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.
New Zealand: Giant metal dog and sheep ice-cream store.
A weird and quirky roadside attraction in Tirau, New Zealand, where an enterprising local had exercised their creativity in building a wonderful example of functional art
During a tour around the USA in 2007 / 2008, I had got attached to visiting roadside attractions such as 80 foot high Holstein cows and 40 foot long otters. These tended to be the creation of desperate individuals trying to attract tourists to remote and desolate locations, primarily in the mid-western States.
Well in Tirau, New Zealand, some enterprising locals had similar intentions. 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 that served the most amazing creamy honey and fig ice cream. Yum!
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