Time for another passport stamp!
A mere five days after I returned from my most recent cruise contract, I was on the go again, this time to New Zealand, a country I've been trying to go to since pre-Covid. And it was definitely worth it!
The Pre-Trip Drama
Well, you can't leave the country without something going wrong now, can you? Or maybe that's just me.
Ending a contract after the holiday season is both a relief and a stressful time. The good news was that I had most of the supplies I needed after the fiasco I had trying to leave for Belize. The bad news was that I wasn't up to date on the entry requirements for New Zealand.
In the past, if there were any entry requirements for the country I was visiting, either my travel company, tour guide, or even airline would reach out a few days in advance to let me know. In this case, the brochure that was sent to me after my purchase had a link for me to check. Having just ended an extremely stressful contract after the holiday season, I didn't check it first. Nor did I verify the city we would be departing from.
First, I was going over the brochure and discovered that the end city wasn't Queenstown, the city I had booked my return flight from, but was in fact Christchurch. Of course, I had purchased a non-refundable ticket, so I had to call the airline to have it canceled and buy another ticket. Thankfully, the exchange rate of USD to the NZ dollar is pretty sweet so it wasn't too much of a loss.
The next thing was that I not only had to fill out a customs form online first, but I also had to apply for the NZeTA visa, which was thankfully approved just in time for me to travel. Whew!
A Day in Auckland
The flight there was mostly uneventful. A long layover in LAX with a slight delay wore me out enough to sleep most of my 12-hour red-eye flight. I have also tragically learned that one of my favorite movies, The Lego Batman Movie, puts me to sleep whenever I fly.
We landed a little late and had to go through immigration first, which didn't take long, though there was sadly no passport stamp. Customs, however, was a different story. I had nothing to declare, but one of the things that was needed to be inspected were shoes that had been through lakes or rivers of other countries. I did in fact have a pair of sandals I had worn through the rivers of Belize and wasn't sure if that counted, and the agents recommended I go through customs regardless. It turns out that, once again, it wasn't an issue.
I made it outside and went right to the SkyDrive, a bus that takes passengers from AKL to the city center for only $18 NZ. I had pre-purchased my ticket for an earlier shuttle, but the driver told me that the time wasn't important and my ticket would still be honored. I made it to the CBD (Central Business District) and walked the few blocks to my hostel. It wasn't check-in time yet but I was able to change and leave my bags behind whilst I explored.
Feeling sufficiently well-rested but a bit mentally worn out, I stuck mostly to the CBD area. I had lunch at an Irish pub and had a lovely chat with the bartender, a Brit named Joe, and a local gentleman named Brian, who was was kind enough to welcome me to the country. They were both lovely people! Then I did a little exploring, wandering up and down the streets, and walking through Albert Park. After checking in to the hostel, I purchased tickets for the Weta Workshop Unleashed and Sky Tower.
Now, there are two Weta Workshops in New Zealand: the Weta Workshop Unleashed, in Auckland, focuses on the magic creating the costumes, makeup, sound effects, models, and mechanics of three unfinished films that will sadly not be released. Because of this, visitors are allowed to interact, touch, and take pictures with everything on display. The other is in Wellington, which I will talk about further down.
Anyways, I went through the Unleashed workshop with an Aussie named Lochlin and our guide, The Janitor (yes, that's what he had us call him). Since it was just the two of us, we were able to take our time in looking at and interacting with everything. Being able to see the incredible talent and effort these artists put forth to create incredible entertainment for everyone was positively breathtaking and humbling!
The tour took us through the productions of three projects that will sadly not be made. The first was the horror film, Fauna. There were models of monsters, full body costumes of creatures used in this film, special effects demonstrations for creating sounds and makeup, and the equivalent of a miniature haunted house where we walked through a small hall featuring some of the scary effects that would have been used in the movie.
Our next immersive experience took us through the fantasy film Age of the Ever-Clan, a film that was about a world where dinosaurs evolved as the dominant, bipedal species. I went nuts here, especially since I bring my own toy dinosaurs with me. The miniature sets on display had been repurposed from Lord of the Rings and redesigned into a similar style. The models of the dinosaurs, costumes and weapons completely blew me away. Since this film won't be made, the Janitor told me that the idea was open to the public, and that other guests who had gone through said they would use the idea for Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. I must find these Dungeon Masters!!!!!
The final area of the tour took us to the sci-fi project, Origins. This exhibit featured a giant, mechanical model of an enormous alien robot and a flying saucer. The Janitor was impressed when I asked if the robot had been inspired by Maria, the robot in the German film Metropolis, which was the template of most sci-fi films ever since. He said that very few people knew that movie, much less the character of Maria.
