New Zealand surpassed my expectations, and while at times tiring and fast-paced, I would not trade my experiences for the world!
Highlights –
- canyoning outside Auckland
- haka dance in Maketu
- volcanic mud bathing in Rotorua
- Tongariro Crossing
- trivia night in Wellington
- bone carving in Barrytown
- heli-hiking Franz Joseph glacier
- cinema at Lake Wanaka
- Christmas Eve dinner in Queenstown
- jetboating
- canyong swing
- New Years Eve celebration in Christchurch
Discoveries –
- self-catering is easy and can save me at least $10 per day in food costs
- if the tap water is safe to drink, refill plastic bottles (do not keep buying water). bonus – you can downgrade to smaller bottles of water which means less to carry around.
- the toilets have 2 buttons so you can choose between a light and heavy flush (yes, I had to ask someone why there were 2 buttons)
# of Nights Couchsurfing –
- Zero (the holidays and tight bus schedule made it difficult)
Eating –
- Mix of restaurants, cafes, and self-catering (everything from rack of lamb to instant noodles)
Average Daily Budget –
- $115 (more than double the plan)
Let me know if there's another subject or topic you'd like me to cover in my “final thoughts” for each country I visit.
Planning a trip? Go Backpacking uses and recommends:
- G Adventures for small group tours
- Skyscanner for researching flights
- Hostelworld for booking hostels
- Airbnb for renting rooms and homes
- Rail Europe for train passes
- World Nomads for travel insurance
Great just great, short sweet follow up to the month plus 10 days here at the start of this wonderful journey you have begun! Dave i have to say you must look into becoming a writer of some sorts it is just a pleasure to read about your trip.With the pictures and the frequent updates the google maps I hope it does for others what it does for me witch is make this day to day grind of normality disappear! Did you decide how long to stay in Bali or is that a later post? Please keep up the updates when you can I for one cant wait till the next one :smile: .. stay safe
I was surprised most people suggested 10 days for Bali. I’m probably going to stay at least 2 weeks, possibly 3. :)
I was surprised most people suggested 10 days for Bali. I’m probably going to stay at least 2 weeks, possibly 3. :)
Awesome! I voted for a full month….
Awesome! I voted for a full month….
Great just great, short sweet follow up to the month plus 10 days here at the start of this wonderful journey you have begun! Dave i have to say you must look into becoming a writer of some sorts it is just a pleasure to read about your trip.With the pictures and the frequent updates the google maps I hope it does for others what it does for me witch is make this day to day grind of normality disappear! Did you decide how long to stay in Bali or is that a later post? Please keep up the updates when you can I for one cant wait till the next one :smile: .. stay safe
I was surprised most people suggested 10 days for Bali. I’m probably going to stay at least 2 weeks, possibly 3. :)
Awesome! I voted for a full month….
Ouch sorry about the budget, yes NZ has perfected extracting $ from tourists who wish to face death and survive – quite funny really from NZer point of view. You are travelling pretty fast – if you slow down you will possibly get your budget back under control – Australia can be a similar price to NZ – probably not as many adrenaline thrills though so maybe chill at a beach for a while
Ya – New Zealand’s thrill marketing machine is second to none! I’m actually spending less (it seems) in Australia so far, having already ponied up for my 2 big multi-day tours. I do want to slow down though, and am making some small decisions to that effect now, and will probably recoup more in Indonesia.
Ouch sorry about the budget, yes NZ has perfected extracting $ from tourists who wish to face death and survive – quite funny really from NZer point of view. You are travelling pretty fast – if you slow down you will possibly get your budget back under control – Australia can be a similar price to NZ – probably not as many adrenaline thrills though so maybe chill at a beach for a while
Ya – New Zealand’s thrill marketing machine is second to none! I’m actually spending less (it seems) in Australia so far, having already ponied up for my 2 big multi-day tours. I do want to slow down though, and am making some small decisions to that effect now, and will probably recoup more in Indonesia.
Ya – New Zealand’s thrill marketing machine is second to none! I’m actually spending less (it seems) in Australia so far, having already ponied up for my 2 big multi-day tours. I do want to slow down though, and am making some small decisions to that effect now, and will probably recoup more in Indonesia.
