New Zealand Take-Aways

A stunning country to look at; the scenery is rather incredible. The small population are friendly and seemingly eager to please, having not felt much unease except perhaps out the car windows of screaming youths. It was surprising to learn that the land of grass and sheep was significantly changed from the pre-European settlement of less than 200 years ago. Only about 1/3 of forest still stands, much of it fell to timber and then for grazing livestock (sheep and increasing numbers of cattle). Still the natural towering mountains, the glaciers, ocean-fronts and rock-strewn fields are remarkable and made sleeping on the bus feel like a shame. Certain areas offered a gluttony of activities, such as the adrenaline-fueled Queenstown in the south island. The jet boating and canyon swinging there, not to mention the raucous nightlife any day of the week, were definite early highlights. Rotorua on the north island compared excursion-wise with fantastic zorbing, plus decent rafting, downhill street luging and more. The glow worm caves of Waitomo are amazing in their uniqueness, as was the jaw-dropping fjord of Milford Sound in the south.

Small towns dominate and offer pleasant stops, though there's only so far I think I could sustain myself on pretty surroundings alone. Then the cities come in and Wellington stands as one I could see myself living in (except perhaps for the limited international touring music acts). Small enough that it isn't overwhelming but large enough to have a cultural scene, from museums to sports to restaurants, it was actually quite quaint for its size. Christchurch, as previously mentioned, is in a huge state of flux but will undoubtedly be an interesting place to watch in years to come. Auckland on the other hand seemed lifeless, a smaller version of Sydney without the visual pleasantries nor the vibrancy. Perhaps it was too big for me to crack into in such a short time. Dunedin felt overly like the uni town it is, especially so as it was the heart of frosh week, with toga parties and drunk teenagers all about.

All in all it was definitely a gorgeous trip and a worthwhile one. Contiki touring has its advantages and disadvantages, especially in a country like this. Some days seem to be just rammed full of driving, and despite the sights it still gets old. While others you find yourself in small towns on dead nights with little to do when really you'd like to be spending more time in the action, or at least in a place to relax of your own choosing. I'd have loved to have taken whole days to climb mountains and explore but scheduling rarely allowed for it. (Doing it again I'd at least consider a hop-on, hop-off option, such as Kiwi Experience, to allow for more of that desired flexibility.) In the two weeks it did pack in tonnes of sights and outings, information, parties and friendships. Having essentially completed the highlight tour I don't feel the pressing urge to return in short time. No matter it was absolutely fun, fully enjoyable and worthwhile. Excellent as it was I feel I've now checked it off the list and will be moving on to new, exciting places. Watch this space to see just exactly where those places will be in the years to come!