I’m off on another adventure, and this time, the compass has sent me down under (and over) to New Zealand! This is my third Adventures by Disney trip (booked through Mouse Fan Travel) following Japan in 2019 and last year’s inaugural Disney Parks Around the World itinerary. Once again, I’ll be providing travelogues of the itinerary for anyone wondering if this Adventures by Disney trip is right for them.
The adventure doesn’t begin when you arrive in New Zealand, but shortly before via an adventure kit, the contents of which can vary by year. Inside the box was an Adventures by Disney backpack made from recycled plastic bottles. The backpack has pockets on both sides for refillable water bottles, with themed ones included. Plus, each Guest gets their lanyard for the trip ahead of time, luggage straps, bag tags (to be placed on luggage when told to do so by an Adventure Guide), gratuity envelopes, and, if you’ve been on a previous Adventures by Disney trip, a pin that states how many trips you’ve been on, including this tour (It’s my third and Benji’s eighth).
Each day has a theme, and today’s was “Kia Ora,” a traditional greeting of the Māori, which you see on signage all over Auckland, including at the airport. Translated into English, the phrase greeting means "have life" or "be healthy," well wishes for a safe adventure. This theme extends to the first resort of the trip, Park Hyatt Auckland, which is a very contemporary resort, but heavily inspired by Māori culture, starting with a wood carving outside the main entrance.
Disney Parks around the world have ambassadors, and so, too, does Park Hyatt Auckland. This is Beau, a black labrador retriever who didn’t pass his certification to become a seeing-eye dog. Now, he serves as an ambassador for Blind Low Vision NZ. He’s calm and friendly, and Guests who fall in love with him can take home their own Beau plush after making a donation to Blind Low Vision NZ.
The interiors of the guest rooms are inspired by Māori craftsmanship. A fabric wall depicts a traditional weaving pattern.
Guest rooms are spacious and feature state-of-the-art dimmable lighting that can be customized to your ideal lighting levels.
This resort sits on the harbor, so nearly every room offers a water view.
This includes the washroom, which has an electronic privacy curtain next to the bathtub, but from the outside, a woven screen makes it difficult to see people inside.
The shower has both a traditional head and a rain shower.
The toilet gets its own separate room, with a spacious walk-in closet separating the washroom from the bathroom.
Each room also has a mini-fridge (with a stocked wet bar) and a Nespresso maker.
Our Adventure Guides, Dusty and Danny, were on hand to greet Guests as they arrived, taking the time to meet with each family and go over some of the activities on the itinerary to get head counts for some of the alternative options. This was also an opportunity to confirm or change any dietary restrictions a Guest may have. They also gifted each family one of New Zealand’s most popular candies, a Whittaker’s chocolate bar (Marlborough Sea Salt & Caramel Brittle).
We met our fellow travelers at the Welcome Reception, where Guests could get creative with decorating their lanyard nametag. Wine was served for the adults, and additional beverages, including soda and juice, were available during the mix-and-mingle.
A map of New Zealand was hung on the wall, which served as a visual aid once dinner began. Local Guide Danny walked everyone through the twelve-day itinerary, building up excitement for each destination and activity. This catered dinner at the hotel was served family style and included three types of salad as an appetizer, three types of meat for the entree (lamb leg, pork belly, salmon), each of which had their own side. And the meal was capped off with a trio of delicious desserts. Speaking of dietary restrictions, we have a member of our group who is a pescatarian with a strawberry allergy, so when the three entrees arrived, they received an additional plate of falafel. Instead of sharing off the dessert platter, they were given their own trio of desserts, with a substitute for the strawberry tart they couldn’t have. It’s just one of the ways the Adventures by Disney Guides go above and beyond to cater to each Guest’s unique needs.
A hallmark of each Adventures by Disney itinerary is the pin of the day, which is back to being distributed in person (for the past several years, Guests received their pins in advance of the trip, but the tradition of making a memory attached to each pin is back). Dusty and Danny have a plush Kiwi (the national bird of New Zealand) named Kenai, who dropped the pin of the day as if laying an egg.
As mentioned at the top of this trip report, the theme for the day is “Kia Ora,” and the pin features Mickey Mouse welcoming Guests to New Zealand with the Māori greeting. The white and orange frame around Mickey is called a Koru, a spiral shape inspired by the unfurling frond of silver fern, a plant unique to New Zealand that has been an important part of Māori culture.
Bonus: Hobbiton Set Visit
We arrived in Auckland a day early. As a fan of Peter Jackson’s screen adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, visiting New Zealand without stopping by The Shire seemed unimaginable. After some research, we booked our own excursion through one of the companies recommended by Hobbiton Tours, Bush and Beach. We were picked up in a group shuttle at the Park Hyatt Auckland, and our driver entertained us with a New Zealand history lesson during the two-hour drive out to Waikato.
When the Alexander Farm was transformed into Hobbiton for The Lord of the Rings, the sets weren’t meant to last very long, and most were destroyed when filming wrapped. But fans who came to New Zealand with the hopes of seeing all of the filming locations that brought Middle Earth to life on screen naturally made this sprawling sheep farm a high priority. So when Peter Jackson returned to the site to make The Hobbit films, the landowners asked that this time, the sets be built to last. And so, fans of the films can now visit The Shire.
There are many Hobbit holes set up throughout the rolling hills in various scale sizes. So, when posing for a picture, you can either appear Hobbit-sized or Wizard-sized next to any door. The artisans who worked on the film imbued each home with fine details that tell a story of the Hobbits who live there, and our guide for the tour pointed out some of her favorite details.
At the most elevated point of Hobbiton is the Baggins' hole, and a detail that isn’t explained in the films is that a Hobbit's wealth and status were dictated by the placement of their hole, making the Baggins’ among the most prominent Hobbits.
So much of what we experience on-screen is movie magic. While this sheep farm in Waikato features all of the exteriors for Hobbiton, most of the interiors were filmed on soundstages in Wellington. Most of the doors open to what is essentially a small storage shed, enough space for an actor to open a door, step inside, and close it. But at the end of 2023, the Hobbiton Movie Set experience expanded with two interactive Hobbit holes that Guests can tour. The same artists who worked on the films designed these spaces, with a story to be found in each. Think of it as a Hobbit’s equivalent to the Adventureland Treehouse.
The official tour ends at The Green Dragon Inn, where Guests can choose one of three alcoholic brews created especially for this experience, or a non-alcoholic ginger beer, all at no additional charge. The Green Dragon Inn also serves additional food and beverage options for purchase.
Out Bush and Beach shuttle driver gave us a story that wasn’t included on the tour, which connects Hobbiton to Māori culture. When The Green Dragon Inn was designed for The Hobbit films, Peter Jackson enticed the most prestigious Māori wood carver to come out of retirement to carve a dragon that would be displayed above the bar. While Middle Earth may feel removed from these ancestral lands on screen, Hobbiton has that special Māori touch.
One of the benefits of the Bush and Beach package is that lunch is included, served in a Hobbit-style tent after you’ve experienced The Green Dragon. This buffet lunch included lots of favorite foods of Hobbits. We also had plenty of time to shop for souvenirs in the welcome center where the tours depart from. While there are many exclusive items available there, including bottled versions of the beverages served at The Green Dragon Inn, one of the most authentic ways to commemorate the experience is through hand-made garments made from the sheep’s wool from the Alexander Farm.
Check back each day to follow along on our Adventures by Disney trip to New Zealand.
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