Last Thoughts on New Zealand

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The two main islands are totally different. The North Island is very reminiscent of the UK and mainland Europe. It is easy to see why people emigrated to here. It is home to 75% of the population of NZ so you are never far from a town. The South Island has an ever changing landscape from majestic mountains to stunning scenery. Distances between various places on both islands are meaningless as the roads twist and turn up and down mountains and valleys everywhere so that people judge distance in terms of the length of time it takes to get from one place to another. Accommodation is plentiful and caters for all budgets. The campsites, in the main, are excellent, and the backpacker hostels are exceptional. Both provide a very economical way of touring NZ. Do not bother with a camper van. They are expensive to hire and, because of the roads, are a very slow way of getting around. You also have to pay for a pitch on a campsite if you don't fancy parking in a layby. Do not expect the sort of tourism we have in the UK and mainland Europe, with shops, ice creams and cafes etc at the beaches. Even those beaches right next to town have vitrually nothing there. The wildlife is mainly confined to birds and sea life. Most mammals were introduced and have had a serious effect on the indiginous animals. Get a bird book when you have just arrived so that you can identify the birds as you travel around. There are some UK tour companies offering three-week tours of both islands. You spend day after day sat in a coach. You need two months to have a comfortable tour of both islands. You can find the places you like best and then if you want to return to NZ you can come for a shorter time, going to those places. Our favourite places were Queenstown on the South Island and Taupo on the North Island. For both of us, it has been a brilliant trip and if anybody fancies coming here we would heartily recommend it. Next report will be covering our time in Australia!

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