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Juan Pablo Galavis on his group date at the OGO |
During his quest to find his future wife, this season’s bachelor Juan Pablo Galavis, introduced the final eight girls, to the picturesque Central North Island of New Zealand for a week of adventure, romance and luxury experiences during the 18th season of hit romance reality series "The Bachelor," which airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
“From the moment I arrived in New Zealand I was blown away by how beautiful it was,” said Galavis.
Galavis landed in New Zealand in style, arriving by seaplane on Lake Taupo, the country’s largest lake, while the girls pampered themselves in the elegant Owners Cottage at the award-winning retreat, Huka Lodge.
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On the first one-on-one date, Galavis and his date took a mysterious jet boat ride through the Waikato River and then experienced the Squeeze, where they maneuvered through narrow crevasses, climbed boulders and found themselves at a beautiful waterfall, surrounded by native forest. Later that evening they had a dinner date at Te Puia in the nearby town of Rotorua, overlooking a natural geyser.
The group date was all about adventure as Galavis took his dates to the adrenaline filled OGO, where they rolled down a hill inside a giant inflatable ball in Rotorua. Their adventure continued when they arrived at Hobbiton, the real-life set of the blockbuster "The Hobbit" movies. As well as dining in the Green Dragon Pub by a cosy fireplace, Galavis wooed some of the ladies outside individual Hobbit holes.
Galavis took his final one-on-one date to Tarata Fishaway on the shores of the Rangitikei River where they had a romantic picnic in a beautiful canyon by a stream. They then enjoyed a candle-lit dinner at his penthouse suite at the Hilton Lake Taupo.
The dramatic rose ceremony was set at the tranquil Blake House at Poronui Lodge, surrounded by crystal clear mountain waters, indigenous beech forest, ferns and lush alpine meadows.
Host Chris Harrison enjoyed returning to New Zealand after the show previously filmed season 13’s final two episodes there.
“It was great coming back to New Zealand”, he says. ”The North Island was spectacular and I got to experience some amazing fly-fishing”.
During filming Galavis stayed at Hilton Lake Taupo, which overlooked the picturesque lake. The ladies stayed at the Owners Cottage at the award-winning luxury Huka Lodge, an exclusive hideaway with stunning views of the Waikato River rapids.
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