The final demonstration involved the robot and ship were activated in a lighting display, with the robot in particular moving its arm and hand, and even exposing an alien face beneath the surface. The tour wrapped after that, and I purchased the picture package from the beginning and middle parts of the jaunt. I wouldn't normally do that but the backgrounds were too much fun to pass up. And I was able to get the Janitor involved on one and I loved that!
The next visit was to the Sky Tower. This was after 6:00pm, and while there were still a good number of people up there, it wasn't too busy. I had some fun banter with the elevator attendant as well, as he had helped me find the Workshop earlier in the day. Now I've been up in the London Shard, Guinness Gravity Bar, A'DAM Lookout and Tokyo Tower, but, in my opinion, the Sky Tower offered the most beautiful views of all of these. It stands at over 1,000 feet high, and allows visitors to go up to the 60th level. My ticket only allowed me to go to level 53, but that was plenty high enough to see some incredible sights!
The rest of the evening was uneventful. I found a fun hidden area called Elliot Stables to have dinner at, and went to The Shakespeare Brewery where I not only grabbed a drink, but saw that they had a "gaming lounge," and wanted to see if they were playing any board or tabletop games I knew. I learned very quickly that a gaming lounge meant miniature casino. Oopsy! And no, I didn't game. I finished my drink and called it a night.
The next morning, I woke up extra early to swing by a local cafe that was open at 6:30am for breakfast, then gathered my bags and went to the hotel where I was meeting my Topdeck group.
Tamaki Village
I introduced myself to a few of my new friends as we waited for our bus. Once our ride arrived, we all headed outside and were introduced to our guide, who gave us an idea of the adventures we were to have, and had our group pick out a trip theme song as we headed for our first destination of Waitamo. We had a choice of going whitewater rafting or exploring the Ruakuri Cave. I was planning on rafting in Queenstown so I opted for the cave.
This cave, renown not only for their glowworms, the stalactites, and stalagmites, but for being wheelchair accessible! I've been spelunking a few times and this is the first one I've been to that was comprised of ramps. We had to leave our bags behind in the bus because if they brushed against certain rocks or formations, they could cause serious damage, which then we would have to pay a hefty fine for. Aside from that, the cave was wondrous with its natural formations, and our guide was very informative.
After a brief stop for lunch, we were taken to Rotorua, home of active geothermal and regular sulfur activity, making the town smell a bit like rotten eggs. We were taken to our lodging for the night, which was at Tamaki Village, a traditional Maori marai! Having spent the last two years amongst the Hawaiian people, also of Polynesian decent, I was thrilled to have this experience.
We were warmly welcomed by the family that maintained the marai, offered tea and snacks (including lamington, which I wasn't expecting!), given a tour of the grounds and given explanations regarding the designs of the lodges we would be staying in, and taught us a few games to play. The first thing we learned was a stick tossing game called ti rakau, which was fun yet intense!
The next game we were taught was similar to some I practiced doing improv. While standing in a circle, our host gave the person to his right a word, and they would continue going in that direction until someone else in the circle said a different word, and that would be passed between the players going to the left until the first word was repeated. Having done games like this before, it was easy enough until we did teeth clicking sound effects, where I floundered. The player left standing after all others were eliminated was awarded a free drink from the bar.
Our last game was a stick balancing game I learned to play at the Polynesian Cultural Center in O'ahu. I don't remember the name, but everyone stood in a circle with a stick. When give the word, everyone moved to the right and left the stick standing up. The point was the catch the stick next to you before it fell over. If the stick fell, you were out.
I thoroughly enjoyed this! It was a unique and fun way to learn more about the Maori culture and get to know the other travelers in my group.
After making ourselves at home in the lodges and freshening up, we were joined with another tour group visiting for the evening and treated to a haka welcome before being taken deeper into the grounds for canapes, activities, and the absolute best herbal tea I've ever had (I'm not a tea drinker). We were told stories, shown woodworking, learned how to use poi balls (I did that one!), played the stick balancing game, and volunteers were taught to do a haka. Everything about this experience was immersive, welcoming, and entertaining.
The final part of the experience was a showcase of dances, song, and hakas. The show delighted me in a way that I hadn't been since I saw Riverdance in Dublin the last time I was in Ireland. When the show ended, we were brought to the dining hall where we were served an amazing dinner. The other group left afterwards, and the rest of our group retired for the night.
