New Zealand observations
People
The people are very friendly and erm, helpful. Well, they think they are but do things like give you completely inane directions because they want to talk to you and couldn´t possibly consider telling you that they don´t know or can´t help you. The Maori people also seemed to be a very friendly bunch. There is of course one exception to the nice people thing, infact there are probably a few, but enough has been noted on that already. Actually, whilst I´m on the subject here´s the anonymised Court result for anyone who´s interested:
“… has been convicted and ordered to pay court costs of $130.00. He has been ordered
to pay you reparation of $40.00 and has been placed on a good behaviour
bond for 12 months.”
Although it´s good that he got convicted it says something that Lance was charged more by the New Zealand government for failing to Stop at a Stop sign than Paul was for attacking me…oh well….!
Generally in New Zealand I found that the males of the species were less brash and “in yer face” than their Australian counterparts. One way that the people seem to differ little is in their liking a good time.
Food
The food, as in Australia, is invariably very good and fresh in new Zealand. Akin to Australia it seemed hard to eat healthily on a budget though. As in Australia, no-one in New Zealand actually drinks Fosters, describing it as “r&ts´ piss” and the like – don´t believe the ads!
North vs South Island
Like many places, there is a divide between the North and South of New Zealand, a fact which is perhaps reinforced due to the two being on separate land masses. On North island the locals will tell you that South islanders are a bit slow (often in stronger terms) and locals in South island will tell you how much better it is and how there is no point visiting North island. Infact, a lot of travelers I met shared the latter view. Although South island is absolutely stunning, I had a huge amount of time for the North island with it´s beautiful beaches, goethermal sites and hotter weather.
Highlights
One of the main highlights for me in New Zealand was simply the scenery. Driving around a country which goes from beaches to snow-capped mountains so quickly was out of this World. The drive down the coast of South island passed Kaikoura was truly amazing. Places like Wanaka were also stunning with its huge lake and mountains behind. Unfortunately Wanaka was probably one of the low-lights of New Zealand for me due to the events that happened there but that´s not the places´ fault and I would highly recommend it. On the North Island I liked Wellington for its arty, cafe atmosphere and the nightlife. In the North West ninety mile beach and, in the North East, the Bay of Islands were both spectacular. Sand surfing was a great thing to do, although don´t take your camera!!!