A Unique Hotel in New Zealand

There is so much that I'd love to see in New Zealand, and this creative hotel's set-up is high on my list.

I've never been to New Zealand, but it's "on my list." The idea of a trip to New Zealand's always been in the back of my mind, but the logistics of getting there - with two young kids in tow - have seemed too daunting.

But the mountains! The rainforest! The yellow-eyed (and world's rarest) penguin, the kiwi and flightless Kakapo parrot - don't any New Zealand birds know how to fly? It's all too fascinating. Eco travel opportunities abound on the two New Zealand islands.

And now that I've learned that one of the world's most unique hotels is in New Zealand, my childrens' no-long-flights lobbying may be doomed.

Woodlyn Park, in Waitomo on New Zealand's, North Island, offers three one-of-a-kind types of lodging: The Train Motel, Plane Motel, and (after all, this IS New Zealand) the Hobbit Motel. Click around the website: You have to see the pictures to understand how completely cool these rooms are.

• The Plane Motel is a genuine relic from the past: A genuine 1950's Bristol Freighter, one of the last allied planes, has been renovated into two separate motel rooms - one of which is in the cockpit. Isn't that great?
• The Train Motel is called "The Waitomo Express," and is in a refurbished 1950's rail car. Pretty cute, huh? But now let's get to what you really want to know...
• The Hobbit Motel. Yes! It's really like a Hobbit Hole, built into the side of a low slope, with round doors and the whole deal. Created with the Lord of the Rings trilogy (and theology?) in mind, these two Hobbit Hole units look less ornate than the movie set's Shire. They are pretty accurate, nevertheless, while keeping the furniture on a more human scale. A night or two in this New Zealand hotel might make you feel like you're visiting Middle Earth. But, if you see a gold ring laying on the floor, don't pick it up. That thing is Bad News.