Rotorua, Hobbiton and Surrounding Areas
In the morning, we were served a small breakfast and were bid farewell by the village family before we were taken to Rotorua. We were dropped off for a few hours to explore, and I joined a few gals to look around the lake and the old city museum that had been condemned years ago. Eventually we all dispersed into our own separate ways, but I wound up joining others I found at...an Irish pub!
We then met at the pickup spot and were taken to our hostel, and then those of us who booked the trip were then taken to Hobbiton! Having not only seen the films but also played Lord of the Rings Online for years, I was particularly giddy about this one. And I made sure to dress up extra cute since bringing a Middle-Earth themed costume would've been an extra expense and taken up too much room in my luggage.
We were brought to the set via shuttle which featured an exclusive video by director Peter Jackson discussing the Hobbiton set for the visitors. What was most important was that we understood that this area was on private property.
Our guide took us to every accessible Hobbit hole and pointed out which ones belonged to specific characters, how certain holes reflected the professions of other characters, and pointed out the insane details of the set design, from the clothing hanging on lines to the fake tree above Bag End, and the fake lichen applied to the fences! The commitment to detail only made me appreciate these films even more.
As it turned out, the new Hobbit holes that were open for walking through had just been opened to visitors only a few weeks before! Bag End was not one of them, but the two holes were designed to show how a standard Hobbit family would have lived.
The interiors looked like true-to-life living places that any normal person could take up residence in. My particular favorite detail was the newspaper on the kitchen table and all the articles!
The final part of the tour was supposed to take us to the Party Tree, but due to the recent rain it was closed off. Instead, we wrapped at the Green Dragon Inn, where I was finally able to partake of a real-world drink as opposed to all the virtual drinks I downed during the LOTRO Inn League Initiations.
After being returned to the landing area, we were given time to check out the gift shop before returning to Rotorua. There were a number of activities to do, but I opted to spend some the evening with some of the gals in my group for dinner and cocktails down on Eat Street.
We would be on the road again to our next destination, so after having a quick breakfast at our hostel, I picked up a turmeric latte from a nearby coffee shop (which turned my toothbrush yellow afterwards, haha!) and had a lovely chat with the barista. Our first stop was at the Te Puia, the Rotorua Geothermal Site, which not only featured these natural wonders, but demonstrations of Maori keepsakes, and live kiwi birds!
Kiwi birds are sadly endangered and nocturnal, so being able to see them was a real treat. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but take my word that they were adorable. Our guide took us to the geothermal pools where we were allowed to explore a bit before we were taken to the crafting area.
The group was shown examples of woodworking, weaving, and stone masonry to fashion necklaces and weapons from pounamu, New Zealand jade. We were also able to witness some of these workers creating these eventual masterpieces and told of the history behind their designs and materials used. It was an impressive and informative experience.
Lake Taupo and Tongariro
On our way to Lake Taupo, we took a brief stop at Huka Falls, a beautiful yet vicious waterfall that drains from Lake Taupo. It was a busy day for tourists so taking pictures was a little difficult at times.
I took what I could and moved along to allow others their opportunities. Lake Taupo itself was only a short distance away where we would stop for lunch. Funnily enough, we made it there at the same time as the Contiki tour was going on, so this particular area was swarming with 18-39 year olds!
After lunch, we made it to the lodge we would be staying at. We had a few hours off, and since tomorrow we would be doing the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, one of the best day hikes in the world, I went to pick up some supplies. I thought I'd found a great deal on a 1.5 liter bottle of water until I returned to the lodge and found it was sparkling water. Good thing I'd also bought Gatorade!
This was a quieter night as most of us would be doing the hike tomorrow. I joined the gals I'd dined with the night before and we had a nice time out. We started with Thai food, then went to the city center where we bought gelato and watched the sunset over the lake.
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing can only be allowed accessed by a few local companies, and our bus was picking us up at 5:30am. Everyone was up and ready to go then, and we were taken to the drop off area, arriving around 7am. All of the hikers were given maps which also had phone numbers to the travel company we used, and were informed of the places where hikers could turn around if they were unable to complete the hike.
The first 2 miles were a steady incline up toward the alpine region. There, I came across a sign reminding hikers that if they weren't up to doing this, this was their last chance to turn around. I continued on and found myself on the "Devil's Staircase," a brutal stairway that was supposed to take about an hour to ascend. However, this one only took about a half hour. I thought that I'd passed the worst of it!
Boy, was I wrong.
