The Down Under Expedition # 9: Last Thoughts on New Zealand

After my two-and-a-half weeks in New Zealand, I have now returned to the northern hemisphere.  I hope that those of you following my travels will have gotten a good idea of some places you might like to visit if and when you get to New Zealand yourself.  This final post is a combination of my own observations and reminiscences with helpful hints for those who hope to go some day.

How Long?  I can tell you quite plainly that two or three weeks is not enough.  If you really want to come to grips with this incredibly diverse country, you need more time.  The :map is rather deceptive on this score, as it is with a number of European countries.  The country looks small, but you can't travel as quickly as in North America, and roads are not as straight as many of ours.

North, South, or Both?   A tricky question.  Unquestionably, you need to see highlights of both main islands of this country.  How much time to spend with each?  That depends.  If you are interested in history, culture, museums, and the like, definitely spend more time in the North Island.  The South Island is the one to give more time to if you are more interested in the outdoors, mountain scenery, hiking ("tramping"), and other related pursuits.  But of course, there are many cultural features in the South and much spectacular wilderness in the North,

Getting Around:  New Zealand has an excellent network of frequent domestic flights, linking the numerous smaller cities and towns to one or more of the three main hub airports at Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.  Rail travel is confined to three main scenic train routes (one in the north island and two in the south) plus commuter trains in and around Auckland.  Bus travel has one condition unfamiliar to many Canadians: all bus seats on inter-city routes are reserved seats and must be booked and paid for before travel begins.  Bus services are fairly frequent in most populated areas.
Car travel: drive on the left!   A car is a must in more remote areas but more of a hindrance than a help in cities.  Also remember the higher cost of gas, ranging from $1.79 to $2.08 per litre.  Most New Zealand cities have fairly compact central districts and getting around them on foot is easy.

As for hikers, be aware that many of the best-known and most popular hiking trails are capacity-controlled to protect the environment and reservations must be made months or even years in advance for such routes as the Milford Track.

Between Islands:  Many air routes link the two islands.  The shortest ones hop across from Wellington on the North Island to the airports of Picton, Blenheim, and Nelson at the top end of the South Island.  Two different companies operate car ferry services several times daily between Picton and Wellington.  My rental car company would not allow you to take a rented vehicle on the ferry.  Instead, they will give you a single through rate for your city to city rental with no drop-off charge, but you will drop the first car at the ferry terminal and pick up the second car after you come off the ship at the other end.  This can also be arranged with air travel, and is cheaper than making two separate rental bookings.  I imagine most of the major companies follow this procedure.

Accommodations:  Deluxe hotels are found in all major cities.  Cheap backpackers hostels can be found in almost any community big enough to be on the map.  In between are a wide range of motels, from the very basic to the very deluxe.  In popular areas, expect to pay up to twice as much as for comparable accommodations in Canada during peak season.  I have no experience with bed and breakfast (I've never been comfortable staying in someone else's home) but expect that the same might apply for these too.  Expect to be asked to pre-authorize the cost of your stay on your credit card when you check in.

Suburbs:  The actual area of any major city is very small, since New Zealand (like Australia) makes wide use of suburban names for postal addresses and other kind of locations.  If using a taxi or shuttle service of any kind, you need to be prepared with the name of the suburb you have to reach, as well as a street name.

Food:  New Zealand has been invaded by several major North American fast food chains, and some of their products may be familiar but others are unique to this market.  Fancy a Macca's?  That's a local name for McDonald's which the corporation has actually trademarked!  Cafes are found absolutely everywhere, and always feature an espresso machine and a barista.  A favourite New Zealand treat is a "flat white" -- an espresso mixed with hot milk, with a thinner layer of foam on top than a cappuccino.  In cafes, bars, and bakeries you always order and pay at the counter, and if you are eating in you are given a number to put on your table so the server can bring your order when it is ready.  Even some restaurants do this, especially on outdoor patios!  Otherwise, restaurants offer the normal full service experience.

The diversity of menu options can be quite startling, with even small towns offering cuisine from a dozen different countries.  Prices again are high, but some locally produced items are bargains compared to the same meals in Canada:  lamb, local fish, and superb cheeses are three good examples.  New Zealand has long produced some really great wines, and craft breweries are now popping up all over the map too.  Many bars are glad to let you have a taste of this or that wine or beer before ordering a full drink.

Credit Cards:  These are readily accepted anywhere, and New Zealand adopted the chip and PIN system long before we did.  But be prepared to pay a surcharge for use of a credit card.  This hasn't been allowed in Canada -- yet.  A merchant is supposed to advise you ahead of time when a surcharge has been imposed.  I got the surcharge at one or two restaurants, but mainly with hotels -- and not even all of those made a surcharge.  Note that credit card machines do not offer a space for you to leave a tip.  You have to do that separately.

Money:  New Zealand dollar is basically at par with Canada right now, and bills look a lot like Canadian money.  Coins come in 10, 20, and 50 cents, 1 dollar and 2 dollars.  That's right, no penny and no nickel.  Prices are therefore dead simple, and not least because sales tax is always included in the price!.  Your receipt will show how much tax you have paid, but you don't have to calculate it when shopping or studying a menu.  When the price says $23.50, then $23.50 is exactly what you pay -- no more and no less.  Very sensible and refreshing after Canada's insanity of different tax rates for different kinds of purchases in different provinces, all added on at the till.  We need to get with the program!

Accent:  A couple of helpful hints go a long way in following the Kiwi accent.  The big # 1 is the simple rule, "i instead of e."  Thus, you get used to such words as Widnesday, nixt, Wist, lift, and bid instead of Wednesday, next, West, left, and bed.  This also covers the omnipresent national sound of agreement, a long-drawn and oft-repeated "Yihhh."  Since I mentioned Wist, it seems only fair to give the other three cardinal points of the compass.  These are Nohth, Aist, and Sahth.  

Maori:  The Maori are the aboriginal people of New Zealand, and are Polynesian, hence the similarities in words with such places as Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti, and Hawaii.  Much effort has been made in recent years into trying to preserve and recover the use of the Maori language and other cultural features and traditions.  Public announcements given in both Maori and English are increasingly common.

The basic rule of Maori pronunciation is to sound out all the letters -- with only a few exceptions, this works.  Your first Maori word is "Aotearoa" -- six syllables in all.  This is also a good sample of the poetic, evocative quality of the Polynesian languages.  It's the Maori name for New Zealand, and it means "the land of the long white cloud".  Since the Polynesians navigated from place to place in part by following the cloud towers that built up over the Pacific islands, it's not surprising that these much larger islands would produce a cloud that ran to length more than height.  Your second, and similar, word:  "Aoraki", the Maori name for the tallest mountain in Aotearoa, which is known in English as Mount Cook.  The name means "the cloud piercer."

Before this trip I was thinking that this would likely be my last hurrah for New Zealand.  Now, I find that I can barely wait to return once again to Aotearoa.  See you there?