein, Philippine Airlines (PAL) has noted a 31% increase in passenger volume for its four-times weekly flights to Auckland since its maiden flight in December 2015.

“We are targeting a load factor of 80% by end of the year,” Ma. Divinagracia Virata, PAL New Zealand area manager told the media during the familiarization tour in September.

The airline’s load factor on its Manila-Auckland flight (which makes a one-hour stopover in Cairns, Australia) or its capacity utilization is pegged at “around 70%-75%,” according to Ms. Virata.

ADVENTURE TIME
While the group’s first two days in New Zealand were all about relaxation, the third day was for adventure as the group traveled out of Auckland and ventured further north to see North Island’s famous sites — including the famous Hobbiton movie set.

It took more than two hours to get to our first destination, the Waitomo Glowworm caves, and while most of us spent the trip sleeping, the rare moments when I was awake, I marveled at the sheer number of sheep dotting the rolling hills.

At first it was a marvel to behold, but by the n^th thousand sheep, it just got tiring. They really weren’t joking about sheep outnumbering people — Statistics New Zealand reported that in 2015, there are six sheep for every Kiwi (as New Zealanders are called. There are three kinds of kiwis in New Zealand: the bird, the fruit, and the people.) or 29.6 million sheep to 4.6 million people. Cows also outnumber people as the agency reported that there are 6.4 million dairy and 3.6 million beef cattle in the country.

A completely different kind of animal inhabits the Waitomo Glowworm Caves — Arachnocampa luminosa, a species of glow word exclusive to New Zealand. Waitomo, in the Maori language means water (wai) and hole/shaft (tomo) and was explored in 1887 by Maori chief Tane Tinorau and English surveyor Fred Mace.

In 1889, Tane Tinorau and his wife, Huti, opened the cave for visitors for a small fee. The government took over administration of the caves in 1906 but eventually this was returned to the descendants of Tinorau and Huti. Their descendants still manage the caves, as most of the tour guides and souvenir shopkeepers are relatives of the Maori chief.

The caves were pretty well-lit in places and even have a “cathedral” — an almost 18-meter high area known for its good acoustics, which is why it is used for concerts and masses.

Go down a few levels and the visitor can take a 15-minute boat ride on the underground Waitomo River which is lit by millions of glowworms.

The river’s cave is like a smaller version of Palawan’s Underground River but all lit up with millions of tiny blue-green lights. Everywhere you turn, there’s thousands of tiny lights on the cave walls. It was entrancing.

LORD OF THE RINGS
After we emerged from the caves and accustomed ourselves to daylight, we headed straight to Matamata, an hour or so from Waitomo.

Matamata is home to a 1,250-acre sheep farm owned by the Alexander family which raises more than 13,000 sheep and 300 Angus beef cattle there. But the Alexander farm is better known as the home of the most-recognized tourist site in all of New Zealand — Hobbiton.

It was during an aerial search for film sites in September 1998 that film director Peter Jackson found the farm, which became an important location for the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the subsequent The Hobbit trilogy.

A portion of the farm — about 5.5 hectares — was made into Hobbiton, a representation of J.R.R Tolkien’s The Shire or the region of Middle Earth where Hobbits live. Hobbits, for those unfamililar with the famous fantasy book and movie series, are a diminutive humanoid race which, despite their reputation for being removed from the goings-on in Middle Earth, play a huge part in saving it from the Dark Lord Sauron.

Construction on Hobbiton started in 1999 with the help of the New Zealand army which built a 1.5-kilometer road leading to the site. The vaguely “English village in the Middle Ages” film set currently houses more than 40 Hobbit houses (or their facsimilies) built into the hills with their trademark colorful circular doors.

It all felt so real. There was so much effort put into recreating Tolkien’s vision and it shows: from the Hobbit houses, to the Green Dragon Inn, to the double arch bridge where the wizard Gandalf made his entrance, to the oak tree overlooking Bag End (where Frodo and Bilbo Baggins live).

(It also felt like I belonged — being five feet tall, I am just a little taller than Hobbits who, according to Tolkien, ranged in height from two to four feet.)