I'd joined some of my group at this point as they had caught up to me. I was going slower because, due to yet again my unpreparedness, I had not done many cardio workouts in the last few months. While my body was up to the challenge, my lungs were not. I couldn't go more than 30 feet before having to stop for a breather. All of us together made it to the crater, which was nice and flat, and took pictures with Mt. Ngauruhoe, better known as Mt. Doom.
That was when we came to an incline that made the Devil's Staircase look like a walk in the park.
This part took us straight up Mt. Tongariro, an active volcano, at the steepest incline I've faced in the over 500 miles I've hiked across the world. I was stopping every 20 or so feet to catch my breath, taking a full half hour to finish the ascent. So now that we're up, that means a nice, easy trip down, right?
Think again!
If it was steep going up, going down was worse. Not only was the decline practically vertical, it was all volcanic sediment! We had to be extremely careful going down because it was far too easy to slip on the way down. I slipped and got a nasty bruise on my booty, but thankfully that was the only time I fell. Though hazardous, we had a breathtaking view of the alpine region, stone formations, and Emerald Lakes at the foot of the mountain.
Once we made it to the next crater, we took a brief break to take pictures, eat lunch, and stretch before continuing. There was one more steep ascent ahead of us, though this one wasn't nearly as hellish. It took about ten minutes to go up even with about 3 breather breaks. From here, we would see the Blue Lake!
Or so we'd heard.
Fog had rolled in and completely blocked the view of the lake, though some of our friends had passed earlier and were able to snap some decent pictures beforehand. Staying to see if the fog cleared wasn't an option because the buses that would be picking us up would be coming by at specific times and we couldn't dally. We were only halfway through at this point. So, we continued along the marked path, and soon, the Blue Lake was behind us.
And then, it started to rain!
At this point, we were finally on a steady descent, but with the rain, it was extremely muddy. We also encountered a bit of traffic at this point too. There were maybe 30 other hikers at the same time, and we were all trying to book it out of the rain while also trying to stay safe. The rain kept on for about a half hour.
From there, the decline remained steady, with a few brief inclines along the way. I came to the final sign, which was encouraging all hikers by letting everyone know they were almost at the end! Only about 45 minutes to go. I thought to myself, "I'll be down before then!"
How much do you want to bet that I was wrong?
The decline went from steady to straight down, and in mostly STAIRS. If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that I am not a fan of excessive stairs. My knees and lower extremities were already sore from the crazy inclines earlier, so the going down was slow and agonizing. The scenery changed as well; from open air and no shade to practically a rainforest!
It took me almost an hour to make it down, but I did it! I saw most of my friends from my group down there too, so I joined them while I rested. And five minutes later, the shuttles started arriving. How fortunate I was that I'd arrived when I did!
Needless to say, the evening was mostly everyone taking it easy. The whole hike took me exactly 7 hours, covering 13.71 mi/22.06 km with an elevation gain of 3,135 ft. It may have been a brutal hike, but I would totally do it again, provided I properly train beforehand and bring hiking poles. If you're planning on doing this one, I will say again: bring hiking poles!
We returned to this area the next morning, visiting the Tongariro National Park this time. This particular area in not only New Zealand's first national park, it also served as the filming location and inspiration for Mordor in the Lord of the Rings films. So, essentially, once everyone disembarked the bus, we walked into Mordor. HA!
And, for the heck of it, I did a silly walk in the park, because I once won a Halloween costume contest by going as Mr. Teabag from Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks sketch!
Wellington
The country's capital was our next stopover where we would be staying for two days. On our way, we took a quick detour to see the beautiful Tawhai Falls.
We arrived in Wellington and stopped first at Mt. Victoria first to see the city from the highest point in the area. After we checked in at the hostel, I did some exploring down Cuba St. before grabbing dinner, because what do you think our first adventure together here would be? A bar crawl!
The first bar everyone in our group gathered at was conveniently next door to the hostel. The next one was smaller and accessed via elevator, so we had to wait in line at the entrance for people to leave in order to be admitted. During this time, a twenty-something American girl accompanied by two young men passed the line and tried to bribe the bouncer to let them cut. In a laughable display, the girl waved a wad of American $1 bills at the bouncer before being sent back to the end of the line. It was so painful that I honestly considered adopting another accent because I didn't want to be identified as American.
At last, we were admitted. The rooftop bar was loud and crowded, so I opted to skip a drink here. People were drunkenly dancing in front of the bar, blocking people who were trying to purchase drinks. Although I was having a good time with my friends, my claustrophobic self was jostled too many times. I was ready to leave rather early, which was coincidently the time that our guide said it was time to move on to the next bar. Whew!
