I know I am a bad blogger on this trip and I am way behind on my daily posts. Plus my posts aren’t nearly as funny as my AT ones. All I can say in my defense is that I am having such a fun and relaxing time that I don’t need the comical relief to deal with pain and discomfort like I did on the AT. Plus my day time activities make me tired enough that almost every night I get into bed and fall asleep almost instantly. I promise to do better and to fill in the blanks!
Overall impression of NZ after being here 6 weeks: it is the most consistently beautiful place I have ever seen. I haven’t seen an ugly place yet! I am on the South Island and everyone says that it is more impressive than the North Island. I would agree that South Island is more dramatic with taller mountains, beautiful beaches, and gorgeous vistas. But at this point (I am headed into Dunedin today which is towards the southern tip of the South Island), I think North Island is my favorite. Its softer mountains, rolling hills, huge Kauri trees, and gorgeous beaches along with more temperate weather just makes me want to settle in and stay.
Food Impression: wow they have a huge diversity of food! Every town, no matter how little, has Indian, Thai, Chinese, and a Fish and Chip shop. It is all delicious! Every town also has multiple coffee/tea shops; where they serve delicious coffee (according to girls), great tea (I can personally attest to this) and pies. New Zealand pies are not what you are thinking. NZ pies small delicious savory pies that come in all the flavors you are thinking of (steak, mince, egg & bacon) and some that are surprising, at least to me – butter chicken, lamb, chicken with feta cheese and mushrooms). They are delicious and available almost everywhere you go – even the gas stations ones are great!
Van life impressions: loving it for a few months, but don’t think I could live it on a more permanent basis. Quarters are tight – especially when traveling with another person in a small campervan. Privacy is precious and rare. When you stop for the night at a holiday park (NZ for part RV campground and part motel) you are basically in a generously sized parking spot surround by other campervans and motorbikes. The close quarters mean you get to know the people around you and I have met some incredibly nice and interesting people from all over the world! The campervan gives you amazing mobility to get around the country and is one of the best trip decisions! It is like having a car, hotel room, and kitchen with you at all times! Roads here are excellent and driving on the left side of the road is getting easier – easy enough that I got a speeding ticket 😬. Yes it happened it front of my kids. I was going 110kph in a 100 kph spot. 100 kph is the fastest you are allowed to go and the officer was not impressed with my explanation/excuse that “in Texas we are allowed to drive up to 130 kph.”
Wildlife and Scenic beauty Impression: unparalleled! I walk and drive around all the time oooing and ahhing about what I am seeing. From a colony of fur seals with babies cavorting in a pool to stunning mountain vistas to private sandy cove beaches. I just cannot get over how beautiful it is here! I see things all day long that make me want to stop and make a memory to have forever.
People: incredibly kind and courtesy people who consider themselves part of a community who care not just about each other, but about the well being of nation as a whole including all of its natural resources. I see this in action on a daily basis. There is hardly any litter – no plastic shopping bags anywhere. The entire nation recycles. In urban areas trash cans come in threes – one for recycling cans, bottles, and other plastics; one for organic ( food, etc) and one for rubbish (which is things that can’t be recycled). All disposable/one time use utensils and containers are recyclable (bamboo silverware and mainly paper packaging.) lots of plastic here like trash can liners are made of biodegradable plastic. In national, regional, and city parks there are rarely any trash cans. You are expected to “pack it in and pack it out.” This means in beautiful park settings there are no over flowing trash cans with garbage pile on or around them, which cuts down on rodents and ants. I haven’t heard a single person complain about it and if you ask, they assure you it is best for everyone and the wildlife.
Conclusion: you need to put NZ on your bucket list!