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Published: April 19th 2009
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“He was a dreamer, a thinker, a speculative philosopher... or, as his wife would have it, an idiot.” Douglas Adams
The rebuttal...
And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music. - Nietzsche
A little debriefing is in order. Hopefully these comments will be of value.
Gear - I didn’t really bring an excessive amount of stuff. Of the things I didn’t use my hiking boots took up the most space. I wore my trail hikers and flip flops and that was it. Had I done more serious trekking the boots would have been needed. Other clothing quantities remain a factor of how often you want to do laundry. I could have cut my clothes by 1/4th. The must take item, a good rain/wind jacket.
Communication hardware - Computer not needed if just for e-mails, plenty of cafes. I used mine mostly to create my journal/blog. Cell phone, again it depends. If you don’t plan to use it to call home I’d say you don’t need one. Buy a phone card and use their system.
Transportation - the camper was perfect for me;
Ron & Paula
The New Zealand Travel Advisor however your mode of transport needs to be examined from every aspect. With the camper comes the daily chores/routine not necessary if you stay in other accommodations, i.e. cleaning up after yourself. Throw two personalities into the mix and there are potentially more “issues” in a camper than traveling by car. When I come back with Carla we will definitely be traveling in a car.
Budget: Be as realistic as possible and then add 15- 20%. The last thing you want to do is take a wonderful trip like this and worry about money. I’m not saying don’t pay attention to what you spend. I’m saying have a healthy awareness of your limits both in terms of what you consider too much or too little. Nothing worse than getting someplace and realizing you really can’t compromise on say accommodations or food or type of car etc.
Itinerary: There are better people than me to consult on this. Right Ron? I do have a couple of observations. Do not plan more than four hours of drive time per day and it is preferable that this be divided up as much as possible. Two big reasons, first you will wear
yourself out. Driving NZ roads is much more physically demanding than cruising down the interstate. Second, this allows you plenty of flexibility so you can stay or go as you wish and make accommodations for the weather if that becomes an issue. Some of my best experiences came when I had the time to do/see something I hadn’t planned. Most must-does are in the eye of the beholder. I loved my glider experience. Bunge jumping, not worth the money to me.
Trip Insurance: Read the policy thoroughly! Same goes for extra vehicle insurance. I had an incident where both were carefully worded to avoid paying for a repair to my van. Conversely I wouldn’t go without. Taking the Clint Eastwood approach, “do you feel luck?” is not advisable. Too many variables.
Credit cards, cash, and traveler’s checks: I used my credit card only for fuel and big ticket items. Be aware that there is a currency conversion charge on every CC transaction. Cash is always best. Use banks to change bills or traveler’s checks as you go. A good investment was an inexpensive traveler’s wallet with a chain that attaches to your pants. This had more to do
with my concern about me leaving it behind, not thieves.
Sand flies: Believe everything you have read. Do whatever you feel you need to do to prepare. My “problem” was I insisted on wearing shorts and it was my downfall. If you are generally allergy prone that compounds things. As I mentioned in my blog, I got a dose pack of prednisone from my doctor but this isn’t advisable for everyone. I am not a doctor. An ounce of prevention....
Stinky shoes: Rated R - Maybe a little too graphic for some so stop here if you are easily offended. My hiking shoes got a little unbearable toward the end of the trip. I came upon a cure that some might find a little over the top but I assure you it is a 100% Made in New Zealand solution. Being a guy I had numerous occasions to stand at a urinal. When so engaged I noticed the little NZ $2 sized pink wafers commonly used for disinfectant. Don’t get ahead of me! Picking a couple from the shelf above the urinal (did you think I would really do something else) I took them back and placed them
in my shoes. I then went to the kitchen where there is a hot/boiling water dispenser. I filled the shoes with hot water and then let this tea steep for 30 min. Rinse the shoes thoroughly and air dry. As good as new! Also a good cure for athletes’ foot, only kidding.
Food - Unless you are absolutely the pickiest of eaters you will find great things to eat. In season there are fruit and vegetable stands in every area where they are grown. Farmers or town markets on Saturday and Sunday add to these offerings. Restaurants, Cafés, small and large markets are in even the smallest of towns (although options might be limited). Every Café has a glass case full of goodies to delight your tummy and expand your waistline. An interesting observation I made was that breakfast and dinner start roughly an hour later than I am accustom. This was particularly true for the evening meal. Many better restaurants don’t start serving until seven. As for service there were a few times when I wasn’t quite sure about the protocol. The predominant format is for you to go to a counter, place your order and then
take a number to your table. Depending on the efficiency of the kitchen staff your food is brought to you in 10-30 minutes. Some nicer places now have waiters and waitresses. Again, competence of the staff determines first how quickly your order is taken (I sat in one place as the lone customer and had to waive them down after 10 min) and second the kitchen. With a waitress/waiter whether to pay them or go to the register is about a 50/50 proposition. I learned that substituting items on the menu is not a process understood by wait staff. If you attempt this you will be referred to the side order part of the menu. Portions are usually generous and often times I ate from the “starters” side of the menu called “Entrées”. It’s all good. As the little white haired lady in Tuatapere said to me about the lemon and raspberry tart, “your heart needs it”.
Speaking of hearts, regardless of how Tony Bennett feels, San Francisco has nothing on New Zealand. I’ll be going back. My heart needs it. Cheers
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Eric Hayman
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Picture of Glenda Betts
I see you have a picture of Glenda Betts on your Travelblog. I knew a Glenda Betts from NZ way back. Could be the same person. Do you have a contact for her? Regards, Eric