Apparently, the men coordinated their outfits!
Our next bar was much less rowdy, but I was done by then. After all, I'd only done one of the greatest, albeit exhausting, day hikes in the world the day before in a less than prime shape than I usually was. It was going to take more than one day for me to recover. I stuck around for as long as I could, then returned to the hostel.
The next day was our first full free day...and it was pouring rain outside. I spent the morning doing laundry first, and by the time I was finished the rain had dissipated. I walked the few blocks to Te Papa Tongarewa, the National Museum of New Zealand. Admission was free and focused mostly on the islands' volcanic geography, Maori history, paintings by local artists, and two exhibitions: Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War and Dinosaurs of Patagonia. The former is a one-of-a-kind experience featuring large statues built by the local Weta Workshop do tell a story of the New Zealand soldiers in WWI. The latter brought in lesser-known dinosaur bones and had an added charge.
I regrettably skipped the Gallipoli exhibition and opted for the extra charge to see the dinosaurs. That was a fun experience, especially since photography was allowed and I had brought my toy dinosaurs, Wash and Heihei, with me! I explored the rest of the museum and was blown away by the various showcases of art and history. There were also exhibitions on immigration, refugees, nature, and sea wildlife, including this perfectly preserved giant squid.
Many of these areas were strictly no-photography areas, so I didn't take any outside of the dinosaur exhibit to be safe, with the exception of one. Outside, there was Bush City, a small, manmade island showcasing local plant life which did allow for pictures. It was more geared toward kids, but I enjoyed it.
After grabbing lunch and an incredible gelato from a dessert cafe called Zelati, I walked the Wellington Waterfront and made my way toward the Weta Workshop. The waterfront walk ended rather abruptly, but I was fortunate enough to find a Beam bike for rent and cycled the rest of the way (in a dress, I might add). I was a little early, so I explored the open exhibits in the gift shop that allowed for pictures. There were models of the trolls from The Hobbit, Tom, Bert and William, so I took the time here to take pictures with them. It felt more real taking the pictures outside, as these mountain trolls would be found in the wild had they existed.
The tour began with a small group, some of which were kids. We were shown a brief video by the founders of the Workshop reminding everyone to kept their cell phone stowed as pictures weren't allowed. The next room was full of small displays of weapons, armor, costume pieces, prosthetics, a duplicate copy of one of the soldier's heads from the Gallipoli exhibit from the museum, and even an Oscar! Our guide, a young German lady, even brought out Sam Gamgee's sword used in the Lord of the Rings films, and we were all allowed to hold it!
The next room we were brought to was the prosthetics room, which showed the process of applying the character features, such as ears and wigs, to the actors and a breakdown of the materials involved. Another film was shown, hosted by Jed Brophy, who most notably played Nori in The Hobbit, but appeared (sometimes multiple times) in just about every LOTR film. He showed the process of being transformed into Dracula in a project that was never developed. It's a pity there aren't any pictures released, because the impressive makeup job was more along the lines of Nosferatu and not the vampire ideals of today.
Our next stop was the one that just about every nerd dreams about. Inside, there were various costumes, armor, weapons and even actual character models. Most of these items were from LOTR, but also included The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Avatar, Chappie, Power Rangers, and District 9. Everything was safely locked away in display cases, with the exceptions of the sci-fi models. There was also a window where, on weekdays there would be a sword maker working on models for fantasy films. Since it was Saturday, we could only watch another brief film on the prop sword making process. Our guide brought out two examples of swords made: the exact sword used for standard filming, and the action sword, which was made of lighter materials so that the sword fights would be easier on the actors. And yes, we were able to handle those too!
The next room had alcoves that displayed the types of desks of the different teams, and featured examples that would could touch. This included the weapon makers, costumers, makeup artists, toy designers, set designers, sound designers, and several others that I can't remember. The final stop had the foil displays. Many models for creature ideas are made from foil, and hundreds of foil models were on display, some of which were made by other guests. During this time, we could play with the foil, or put on costume pieces and/or props and pose for pictures that we could purchase afterwards. I opted for the pictures, though I didn't purchase any.
We were brought back outside for the final part of the tour, which was right outside of the main entrance. Our guide pointed out the trolls in the courtyard and informed us of how we could purchase any photos we took inside. I stuck around for a little while longer, then caught an Uber back into the city. I went in search of the World's Largest Mjolnir, a part of the Marvel: Earth's Mightiest Exhibition that was in town for a few months. I would have checked out the exhibition but they were sold out for the day.