The oak tree was an addition to the original landscape as Mr. Jackson (now Sir Jackson — he was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2010) ordered an oak tree to be cut down from another place and transported to Hobbiton. The relocated oak tree was then stripped of its leaves and these were replaced with artificial leaves from Taiwan because “it’s original leaves weren’t green enough,” said our Hobbiton tour guide.

Flowers and vegetables are grown in the gardens, mostly for aesthetics though the guide said that caretakers are allowed to take them home.

Much effort is expended to maintain the beauty of the place which includes painting rocks to look like bread.

It wouldn’t be a stretch, really, to expect Hobbits to suddenly coming out of the circular doors with their kegs of ale, singing a merry tune.

I was half-hoping to find Sam at his tiny yard playing with his children while Rose looks, and see Merry and Pippin running from the farmer they stole carrots from.

Or that I would see Bilbo or Frodo hunched over the desk continuing There and Back Again which detailed their adventures in Middle Earth.

The group spent a couple of hours touring the place and taking photos of every nook and cranny, but despite spending hours wandering and then sitting inside the Green Dragon Inn drinking ginger beer, time felt too short. I figured, I could spend a whole day there and still feel it wasn’t enough.

I thought — “I could live in this place and be a happy Hobbit.”

HAKA AND GEYSERS
The rest of the day passed by in a blur because I was still on a Hobbiton high but what I did remember was the dinner show in Rotorua where we saw a Haka — the traditional war cry, dance or challenge from Maori.

The chant and the various gestures — which include extensive use of almost every part of the body including the eyes and the tongue — was frighteningly interesting and very intimidating because while I didn’t understand what was being said, it seemed like the warriors were promising to rip the enemy’s heart out and eat it, and enjoy the process.

We stayed in Rotorua overnight, a town known for its geothermal activity — geysers and hot mud pools. If Auckland was quiet at night, then Rotorua was even more so, with fewer houses and even fewer retail establishments. In fact, the only establishment I saw beyond the two hotels (one where we had dinner and the other where we stayed the night) was a huge supermarket and a gasoline station.

Oh, and owing to the geothermal activity, Rotorua also smelled funny. It was described as a “rotten egg smell” by the Holiday Inn (where we slept) but it was more like the smell of laundry not dried properly with smoky undertones. It wasn’t stinky but it was different.

And thanks to all the geothermal activity, the grates by road sometimes let out steam.

At the center of all this is the Pohutu geyser, which is said to spurt around 20 times a day — the columns of water and steam can reach a height of 30 meters. The Pohutu geyser in the Whakarewarewa geothermal valley can be accessed through Te Puia, the home of the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute.

The whole place looked straight out of the Elephant Graveyard in the Lion King. I was half-hoping Scar would come out and sing “Be Prepared” in front of hyenas marching like soldiers.

There are several paths leading to numerous bubbling mud pools, steaming valleys, and the large geyser. The valley was probably the only place that was warm in New Zealand when we visited.

The place also featured a kiwi bird house where one can view the flightless birds. These birds are nocturnal so the house is kept in almost total darkness, making it hard to spot the animals. Expecting the birds to be small, like quails, I was totally surprised to see a bird that looked more like a rodent than a feathered animal. The kiwi is about the size of a chicken but the one I saw was a bit larger and its feathers looked like wet fur. I don’t care for rodents so I was disillusioned by the long-beaked Kiwi. It wasn’t at all cute, it was a bit frightening, actually.

Our New Zealand tour ended after five days and only covered North Island as the other landmass, South Island would require a couple of hours drive and a boat ride to reach. In some ways, it felt like we traveled enough but in other ways it felt like we missed a lot. In every way, it was evident that New Zealand is a very beautiful country worthy of a visit, even just once in your life.

Mr. Dixon during the trade launch mentioned that Filipinos who go to New Zealand typically spend more than 20 days exploring the two landmasses. Our group spent just five days, save for one person who decided to go on a 28-day backpacking tour.

It was just five days but it was five days well spent.