I never understood why us toilets dont have the two button flush. Its such a huge waste of water here and a lot of places are having water problems… ohwell…
I’d been using toilets for 31 years and never seen it till New Zealand and Australia. Makes sense to me!
I never understood why us toilets dont have the two button flush. Its such a huge waste of water here and a lot of places are having water problems… ohwell…
I’d been using toilets for 31 years and never seen it till New Zealand and Australia. Makes sense to me!
What about adding some hotel/hostel reviews to your country recaps? (This is something I thought about doing for my CA trip, but I never got around to making it happen.) Nothing too extravagant… maybe just the name, location, a simple rating system. This would be really helpful for those of us looking for lodging recs for our own travels!
Hope you get to do some Couchsurfing in Oz! If you’re heading thru Perth I can hook you up with some DC expats.
Hmm, I could maybe highlight my favorite one or two hostels and the reasons why. Good suggestion!
I’m not going to make it to Perth – too little time budgeted for this country. Thank you though!
Hmm, I could maybe highlight my favorite one or two hostels and the reasons why. Good suggestion!
I’m not going to make it to Perth – too little time budgeted for this country. Thank you though!
What about adding some hotel/hostel reviews to your country recaps? (This is something I thought about doing for my CA trip, but I never got around to making it happen.) Nothing too extravagant… maybe just the name, location, a simple rating system. This would be really helpful for those of us looking for lodging recs for our own travels!
Hope you get to do some Couchsurfing in Oz! If you’re heading thru Perth I can hook you up with some DC expats.
Hmm, I could maybe highlight my favorite one or two hostels and the reasons why. Good suggestion!
I’m not going to make it to Perth – too little time budgeted for this country. Thank you though!
Wow…. you did it right man! And I agree with crambox… your posts are great, so well written and the pics are just beautiful. You are definitely making these cold, short, and dark days brighter with your posts. New Zealand was always at the top of my list and you have confirmed it…. Makes me think I need significant time to really “do it right”. And know going into it I have better ideas about what I want to explore because there is just sooo much! Please have continued safe travels and am always looking forward to what you will share next!!!
Wow…. you did it right man! And I agree with crambox… your posts are great, so well written and the pics are just beautiful. You are definitely making these cold, short, and dark days brighter with your posts. New Zealand was always at the top of my list and you have confirmed it…. Makes me think I need significant time to really “do it right”. And know going into it I have better ideas about what I want to explore because there is just sooo much! Please have continued safe travels and am always looking forward to what you will share next!!!
I want two-button flush! I want two-button flush! * falls on floor of the Starbucks and does a little-kid style tantrum*
When I used to write for aboutmyplanet.com I found out about it, and I wanted it then but thought it was something that only uber-hipies knew how to get. Now that I hear all of NZ and Australia have it, I’m upset and feeling very short-flushed.
Do you think you could fit a toilet in your backpack to bring home to me?
(Btw, crambox is correct, you’ve become a very talented blogger, definitely my most looked-forward to blog read)
I want two-button flush! I want two-button flush! * falls on floor of the Starbucks and does a little-kid style tantrum*
When I used to write for aboutmyplanet.com I found out about it, and I wanted it then but thought it was something that only uber-hipies knew how to get. Now that I hear all of NZ and Australia have it, I’m upset and feeling very short-flushed.
Do you think you could fit a toilet in your backpack to bring home to me?
(Btw, crambox is correct, you’ve become a very talented blogger, definitely my most looked-forward to blog read)
I'm flying into Auckland and will be in NZ for a week. Want to backpack around (and end back in Auckland) but have no idea where to start. Have a suggested itinerary?
oh! will be there in sept. probably 12-19.
If you check out my New Zealand posts from December 2007, you can see a lot of what I saw of the North Island. Specifically, I liked Wellington a lot, and the 1-day hike of the Tongariro Crossing. I also went on a 5- hour canyoning trip out of Auckland which was a lot of fun.
Otherwise, for me, the South Island was more exciting (with the glaciers, mountain views, and activities of Queenstown).