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Hobbiton Movie Set deputy CEO Shayne Forrest is thrilled 1 million litres of ale have flowed through The Shire’s pipes. Since Hobbiton opened nine years ago, The Green Dragon Inn has welcomed many thirsty guests through its wooden doors. Now the new brew will give them another reason to drop in, although it will also be available by the pint or in bottles from Good George across the North Island, from Thursday, May 13. Good George Brewing co-founder Jason Macklow said Hobbiton’s decision nine years ago to support local and work with Good George, just 40km down the road, to create and supply the Southfarthing range, means guests can have handcrafted beer and cider right from the Waikato.
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Hobbiton’s deputy chief executive Shayne Forrest was buoyed by the interest he’d seen, but remained realistic. “Having access back to our Australian friends is pretty exciting, and we can’t wait to have them back. it’s an important stepping stone for the recovery of the tourism market,” Forrest said. “But we are realistic that we will see a slow burn with the return of the Australian market.”
Chris McKeen/Stuff
The Travel Corporation New Zealand Managing Director Scott Cleaver talks about the Trans-Tasman bubble and looking to the future. It will take a few years back to get back to pre-Covid numbers, it’s not like “turning a tap on”.
Webster said they are keen to get going again, although he’s unsure how Australians will respond. “We have been preparing on a number of scenarios, and over the coming weeks it will give us indications of the numbers coming over. “So we have been preparing to not have a lot of people, or having a lot of people.”
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Ruapehu Alpine Lifts chief executive Jono Dean is keen to get more people on the skifields this winter. While it is out of season for the Caves, Webster admits it gives the ski areas the opportunity to get up and going.
The government plans to have a travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia in place by the end of April, RNZ understands, and the proposal may go to Cabinet on Monday.