New Zealand

Hobbiton in Matamata is a magical film set brought to life, where visitors stroll through hobbit holes, gardens, and the Green Dragon Inn amidst rolling Waikato hills — a captivating experience for both film fans and travellers alike.

Tokoroa’s Talking Poles form a striking outdoor art exhibition, each pole reflecting the town’s cultural heritage, natural surroundings, and strong sense of community pride.

The Herd of Cows in Morrinsville transforms the town into an outdoor art gallery, blending local creativity with dairy heritage through dozens of hand-painted cow sculptures scattered across streets and parks, each capturing a distinct story of community pride.

We have a great liking for weird and quirky roadside attractions and were delighted to in Tirau, New Zealand, an enterprising local had exercised their creativity in building a wonderful example of functional art. Using their ingenuity, corrugated steel and paint they created two buildings, one shaped like a sheep and another like a dog. Much to my delight, the corrugated steel dog housed an ice cream store which served the most amazing creamy honey and fig ice cream. Yumm!

Back in the 1990s Peter Jackson was looking for a location for sets for his upcoming Lord of the Rings Trilogy. One of the important locations was Hobbiton and for this he selected a sheep farm just outside Matamata on the North Island.