Tag: north island

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In Summary: New Zealand

Aotearoa.

The place of kiwis. The place of mountains. The place of bays and glaciers and unique wildlife.

The people were kind, the scenery was stunning, and the hiking was next level.

In reflecting on my time in New Zealand, it’s a struggle to vividly remember it all. Three months is a lengthy adventure.

My arrival in Auckland seems like a year ago. Either that’s because my memory is as shit as I think it is, or time has been distorted by the amount of experiences I fit into that glorious 90-day window.

I met heaps of people. Many of them fleetingly, but a few kindred spirits that I could easily contact if/when visiting their home countries (and vice versa). I also picked up a little bit of lingo if you didn’t catch that usage of “heaps.”

On that note, probably the most valuable part of this trip has been the immersion into another culture. Even though it may have only been a subtle contrast to that of the U.S., it’s still an important process. I’m not going to sit here and say I’m a changed person or anything, but seeing the way other people live everyday life can at least open your mind to a different approach.

I wrote about the “no worries” attitude before and that’s something I hope I’m able to keep with me as I go forward. Everything doesn’t have to be taken so seriously. Things work out. There’s a lot of stuff out there we can’t control, so just take it as it comes. No worries.

By the Numbers

Days in New Zealand: 91
Days at Workaways: 43
Days with a Rental Car: 28
Nights in Hostels: 39
NZD Spent: ~$7,425.84
USD Spent: ~$5,017.46 (Avg. conversion rate of roughly 1.48)

You can see my full cost breakdown here.

For those interested in visiting one day, here are my totally subjective highlights:
(click the top left button of the map to expand the list view)

Favorite Places:
1. Queenstown
2. Wellington
3. Taupo
4. Wanaka
5. Paihia		Favorite Walks:
1. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing
2. Copland Track
3. Diamond Lake to Rocky Mtn
4. Ben Lomond
5. Abel Tasman
Favorite Adventure Activities: 
1. Rafting the Tongariro River
2. Kayaking in Abel Tasman
3. The Shotover Canyon Swing
4. Black Abyss in Waitomo
5. Luging in Queenstown





Favorite Attractions:
1. Milford Sound
2. Hobbiton
3. Cape Reinga
4. Te Papa Museum
5. Hamilton Gardens
6. Franz Josef Valley
7. Punakaiki Pancake Rocks
8. Christchurch Street Art Trail
9. The Hole in the Rock
10. Auckland Domain

Also, here’s my Trip Advisor profile. I was reviewing things pretty heavily up until I wasn’t. Maybe one day I’ll finish it out but it doesn’t seem likely.

Finally, I still don’t really know what I’m doing, but I think I’ve taken some decent pictures along the way. Kind of hard to screw it up with scenery that good. Below is an album with my favorite photos from New Zealand.

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Welly is Swelly

A long bus ride from Taupo.
An even longer walk from the depot to the hostel.

I hadn’t had a proper meal and was feeling destroyed from a brutal mountain biking session earlier that day.

The Marion

When I walked into the backpackers, I think exhaustion was written all over my face. The receptionist was the nicest person and helped me take a bag up to my room.

Last bed in my room and basically no room on the floor for any bags. At any other place, that would’ve been an ominous sign, but this place was different.

The Marion Bathroom

The Marion is an incredible hostel. It’s only been open for five months so the secret is only half out. The place had a modern design, lounges on every floor, a rooftop hangout area, rain shower faucets as well as curtains and outlets for every bed.

Amazing place for a hostel price point in a great location. Solid times.

Wellington is a pretty awesome city too. It’s got an energetic and artistic vibe. Coffee, craft beer and quirkiness were all highly encouraged.

There were a ton of murals, cozy alleyways and markets; plenty of quaint cafes and fun bars; a harbor walk, beach and a simple mountain walk. I got shades of San Francisco and Boston.

Wellington Culture

There seemed to be a lot of working-holiday travelers happy to set up shop and find a job in Wellington. If I had that type of visa, I’d probably consider that option too. I think there was a decent amount of opportunity in additional to culture, nature, nightlife and…beer.

They have a craft beer trail similar to Richmond’s. The problem was that the prices were too steep to complete any leg of it. $80+ in beer for a t-shirt at the end wasn’t quite enticing enough.

The only other detractor was the wind.

In the two days I had to explore, I did a lot of walking. Met up with Coen (from the Tongariro Crossing) and went up to the Mt. Victoria lookout. Enjoyed some exhibits at the Te Papa Museum, spent a decade trying to find the cable car up to botanical gardens and wandered through a night market on Cuba Street.

Mt. Victoria Lookout

All good things.

As with every city, there’s a list of activities that went undone. If/when I’m able to make it back, I’d like to take a (free) tour of parliament, check out the Wellywood sign and movie museum in addition to catching a rugby game if they’re in action.

For now, I’m off to catch the ferry to the South Island.