I was successful in finding the hammer and the Marvel Wellington sign, but didn't linger because a Foo Fighters concert would be starting at the nearby arena soon and attendees were beginning to arrive. We had another early morning the next day, so the evening concluded with dinner and a little more exploring. Despite being several blocks from the concert, we were still close enough to hear Dave Grohl and the band playing into the night.
Before dawn, we piled into the bus, on our way to the ferry. It was time to journey to the south island.
Tips for a First-Time Visitor
New Zealand is a country I have been trying to visit for years, and it certainly didn't disappoint! That being said, there were a few things I believe are worth mentioning for anyone who hasn't visited yet.
NZeTA
The moment you book that trip, go to this website and apply for the traveler's visa. Don't wait until the week of departure to do it because delays are possible, especially in the summer season. Once it's issued, it's good for 2 years, so maybe start planning another visit after your first...?
Don't Bring Food
We all love to bring snacks with us for the plane rides because of how expensive airport food is. Well, if you bring food to New Zealand, only bring what you can consume on the plane. Any food brought into the country must be immediately disposed of.
If you have bring your own food due to food allergies or dietary restrictions, the restaurants are very accommodating. Feel free to do the research ahead of time, but there were people in my group who had some concerns but didn't have any issues.
Bring Newer Shoes
As stated in the intro, I brought with me a pair of sandals that I wore in Belize when I went tubing down the Sibun, or Cave Branch River. That may have been 6 months prior, but I still checked them at customs. It wasn't an issue, but shoes that had been in foreign waters, or hiking gear of any kind that had been through any other countries did need to be checked. Just because mine weren't checked doesn't mean other shoes won't be.
I only brought 3 pairs of shoes with me: the sandals, a brand new pair of Columbia hiking shoes, and standard tennis shoes. The tennies I'd had for a while, but barely worn anywhere so they were fine. For first-time visitors, I would recommend bringing the newest possible shoes, and gear if you're planning to hike or backpack, to avoid any issues.
Scooters
A kiwi friend of mine introduced me to scooters, and they are all over the place around here, especially in the big cities. However, it's not always the same companies in every city. For example, Lime scooters are also rentable by using the Uber app, but in the north island, I only saw them in Auckland. In Wellington, there were Beam and Flamingo scooters and e-bikes. However, some of these companies, like Flamingo, are only accessible to riders with NZ phone numbers.
If you want to get around by using these, make sure you have at least 2 different apps on your phone in case one isn't available in the area.
Cards over Cash
Cash is still used here, but the majority of the stores and restaurants out here have switched completely to touchless credit cards. When you're planning to come, I would recommend skipping the cash unless you plan on using a laundromat at any time.
And there's no tipping, with the occasional tip jar at a coffee shop or cafe.
Summertime
January is the best time of year to visit because it's at the beginning of the summer season. However, New Zealand is further the south of the equator and isn't as warm as I was expecting. Some areas were humid, others were more rainy, but on the whole, I don't think I experienced weather warmer than 82 degrees Fahrenheit, or 28 degrees Celsius.
For packing, I would bring a durable pairs of pants and shorts. A windbreaker is an absolute must, and a good sweater or hoodie, especially for journeying to the south island. The south island is cooler in temperature than the north island.
No Booze without Passport
New Zealand is renown for incredible Sauvignon Blanc (or Savvy B for short) and its rich wine regions in the south. However, if you are a visitor, you cannot purchase alcohol without showing your passport. This isn't just for bars, it includes restaurants, clubs, and even grocery stores if you want to buy there.
If you're planning on going out, make sure to have that passport on you, or it's a dry night for you!
Milkshakes!
In the US, milkshakes are mostly expected to be found at ice cream parlors and restaurants. Out here, milkshakes are sold all over the place! They're on menus in coffee shops, smoothie shops, Night 'n Days (the NZ equivalent of 7/11), gas stations, and more!
When ordering, make sure you get the double thick version, as the standard shake can sometimes be more like thicker flavored milk instead of ice cream based.
Onward!
What a trip already! Delving into Maori culture, visiting Lord of the Rings filming locations, Weta Workshops, and hiking an active volcano makes for a rather hardcore trip, right? Well, it's not done yet! After all, there's still the south island to be explored, and there's more fun to be had!
Stick around for the next post to see what other adventures and achievements I unlocked on this escapade.
All pictures were taken by me or by using my device and not to be used without permissions. Gifs courtesy of Giphy.
